Higher Education in the Making: Pragmatism, Whitehead, and the Canon (SUNY series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

George Allan Argues That The So-called Culture Wars In Higher Education Are The Result Of The Dogmatic And Unyielding Certainty That Both Canonists And Anti-canonists Bring To Any Discussion Of How Best To Organize An Undergraduate Curriculum. He Then Proposes A Middle Way. Drawing From William James, John Dewey, And Alfred North Whitehead, He Contrasts The Absolutist Claims Of Both Canonists And Anti-canonists With A Fallibilist Approach And Argues For A More Pragmatic Canon That Is Normative And Always In Need Of Renovation. A Wide Variety Of Voices Are Heard In Allan's Conversation About The Nature And Meaning Of An Education Canon, Including Philosophers Aristotle, Descartes, Arthur Lovejoy, Hannah Arendt, Spengler, Emerson, Lyotard, And Rorty. Contemporary Voices Include Eva Brann, Charles Anderson, Francis Oakley, Martha Nussbaum, Gerald Graff, Henry Louis Gates Jr., And Bill Readings.--jacket. Crumbling Cathedrals -- Content Canonists -- Procedural Canonists -- Anti-canonists -- Relative Canonists -- Canonical Dynamics -- Canonical Dialectics -- Pragmatic Canonists -- Education For A Democracy -- Religious Education -- Education For Our Common Good -- Cathedral Ruins -- Constructive Pragmatics. George Allan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [233]-238) And Index. Higher Education in the Making......Page 4 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Series Introduction......Page 12 1. Crumbling Cathedrals......Page 18 2. Content Canonists......Page 34 3. Procedural Canonists......Page 52 4. Anti-Canonists......Page 70 5. Relative Canonists......Page 88 6. Canonical Dynamics......Page 106 7. Canonical Dialectics......Page 124 8. Pragmatic Canonists......Page 144 9. Education for a Democracy......Page 162 10. Religious Education......Page 182 11. Education for Our Common Good......Page 200 12. Cathedral Ruins......Page 216 13. Constructive Pragmatics......Page 232 Works Cited......Page 250 Note on Supporting Center......Page 256 C......Page 258 K......Page 259 R......Page 260 W......Page 261 SUNY series in Constructive Postmodern Thought......Page 262 Higher Education in the Making 4 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Series Introduction 12 1. Crumbling Cathedrals 18 2. Content Canonists 34 3. Procedural Canonists 52 4. Anti-Canonists 70 5. Relative Canonists 88 6. Canonical Dynamics 106 7. Canonical Dialectics 124 8. Pragmatic Canonists 144 9. Education for a Democracy 162 10. Religious Education 182 11. Education for Our Common Good 200 12. Cathedral Ruins 216 13. Constructive Pragmatics 232 Works Cited 250 Note on Supporting Center 256 Index 258 A 258 B 258 C 258 D 259 E 259 F 259 G 259 H 259 I 259 J 259 K 259 L 260 M 260 N 260 O 260 P 260 Q 260 R 260 S 261 T 261 U 261 V 261 W 261 SUNY series in Constructive Postmodern Thought 262