Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation in America

Rating:
Summary: Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation in Ame
Review: Schwehn, the dean of the honors college at Valparaiso University, has written one of the best books in the current spate of religion and higher education volumes. His focus is on teaching as the heart of the academic vocation. He argues that the virtues of religious faith nurture the kinds of virtues that are needed for teaching. He contrasts an older model of education which sought to discover truth in order to shape character, with the modern research university ideal of creating knowledge in a value free exploration so that it can be used to enhance our power. The former is more congruent with teaching and with faith. The latter is at odds with the teaching model of higher education, and in practice the research models undermines the very virtues that makes honest researchers possible.

Rating:
Summary: Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation in Ame
Review: Schwehn, the dean of the honors college at Valparaiso University, has written one of the best books in the current spate of religion and higher education volumes. His focus is on teaching as the heart of the academic vocation. He argues that the virtues of religious faith nurture the kinds of virtues that are needed for teaching. He contrasts an older model of education which sought to discover truth in order to shape character, with the modern research university ideal of creating knowledge in a value free exploration so that it can be used to enhance our power. The former is more congruent with teaching and with faith. The latter is at odds with the teaching model of higher education, and in practice the research models undermines the very virtues that makes honest researchers possible.