John Henry Newman’s articles, Discourse V: Knowledge its Own End and Discourse VI: Knowledge Viewed in Relation to Learning are reflections of the education one may obtain at a University and define the true meaning of a liberal education. In Discourse V, the author admits that although there are many different paths of study that one may take at a University, it is important for students to remain open to and educated about areas of knowledge different from their own. Newman emphasizes that Universities should expand their branches of study in order to benefit the students because, “though they cannot pursue every subject which is open to them, they will be the gainers by living among those and under those who represent the whole circle.” By being exposed to a wide range of subjects, students of the University will be well-rounded learners while pursuing a narrower path of study. Newman also argues, in Discourse VI, that in order to be a successful learner, students must become engaged in the ideas they are learning, a process he calls “enlargement,” rather than simply memorizing and reciting the information. He reasons, “enlargement consists, not merely in the passive reception into the mind of a number of ideas hitherto unknown to it, but in the mind’s energetic and simultaneous action upon and towards and among those new ideas.” Therefore, in order to obtain a true liberal education at a University, Newman believes that students must become knowledgeable in multiple areas of study while becoming engaged in the subjects at hand. It is this type of education that will have a lasting impression on the lives of University students, and will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
