The Idea of a University

In these discourses, Newman moves his attention from theoretical concerns about knowledge to the effects of that knowledge upon students. This marks a transition from one primary theme, the unity of truth, to another: education as intellectual formation. These two themes are intimately connected. If all knowledge is interconnected in the unity of truth, then the proper aim of education is not just to learn scattered pieces of knowledge, but to gain a well-ordered perspective on the whole. Education, then, is not a matter of conveying mere information to a recipient; it is the process of forming the student’s mind to be able to ascertain knowledge in its full context.

Newman focuses on some practical matters, first addressing the question of whether usefulness should even be a consideration in the pursuit of knowledge. His initial answer is that usefulness is certainly not the primary goal. In the following chapters, however, he demonstrates that there are significant benefits that come from intellectual formation, even if they do not offer the same kind of utility as marketable skills might. The transformation of one’s temperament, which results from the acquisition of knowledge, brings benefits both to the person and to society at large.

Newman’s focus on practical matters, however, is not solely about the utility of knowledge. His train of thought draws him toward practical applications for the theory of education. Two main applications present themselves in these chapters: first, regarding the methodology of conveying information to the student; and second, having to do with the environment of the university itself. Both issues remained relevant into the 20th and 21st centuries as educational theory continued to assess the value of practices like standardized testing and in-person learning.

First, Newman believes that rote memorization of information is not the best method (though it may have its place occasionally), because it does not match Newman’s notion of the goal of learning. Students are not mere reservoirs of information; they should develop capacities to manage information for themselves. The practices of lecturing and tutoring should strive to be participatory, to engage students as more than just recipients.

Second, Newman also believes that the very structure of university life has practical applications to intellectual formation. The environment created when young people are brought together from many different places, cultures, and walks of life is itself a broadening experience. Their common life requires an adjustment to other ideas and values than they had been exposed to before. This is especially the case in a university where the students are learning under faculty who represent all the various branches of knowledge. As students learn under these different disciplines, while being exposed to them all, they will use their interactions with each other to process the whole scope of the knowledge they receive. The intellectual diversity of the university resonates throughout the student body and produces harmonies from a vast breadth of knowledge. While the environment of the university might be considered a passive feature of educational theory (in the sense that it emerges on its own, without requiring active, continual planning by teachers and administrators), Newman suggests that it is of great importance to the intellectual formation of students.