e-journal

Why is liberal education so incoherent?An anthropological perspective

---

Purpose – This paper’s purpose is to account for liberal education’s characteristic incoherence.
Design/methodology/approach – Its approach is to sketch a dilemma created by cultures being
inherently conservative, while nations, in order to be internationally competitive, need to be innovative.
The definitional and systemic bases of culture’s conservatism offer no point of attack; but a third base is
enculturation, which does.
Findings – Shortly after puberty, society’s more promising young people are strongly urged to leave
home for an extended period, and be exposed to ways of acting and thinking that often clash with how
they have been brought up. They are encouraged to explore new subjects and indulge their curiosity;
they are encouraged to ‘‘think outside the box’’ of their own enculturation. The incoherence of liberal
education leaves them not with a sense of closure, but in a state of constructive confusion conducive to
innovation in all aspects of life. Liberal education thus serves the social function of countering the
anti-innovative tendency of culture.
Practical implications – Attempts to impose coherence on undergraduate educational experience by
‘‘tying things all together’’ for students are ill-advised.
Originality/value – Seeing incoherence as a desirable rather than deplorable feature of undergraduate
liberal education can help us facilitate rather than inadvertently inhibit innovative thought and action in
the rising generation.

Keywords Liberal education, Cultural conservatism, Enculturation, Innovative imperative,International competition, Replication vs innovation

---

Ketersediaan

Tidak ada salinan data

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

ON THE HORIZON

No. Panggil

-

Penerbit

: Emerald Group., 2014

Deskripsi Fisik

ON THE HORIZON VOL. 22 NO. 1 2014, pp. 10-18

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

-

Klasifikasi

-

Tipe Isi

-

Tipe Media

-

Tipe Pembawa

-

Edisi

-

Subjek

PENDIDIKAN

Info Detail Spesifik

-

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Asmawati/Syahrial

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

Komentar

---

Anda harus masuk sebelum memberikan komentar