Are the Liberal Arts Elitist?

If liberal arts programs do not prioritize the practical ends of education—earning income and solving social problems—are they really only for people who don’t need a job and who aren’t altruistic? In the face of existential threats and social ills, how can the study of poetry, literature, music and purely theoretical science be justified?  

This is an in-person evening symposium on the nature and purpose of the liberal arts with Margarita Mooney Suarez and the Zephyr Institute.

Margarita Mooney Suarez is an Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Scala Foundation, which works to offer meaning and purpose in education by restoring a classical liberal arts education. Her most recent book, The Love of Learning: Seven Dialogues on the Liberal Arts (2021), grew out of her decades of experience as a teacher and scholar and presents the stories of seven other scholars (including Stanford's William Damon) about why liberal arts education matters today.

Margarita’s writing has appeared in  Real Clear Policy, Scientific American, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Miami Herald, Plough Magazine, America Magazine, First Things, Hedgehog Review, Public Discourse, Church Life Journal and the National Catholic Register.

The discussion was moderated by Matt Bowman, executive director of the Zephyr Institute.

A limited number of signed copies of The Love of Learning was available. The book can also be purchased here: https://scalafoundation.org/love-of-learning/

Suggested Viewing:

• Discussion with Roosevelt Montas on the COVID-19 Crisis & Great Books - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sBI4dAyZNc&list=PLRZHnw30gpFczQRy-fgea2LMi-3FsfTHI&index=1
• Interview on the Love of Learning book by Eric Metaxas - https://rumble.com/vim7ol-margarita-mooney-the-love-of-learning-seven-dialogues-on-the-liberal-arts.html