Liberal Arts as a Cosmopolitan Hope

Bin Song
Washington College

It’s an honor to address you all today. In this dynamic space, during this interesting time that challenges our hearts and minds, let’s contemplate the profound essence of a liberal arts education.

Back in 2018, when I became a part of Washington College, a dream I had held close to my heart was realized. Twenty years prior, as a young philosophy student in China, I found myself enchanted by the novels of Haruki Murakami, translated from Japanese to Chinese, which are also imbued with influences from iconic American writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Murakami’s evocative depictions of university life ignited a spark within me. It was then that I began to dream of teaching, reading, and writing with unbridled freedom, hopefully in the halls of a democratic college.

In our hallowed halls of Washington College, the dream has come alive. Each day unfolds as a chapter of discovery, brimming with fresh ideas, reaffirmed beliefs, and moments of unexpected joy. These experiences are surely amplified because of Washington College’s esteemed status as one of the most historic liberal arts institutions in the U.S. Yet, deep within my heart, I feel my journey is far from complete. Not simply because of my age and the countless collaborations I envision with my wonderful colleagues and the brilliant students who are joining our cause. But, more importantly, because I believe the noble ideal of liberal arts education faces immense challenges in today’s society. Given the very essence of this ideal, it is our duty, as educators of today and tomorrow, to champion and defend it, despite and indeed because of these challenges.

In my Introduction to Philosophy class, I strive to illuminate for our students the origin of the concept ‘liberal arts’ in ancient Greek philosophy. Think of Socrates — declared as the smartest human in Athens by the god Apollo, yet heartbreakingly sentenced to death by a democratic assembly. In a modern cartoon interpretation of the tragedy of Socrates’ death, we might envision it in this way: A mob, incited by democratic leaders and angered by Socrates’s steadfast loyalty to the law, gathers outside the Athenian supreme court, chanting “Hang Socrates! Hang Socrates!” In the end, Socrates successfully hanged himself.

This profound injustice plunged Socrates’s student, Plato, into despair. Plato came to view democracy as a mere rule of the uninformed masses, stifling the enlightened ideas of the truly educated. As an alternative Plato envisioned a society ruled by an all-knowing and supremely intelligent ‘philosopher king’. This king would take charge of guiding every facet of civic life — including which job you can take, whose poetry you should read, or read poetry at all, and even who you should marry and how you raise your kids. Trust me, when you read contemporary news articles about how authoritarian nations today defend their regimes against what they label as ‘Western liberal democracy’, you’ll realize Plato’s arguments are anything but antiquated.

While Plato had his convictions, his very own student, Aristotle, saw things differently. Aristotle asserted that no individual could ever achieve godlike infallibility; hence the dream of an all-knowing human ruler is just that—an illusion. However, acknowledging Plato’s critique of democracy, Aristotle’s advocacy for democracy is more sophisticated. He distinguishes two forms of democracy: one lower form of democracy, where the masses govern and since the electorate is uninformed, the elected officials can merely serve their own selfish interests. Then, another higher form of ‘democracy,’ termed as the ‘polity.’ Here, a knowledgeable and educated citizenry elects representatives who truly champion the common good of all citizens.

Therefore, at the heart of Aristotle’s vision was a delicate balance, weaving meritocracy into the fabric of democracy. And this is where the profound significance of a ‘liberal arts’ education shines forth. The word ‘liberal” implies the freeing of the human spirit. Authentic freedom isn’t limited to any particular sphere of knowledge. A liberal arts education is an invitation to expand our horizons, to think critically and rationally, propelling us on an insatiable quest for diverse knowledge. More than just a theoretical discipline, it’s an ‘art’ that cultivates virtues vital for a rich human experience—an experience Aristotle termed ‘eudaimonia,’ the Greek word for genuine fulfillment or happiness. Aristotle firmly believed that without such an education, we will risk becoming “mechanistic” in our thinking, surrendering our freedom and autonomy. Absent this foundation of liberal arts education, the heart-wrenching fate of intellectual luminaries like Socrates, judged by an uninformed majority, and the ascent of power-hungry authoritarian demagogues, both underscore the dire consequences of a democracy devoid of merit.

