Can Liberal Arts Restore American Independence?

Reprinted from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

Collector of many stripes-But a goal– Eating our free society for more than a hundred years.

If we want to turn America’s current slide into authoritarianism and actively move toward a completely free society, we need to be as clear about our goals as the collectivists were about them. And they always had the power and control – to that end, using intelligence masquerading as education.

In response, Us The goal of education should be to nurture in every profession those autonomous, active minorities who are capable of being agents of social change and who are entrepreneurs. It is these active minorities that are changing society everywhere – the Renaissance Medicine in Florence, the founders of the US and Cobden and Bright in the UK.

In that endeavor, the greatest guardian of independence is the cause of autonomy Autonomous people do not tolerate being ruled. Independent people recognize and want each other’s sovereignty Patan Others and Trade With others Equally, To reject the force that collectivists use when they cannot be persuaded.

We need a college (college!) That is specifically dedicated to nurturing autonomous individuals who are well educated in the values ​​of logic, individualism and independence. We need to keep our laser in focus: what kind of education helps young people learn to live independently? To develop autonomy? Discover how to be an entrepreneur in your own life?

In other words, What is the teaching of true liberation??

This is why I am working to open Reliance College in 2024. We want Reliance students to enter the world as self-reliant individuals. We will provide them with a rich portfolio of knowledge and skills, and build a portfolio of work so that they can plan for the life they envision for themselves and succeed, overcoming any obstacles and adversities that stand in their way.

Reliance will be a residential college that will offer a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, complemented by a real-world problem-solving project in the interest of the student’s career, with a deep emphasis on reasoning well and objectively.

The program will be a specially organized version of a classic Enlightenment liberal arts curriculum, dedicated to the free search of the free mind. The college will be inspired entirely by private funds to ensure maximum independence from government orders. This includes:

1. Considering the classic works across the ideological spectrum, Ludwig von Mrs., Ain Rand, Frederick Bastiat, and other supporters of free-society as equal to other great and influential thinkers;
2. A specialized approach that involves the study and practice of careful reasoning, concept formation, the integration of knowledge across departments, and the connection of ideas with their impact on life and the world;
3. Real-world problem projects (in the case of student professional interests) that will connect students with outstanding, skilled professionals as mentors and create valuable experiences and elements for a professional portfolio. We will find great mentors like Joe Lonsdale of American Optimist, Jim Kondrak of UCG Group, Explanation of post-modernismOf Stephen Hicks, and J. Lapierre of Litrum;
4. Special work on important skills such as writing, active listening and group work, personal finances and economics, and the role of art in a well-rounded life.

Over the years, I have built my knowledge on human development, starting with my work at Council Oak Montessori School for 3-15 year old students, which I have established and run for 27 years. Montessori educational philosophy is 100 years ahead of its time in understanding the importance of human development for optimal education and growth. I have used the Montessori Framework while respecting my knowledge of what young adults need to become better people. We have incorporated this knowledge into every aspect of our educational activities.

Through their autonomy and self-reliant entrepreneurial development, the program strongly influences students to realize and accept the values ​​and concepts of living as a free person in a free society. It does this by:

1. Helping them to develop a purposeful, realistic way of thinking (and we know that a free society is, objectively, the best way to improve people);
2. Providing a process by which students can deeply examine the meaning and consequences of ideas from all angles, from the collectivist to the individual, considering the work of the thinkers of the independence movement as equal to that of other great thinkers;
3. To provide a deep community of love and shared ideas and values ​​for a culture of inspiration, beauty and grandeur. Young people desperately need such a culture, especially when we are surrounded by post-modernist, nihilist intellectuals and artistic influences in contemporary America.

At Reliance, we show young people the dream of a life full of adventure and achievement.

We already have a successful track record with this program. For the past 13 years, we’ve applied it with great results to carefully crafted summer and weekend programs, and we’re running one this summer, July 23-30, in Chicago. (See Great Connection for more information.)

Student after student has spontaneously reported to us that their outlook on life has been transformed by these programs. To this day, we hear of their success because of what we have learned from them at The Great Connection. Students who join our full college program will have the opportunity to learn and develop more.

In terms of the qualifications of the students joining our summer program, Reliance will probably attract highly intelligent students who are dissatisfied with what is available elsewhere. Reliance’s program will increase their effectiveness so that they will be outstanding in their work performance. Their academic performance, combined with their real-world problem project work, will make us more attractive to employers, students and parents. The reputation of the college will grow rapidly.

The program will also achieve our ultimate goal: to develop an active and confident minority who can defend their own lives and the rights of a free society. We are aiming for a new American Revolution!

Our long term plan is:

1. Start with a small school in the rented quarters where students get the personal attention and guidance they need;
2. Add a continuing education activity quickly for retired adults looking for their next path in life (and those who will become great supporters and allies);
3. Build and enrich a rich cultural community for free-society advocates through events and discussions on film, art, architecture, poetry, drama — you name it করে imitating the vibrant salon community of the 19th century;
4. Expand our campus to accommodate multiple smaller colleges, similar to the Oxford University model.

We are raising a private scholarship fund and endowment for the program. Due to the rigorous nature of the program, we do not expect recognition to be difficult to achieve.

There will be no tenure of any faculty. Teachers will be expected to uphold our values ​​and follow our goals.

We love our program and look for teachers who are dedicated to our method. Our teachers will participate in a special training course on our methods and procedures. We plan regular faculty sessions where we reflect on whether we are following our mission and striving to improve education. In this way, we can avoid the “awakening” that is plaguing many colleges.

To get started, we’ve developed a comprehensive, well-funded, and expert marketing plan. We have a business model that enables a reasonable budget for the next seven years, including affordable tuition, created after years of research conducted on the administration and funding of colleges in the United States.

Reliance College will offer all these people who expect to pay a reasonable price for real education instead of the price inflated by the prestige they deserve. We will look for students who want more than vocational training or ideological programming.

Given the current state of education, this is a good time to start a new, independent institution of higher learning.