Augustine and Liberal Education

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), bishop, theologian, philosopher and rhetorician, has left a rich legacy for reflection upon relationships between Christianity and culture, Christian catechises and liberal education, and between faith and reason. This text aims to shed light on liberal education past and present, from an Augustinian point of view. Ranging from historical investigations of particular themes and issues in the thought of Saint Augustine, to reflections on the role of tradition and community and the challenges and opportunities facing universities in the next century, the contributors return to the sources of traditional reflection whilst exploring contemporary issues of education and "the good life". Essays on Augustinian inquiry in medieval and modern eras address critical questions on the role of rhetoric, reading, and authority in education, on the social context of learning, and on the relationship between liberal education and properly Christian catechesis. Contemporary questions on liberal education from philosophical, political, theological and ethical perspectives are then explored in the essays which move from the past to the present.