Values based verses liberal arts education

tk21769
Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:21:35 +0000

In what context did you see the term “values-based education”? Are you referring to it as used in a college’s mission statement? Here’s an example of what I think you might mean:
[Values Based Education](http://www.plu.edu/admission/first-year/academic-distinction/lives-of-service.php)

We prepare students to land that good job and become leaders in their chosen careers. But unlike at many other universities, for our graduates success also means developing both a deep understanding of their possible roles in the world and the tools necessary to benefit the world around them.



What do we mean by the term “liberal education”? I like the simple definition provided by Wikipedia:
“A Liberal education is a system or course of education suitable for the cultivation of a free (Latin: liber) human being.”
([Liberal education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](Liberal education - Wikipedia))

In my opinion, the “cultivation of a free human being” does not necessarily entail any religious indoctrination or any commitment to “living a life in service to others”. The primary goal of higher education, in my opinion, is to create and share knowledge (not to inculcate morality). Free people express their commitment to this goal in a variety of ways.