대학 이념으로서의 자유교육: 뉴먼(Newman)의 ‘총체적 지식’ 개념을 중심으로

Abstract

A typical idea of a university, which is often called to an 'Ivory Tower', has characterized the cultivation of intellect in general and the pursuit of knowledge. It means that the idea of a university is conceptually connected to the realization of the ideal of liberal education. The purpose of this paper is to explore Newman's view on liberal education as the idea of a university and to examine his view. To accomplish this end, we dealt with the following questions: what kind of knowledge should we pursue at university? How can we understand Newman who is a theologian and liberal educationist and what is the place of theology in liberal education? how do we understand Newman's conception of universal knowledge with regard to the idea of a university?The logic of Newman's thesis goes the followings: the idea of a university is related to the realization of the idea of liberal education. Liberal education aims at liberating human (mind) through the pursuit of whole or universal knowledge. Theology plays a crucial role in forming a universal knowledge in that it is a portion of universal knowledge as well as integrating all knowledge. Indeed, according to Newman, the realizing liberal idea of a university at that time has failed due to the elimination of theology in university curriculum. In short, Newman's idea of a university can summarized as the following two propositions: 'all knowledge forms one whole', and 'theology is not only a portion, but a condition of universal knowledge'. Newman shows that the reason why university should realize the idea of liberal education, that the idea of liberal education can realize through initiating people into universal knowledge, and that theology plays a key role in forming universal knowledge. However, Newman's idea of a university should overcome internal tasks and external challenges. His idea should elucidate and elaborate the internal tasks, i.e., the relationship between whole person education and universal knowledge, and the role of theology in universal knowledge. Newman's idea of a university also should answer the external challenges. i.e., supercomplexity in a social dimension and post-modern value in a temporal dimension in order to be suitable for contemporary idea of university.