Education for life

Modern universities can be said to have three missions, namely, to provide professional education, scientific research and training, and liberal education. The main argument of the paper is that liberal education, defined as the development of the student as a whole person, complements a professional and scientific education, and deserves more attention given the concerns about both today’s students and societies. It provides a short history of liberal education, and of great books seminars as one way of providing a liberal education, discussing practical-educational questions about text selection and the role of the teacher. Finally, it offers an example of a text that could be read as part of great books seminars, namely, E.M. Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread.