Value of Liberal Arts Exceeds Material Gain

by James W. Wagner, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (December 30, 2004)

In an editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emory University President James W. Wagner challenges two common assumptions about college education: "that the purpose of education is to make money, and that liberal arts graduates don't make much." Beginning with the second charge, Wagner points out that many professions "value the mental nimbleness and the capacity for effective human communication" developed in the liberal arts. Liberal arts graduates often are sought after by employers, he says, for their "quality of mind."

But Wagner's editorial also disputes the assumption that making money is the ultimate end of education. He suggests that instead of concentrating on money, we should consider how education prepares people to lead better lives. Although a better life may include "greater employability and material comfort," above all such a life is one "freed from ignorance," he argues. And college is particularly suited to better our lives in this way. "Higher education," Wagner concludes, "is as much about gaining insight as it is about gaining information; as much about seeking wisdom as it is about seeking knowledge."

The full text of James Wagner's editorial can be read online.