What does "academic" mean? : two essays on the chances of the university today /
"What Does "Academic" Mean? focuses, in two essays, on the prospects of contemporary universities. The term "academic" is traced back to Plato's Academy in a grove in Athens. The Academy is isolated, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Western universities...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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South Bend, Indiana :
St. Augustine's Press,
[2015]
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| Summary: | "What Does "Academic" Mean? focuses, in two essays, on the prospects of contemporary universities. The term "academic" is traced back to Plato's Academy in a grove in Athens. The Academy is isolated, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Western universities founded in the Middle Ages show continuity, via Byzantium, with Plato's Academy. Not surprisingly, the Oxford Dictionary quoted by Pieper defines "academic" as "Not leading to a decision; unpractical." The preoccupation of the academic as academic is seen by Pieper to be fundamentally theoretical, not practical. Pure theory is that which cannot at all be pressed into service. Clearly, many university disciplines that are richly funded by industry and business concerns tend to be favored by university administrations, which, intent on financial survival, frown on "unproductive" disciplines such as pure philosophy: metaphysics being a case in point, since it is the discipline least capable of practical application"-- |
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| Item Description: | Translated from the German. Machine generated contents note: CONTENTS Introduction by James V. Schall, S.J. WHAT DOES "ACADEMIC" MEAN? I A Western concept Philosophical means theoretical Destruction through being pressed into service "The exclusive property of the gods" The "worker" and the sophist Separation from "the many" II Purity of theory The philosophiser and "the ancients" New rootedness in cult? OPENNESS FOR THE TOTALITY OF THINGS Experiences behind institutions Spirit as receptivity to the totality of the world The role of the sciences Philosophy as the centre of the university Openness to every conceivable aspect Openness to "disputations" Notes Index. |
| Physical Description: | xiv, 82 pages ; 22 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781587319327 1587319322 9781587319334 1587319330 |