FREE ESSAY ON JOHN HENRY CARDNAL

JOHN HENRY CARDNAL

John Henry Cardinal Newman, the leading figure of the Oxford movement believed that a
liberal education was more important than technical training in itself. He believed that
the broad knowledge of many disciplines would allow the individual to be more successful
in every day life. With the complexities of today's world one cannot afford to not be
equipped. Newman felt so strong about this concept that he wrote a book entitled, " The
Idea of a University" in 1852. 
The Idea of a University stresses that a liberal education should encompass all
disciplines such as reading, writing, math, science, technology, language, literature,
social studies, physical education, public speaking, political science, anthropology, and
so on. Studying these subject areas alone was not good enough in Newman's mind. He wanted
us to be able to tie these concepts into real life applications. He also wanted us to use
these subject areas inter-connectedly. Newman's focus is to create a world of thinkers
who are self-sufficient. Newman believes that with a foundation in many disciplines
allows the individual many options in becoming whatever he or she wants to. Newman
explains; "Again, as health ought to precede labor of the body, and as a man in health
can do what an unhealthy man cannot do, and as of this health the properties are
strength, energy, agility, graceful carriage and action, manual dexterity, and endurance
of fatigue, so in like manner general culture of mind is the best aid to professional and
scientific study, and educated men can do what illiterate cannot; and the man who has
learned to think and reason and to compare and to discriminate and to analyze, who has
refined his tastes, and formed his judgments, and sharpened his mental vision, will not
indeed at once be a lawyer, or a pleader, or an orator, or a statesmen, or a physician,
or a good landlord, or a man of business, or a soldier, or an engineer, or a chemist, or
a geologist, or an antiquarian, but he will be placed in that state of intellect in which
he take up any one of these sciences or calling I have referred to, or any other for
which he has taste or special talent, with an ease, a grace, a versatility, and a
success, to which another is a stranger". 
Newman believes that unless students have a basic knowledge background, they will have a
difficult time in figuring out how to make things work. For example, currently our
technology has advanced us to the point that we now have the use of computers. If a
person learns the basics of the different computer software packages, when the new
software packages come out we are still able to use them. Sure, there maybe new
adjustments however; all the basics of the software will be the same. I know from my own
experiences that this is true. I started my learning experiences on a dinosaur
word-processing software package. I am able to go into any software program now and
through trial and error I am able to figure out how to make it work. Most all of the
software packages I now branch off from the basics I learned years ago. 
The following is another example of the importance of having a well-rounded education. A
few weekends ago my brother, Jeff, was up visiting me from Poughkeepsie, New York. He had
just purchased a second hand car with his life savings. We used his car all day and we
had no problems. While driving back to my house Jeff started running the air-conditioner.
After a few minutes, the temperature gauge registered that the car was running hot and
the engine started to smoke. Ironically, as the car overheated we managed to pull into a
service station. A mechanic immediately greeted us and offered his services for $50
dollars an hour. Jeff and I looked at one another as if someone had kicked us both in the
stomach. We had no foundation of knowledge when it came to cars and helplessness overcame
us. I immediately phoned my boyfriend, Michael, for help in this situation. He is not an
automobile mechanic, but is very mechanical and he said that he would come and look at
the car. Michael arrived momentarily and asked my brother to let his engine cool off.
After ten minutes he asked, Jeff to start the car with the hood open. While the car was
running he immediately started assessing the problem. The fan that cools the radiator is
supposed to begin running when the engine gets hot, staying on until the temperature
decreases to a safe level. It was obvious to him that a sensor was bad. He knew that he
had to bypass the circuit and needed some materials in order to make that . 
While driving to the parts store Michael explained to us that sensors in automobiles work
like wall switches in homes. These sensors allow for circuit's to open and close. The
sensor in the car wasn't switching to the closed position when it was supposed to, which
stopped the electron flow to the fan. We picked up the necessary materials and returned
to the car. Within five minutes, Michael rewired the circuit to the fan bypassing the
sensors, which allowed the circuit to close. The fan was now running and the car was
cooling correctly. Jeff and I jumped for joy and thanked him repeatedly.
Michael is not an auto mechanic but because he has knowledge of electricity he was able
to fix the car. What I've learned from this situation is that people who are lacking
knowledge feel helpless. We can not know everything but it is evident that practical
knowledge is freedom.
In conclusion, John Henry Cardinal Newman and the Oxford movement pushed for a world of
thinkers and problems solvers. Newman realized understanding that the complexities of the
world would require well-rounded people who could tie in many 
disciples in solving problems. This did not mean only having an understanding about
concepts but also being able to use them in a practical way. Newman stresses that
concepts alone without application will cause us to fail. If knowledge is not harnessed
for the betterment of mankind than it is wasteful. The earlier example mentioned
electricity was not being harnessed correctly. What good was it? Not very good at all;
once the problem was rectified the energy was working in the intended way making Jeff's
life more rewarding. Understanding the world and how it works from many disciplines gives
us freedom and independence. It builds self-sufficiency and a competence that many don't
possess. Life opens up for the intelligent who are diversified while closing off to those
who aren't as versed. Again, we can not possibly know everything. We need to open up our
minds and take in as much as possible. Having true practical understanding makes our
lives more fulfilling. 
In this world you never know what tool you will need to deal with an issue. No one tool
will do the job for all situations. All situations in life will vary. Equipping yourself
and knowing how to practically use that knowledge will offer freedoms that are unlimited.