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The Wisdom of Mortimer Adler on Tradition and Progress in Education

Wise people seek to avoid excess in all areas of life, including education. The history of education is mired with the excesses of "isms." Adler says, "Progressivism has become as preposterous as classicism was arid." 

 It has substituted information for understanding, and science for wisdom." (67) the trouble with most reforms is that they start out to remove flaws and end by throwing the good away with the bad." (67) The permanent studies, then, are those which cultivate humanity of each student by disciplining his reason, that power in him which distinguishes him from all other animals. Such discipline is accomplished by the Liberal arts, the arts of reading, writing, and reckoning – the three ours. And since wisdom does not change from generation to generation, or even from epoch to epoch  the permanent studies include the funded wisdom of European culture as that reposes and it's great works, it's great books,


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