Elizabeth Eastman: From Shadows on the Wall to the Sun: Liberal Education and the Ascent from the Cave
Nov. 17, 2020, 6 p.m. Online only, free and open to the public. No registration necessary.
The livestream will start on YouTube at 6 p.m.
ŷڱƵ the Lecture
The idea of liberal education as an ascent to the light is from Plato’s Republic. The rising and setting of the sun in the natural world, which brings light and darkness, happens with a degree of regularity and uniformity. As human beings we share this common, daily experience. Plato’s description of emerging from the darkness to the light as a metaphor for liberal education suggests that we detach ourselves from the familiar and engage in questioning to achieve the ends of education. By considering these concepts alongside the Benson Center’s theme of Community or Disunity, this talk will pose questions about what role liberal education plays in building communities and whether questioning disrupts or strengthens our communities.
ŷڱƵ the Speaker
Elizabeth Eastman holds a PhD in Political Science from Claremont Graduate School, an MA in Liberal Education from St. John’s College, and a BA in French Literature and Civilization from Scripps College. She has taught in the Political Science and History Departments at Chapman University and Azusa Pacific University in California and in the Liberal Studies Programs at Roosevelt University in Chicago and at California State University at Fullerton. She is the Benson Center's 2020-21 Senior Scholar in Residence.
Part of the Benson Center’s “Community or Disunity?” Series
The theme of the 2020 fall Conservative Thought and Policy lecture series invites speakers, students, faculty, and community members to reflect upon questions related to the communities that we build and the challenges that may contribute to their disintegration. The fall speakers approach these topics from different perspectives, beginning with the original notion of political community as explained by classical thinkers, continuing with America and its unique and diverse founding, and concluding with the role of liberal education in sustaining and enriching our communities.