My fellow citizens in the Goose Nation, the societal and political challenges Aristotle confronted were strikingly akin to what we face today. And the remedy he proposed? It’s the very essence of what Washington College embodies in its daily pursuits as a bastion of liberal arts. I’ve often said to my students with immense pride that only in a vibrant setting like Washington College can a professor seamlessly traverse subjects as diverse as Descartes’ analytic geometry, Hobbes’ social contract theory, and Matso Basto’s Wabi-sabi haikus in the morning, only to delve into Simone de Bouvoir’s feminist existentialism, Nagajuna’s Mahayana Buddhism and lead a Yoga Sutra meditation by afternoon. While interdisciplinary teaching is an aspiration for many larger institutions, it is our starting point—a foundation we continuously seek to elevate.

In focusing on the “art” of our liberal arts commitment, our mission statement at Washington College explicitly emphasizes “moral courage.” The tight-knit nature of our community fosters a deep, personalized exchange of knowledge, instilling in each learner a robust ethical foundation and a sense of duty.

So, citizens of our beloved Goose Nation, when the weight of today’s societal challenges bears down upon you, remember Aristotle’s time-tested wisdom and embrace what Washington College has always been good at. Together, we’ll stand poised on the cusp of hope, flourishing, and eudaimonia.

For many of you, the tale I’ve just shared about the origins of liberal arts, rooted in its Western heritage, might feel familiar, especially considering the dedication of my co-educators to this grand Western tradition. Yet, with immense pleasure, I wish to enrich this narrative with a cosmopolitan dimension. It’s fascinating how the foundational principles of Western liberal arts resonate deeply with the visions of Confucius.

Many researchers have long recognized Confucius as the pioneer of the East Asian version of liberal arts education. To me, a particularly compelling piece of evidence is that Confucius established the very first private school in ancient China. He ardently championed the principle of “teaching without discrimination (有教無類)”. This was not merely a principle of pedagogy; it represented a revolutionary act. Confucius sought to dismantle the royal government’s monopoly over educational resources and embraced a democratic and inclusive approach. For Confucius, wealth was not the measure of a student’s worth; genuine intent to learn was. And in testament to this, if a student lacked money but showed a sincere desire to learn, Confucius accepted tuition in the humble form of a bunch of dried meat.

On the other hand, the democratic spirit of Confucius, deeply rooted in meritocracy, finds a remarkable echo in the teachings of Aristotle. Aristotle once warned against superficial education, cautioning that it could lead individuals to become “banausos”— which means being vulgar and mechanical in nature. Similarly, Confucius taught that a truly noble-minded human should broadly learn and be dedicated to self-cultivation, and thus, they should not be just a “utensil” with limited functions (君子不器). It’s noteworthy that one interpretation of the character 器 is “machine.” Thus, both philosophers believed that the core objective of liberal arts is to prevent the rise of individuals who are narrow-minded and mechanical, potentially jeopardizing the ideals of a meritocratic democracy.

In light of Confucius’ advocacy for liberal arts and its role in fostering democracy, my decision to join Washington College can be seen as a gigantic leap of faith—a vote by feet, if you will, as I find a place in America to embrace the ancient ideals of Confucius. Yet, I am far from the first to be influenced by this vision. It is astounding how principles of liberal arts from varied origins resonated with America’s founding figures, notably Benjamin Franklin. Franklin not only recognized these universal principles but actively bridged these worlds. He translated the Confucian classic, “The Great Learning,” from Latin to English, presenting it to the public in the Philadelphia Gazette in the 1740s. For Franklin, the heart of American democracy was a balance between rule by law and rule by virtue. Acknowledging that laws are best upheld by virtuous individuals, he and fellow founders drew insights from both East and West to shape our young Republic’s blueprint.

So, my fellow Goose citizens, allow me to offer this perspective: Washington College, the very first to be chartered in the sovereign United States, proudly bears the name of the founding president. This, to my mind, is a testament to our institution’s intrinsic connection to the universal essence of liberal arts, a vision championed alike by great minds such as Aristotle, Confucius and Ben Franklin. At the heart of this vision lies an enduring belief: that by fostering a robust democracy anchored in meritocracy, we pave the way for every individual to achieve their fullest potential, thereby ensuring the co-thriving harmony of human civilization.

Thank you.