T. H. Huxley
Pre-reading
Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) was described by American journalist H. L. Mencken as “the greatest Englishman of the 19th century” and a writer of “nearly perfect English prose”. Remembered today as an influential advocate for Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories, Huxley was a highly regarded scientist and philosopher with a talent for explaining complex subjects clearly and forcefully.
A Liberal Education is an excerpt from a longer essay, A Liberal Education; and Where to Find It, which Huxley presented in 1868 at the South London Working Men’s College.
Prompts for Your Reading
1.What is the equivalent of “liberal education” in Chinese?
2.How does the author’s opening analogy — comparing life to a chess game — prepare readers for his discussion of the value and purpose of education?
3.What is Huxley’s image of life?
4.How does the author position education in the game of life?
5.What role does Nature play in education?
6.What is the approach of reasoning the author uses when he tries to explain his sense of“compulsory education”?
7.What does the author mean by “artificial education”?
8.What is the relationship between natural education and artificial education?
9.In what ways does liberal education train a man?
10.Are there any allusions in this essay? What are the sources of the allusions?
11.What images or figures are brought to your mind when you read about the author’s definition of “liberal education” at the end of this essay?
[1] By way of a beginning, let us ask ourselves — What is education? Above all things, what is our ideal of a thoroughly liberal education? — of that education which, if we could begin life again, we would give ourselves — of that education which, if we could mould the fates to our own will, we would give our children? Well, I know not what may be your conceptions upon this matter, but I will tell you mine, and I hope I shall find that our views are not very discrepant.