Invention: The Art of Liberal Arts

Invention: The Art of Liberal Arts by Lee, J. Scott. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780999305959.

“We are greatly indebted to Scott Lee, the distinguished and longtime leader of the Association of Core Texts and Courses, for this insightful exploration of the possibilities and problems of liberal arts education, which draws upon his addresses and conversations across many decades, colleges, and nations. Lees distinctive analysis, straddling the realms of ‘rhetoric’, ‘dialectic," and “poetic,” illuminates the neglected interconnections among ‘art,’ ‘freedom,’ and ‘invention,’ which shape, he argues, the very nature of the liberal arts. The reader will be informed and inspired by each of the essays in this important volume.”—Bruce A. Kimball, Emeritus Academy Professor The Ohio State University For too long the liberal arts have been neglected or diminished for other, seemingly more important, concerns in advocating liberal education. J. Scott Lee’s penetrating book defends and advances liberal arts education through exploring and understanding the art of liberal arts, invention. Artful invention underlies the uniquely human freedom of the joy of learning, the attractive power of liberal education. Philosophically attuned to the possibilities humans can make for themselves, informed by modern empirical and theoretical studies, Lee probes the liberal arts to open up opportunities for students, faculty, and institutions to change higher education and communities for the better. Whether analyzing Pygmalion, the New Organon, the Adoration of the Magi, or the Poetics, or marshaling data to propose new liberal arts programs, Lee convincingly shows how the art of invention can revitalize liberal education in the 21st century.“This unique volume of speeches and essays deserves reading by anyone seriously interested in thinking about the liberal arts.” —Patrick Malcolmson, Professor Emeritus St. Thomas University