THE RESTORATION OF LEARNING

A defense of the principles of liberal education, a criticism of the distribution and use of resources in the public schools, and a general discussion of the broader lines of thought in modern academic circles, this collection of papers shows sweep and courage even if it fails to carry conviction. The large-mindedness of the presentation involves the reader in too many ambiguities; words like Freedom and Democracy and Truth are scattered at random and demand the closest definition; and a myriad of sentences such as this become obscure and slippery: ""The crucial problem is how to encourage young men and women to range freely over the various fields of knowledge and yet to maintain that unified comprehension which will enable them to understand and cooperate in one another's intellectual pursuits."" A sound enough doctrine, but what are its specifics, how is it to be implemented? The author simply passes from one concept to another, leaving the reader ever more remote from fact, method and decision... Aimed strictly at teachers and educators.