Powers of the Mind : The Reinvention of Liberal Learning in America

In "Powers of the Mind", former University of Chicago dean Donald N. Levine considers the liberal education that our universities purport to offer, finds it lacking, and in response proposes fresh and invigorating ways to think about liberal learning that are more suited to our times. Levine begins by defining basic values of modernity and then considering pertinent curricular principles. The principles he favors are powers of the mind - disciplines understood as fields of study defined less by their subject matter than by the distinct intellectual capacities they embody. To illustrate, Levine draws on his own lifetime of teaching and educational leadership, while providing a marvelous summary of exemplary educational thinkers at the University of Chicago who continue to inspire. Out of this vital tradition, "Powers of the Mind" constructs a paradigm for liberal arts today, inclusive of all perspectives and applicable to all settings in the modern world.