Neoliberal arts - Grade: A PDF

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Essay on Liberal Arts...

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The other side of truth What are the salient features of the neoliberal paradigm of education as discussed in William Deresiewicz’s article, ‘The Neoliberal Arts’?

Neoliberalism, more often known as free market economic and political system, is widely the mode of rule in the Western Capitalist countries. Paul Treanor explains what neoliberalism is: “Neoliberalism is a philosophy in which the existence and operation of a market are valued in themselves, separately from any previous relationship with the production of goods and services . . . and where the operation of a market or market-like structure is seen as an ethic in itself, capable of acting as a guide for all human action, and substituting for all previously existing ethical beliefs.” (“Neoliberalism: Origins, Theory, Definition.”). William Deresiewicz described liberal arts as when ‘knowledge is pursued for its own sake and not for any utilitarian purposes.’ And he linked neoliberalism to liberal arts as having somewhat an inverse relationship, the more the neoliberalism prevails the lesser attention is paid to liberal arts. (William Deresiewicz September 2015 p.6). He said in his talk which was given at a TEDx event, that a person studying liberal arts learns to think well, write well and speak well and also, a person becomes a more reflective human being, by not just learning professional skills but humanitarian skills which vocational careers fail to impart to individuals. (William Deresiewicz September 2016 The Best Education for All TEDxMtHood) Adam Smith came up with the liberal idea of developing an economy through his book ‘Wealth of the Nations’ through which the West, particularly United States benefitted. It was highly popular but the Great Depression and economic crisis turned the tables and the profits

plummeted and so the concept of neoliberalism came into existence. Some of the characteristics of neoliberalism include rule of free market, minimizing expenditure on social services and eliminating the concept of a community. These ideas were widespread and naturally affected the education system as well. Today, the world has been mostly following this capitalist paradigm by which the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poor. Because neoliberalism stems from a capitalist ideology, the only attention paid is to how much a person can earn and add to the economy and so the education being given to the masses should only increase their productivity and efficiency and therefore nowadays colleges and universities do not promote thinking and learning for its own sake. ‘Notice that “value…is an economic, not an ethical word, or, rather, that in the neoliberal universe, ethics reduces to calculations of wealth and productivity.’ (Stanley Fish March 2009 The Opinion Pages The New York Times) The transition of colleges from teaching from a theological approach to a more secularized one was a stepping stone back in the twentieth century. Deresiewicz says in his essay that as time progresses a society develops to construct a new paradigm that would lead the education system and the economy. Perhaps these transitional phases are necessary for development of a society as a whole because through passing them we see their shortcomings and benefits and when its limitations surpass its advantages, a new system is discovered, for example the Marxist theory was sought after as a response to Adam Smith’s capitalist theory. The problem with neoliberalism which Deresiewicz highlights, is that Capitalism is considered the final stage ‘[b]ut moving forward to a different state is a possibility that neoliberalism excludes…. We have reached the end of history, a steady state condition of free market capitalism that will go on replicating itself forever.’ (William Deresiewicz September 2015 p.4)

Furthermore, Deresiewicz criticizes both students and professors alike for being responsible for their little interest in reflecting, thinking and learning for its own sake. Students do not engage in mindful thinking not only because of their greater interest towards extracurricular activities but also ‘because his students don’t much care about the things he’s trying to teach them.’ (William Deresiewicz September 2015 p.6). On the other hand, professors are to blame too because like he said, they teach technical things which are only applicable for certain work. While the purpose of liberal studies is to hone the skills of an individual for every sphere of life. In conclusion, Deresiewicz repeatedly emphasized on the importance of education and particularly liberal education. In his Tedx talks he said that to the capitalists a man who can think and read will is a threat to the status-quo and he ends the talk with a quote by Robert Hutchins ‘The best education for the best is the best education for all’ (William Deresiewicz September 2016 The Best Education for All TEDxMtHood)

Bibliography Deresiewicz, W. (2015, September). The Neoliberal Arts How College sold its soul to the market. Harper's Magazine. Fish, S. (2009). Neoliberalism and Higher Education. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/neoliberalism-and-higher-education/?_r=0 T. (2016). The best education for all | Bill Deresiewicz | TEDxMtHood. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7fmjsHw590 Treanor, P. (n.d.). Neoliberalism: Origins, theory, definition. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/neoliberalism.html...