The habit of the freedom of the mind
"Before the invention of alphabet and writing and printing, we were dependent - we peasants, folks like you and me - on other human beings to know certain things. Not only things about the solar system or mathematics and so forth, but whether or not we peasants were capable of self-government. And they - the aristocrats and kings, in short, the tyrants - taught us that we weren't capable of it. But now, because we have direct access to the minds of say a John Locke, we could learn for ourselves that we are capable of it. And therefore we now know that we can rise to the level of equality. Notice that it is 'rise' to the level of equality. It's not down. We are rising to the level of equality because now we can cultivate the habit of mind that is necessary for that. We don't need intermediaries, whether they are called rulers or kings, aristocrats, priests, it doesn't make any difference. We don't need those. We can go directly to the source. I'm not blaming students in high school (for not reading great works). I'm blaming the rest of us for not pushing and shoving and cajoling and persuading the rest of our fellow citizens that these sixteen-year-old students are actually capable of looking at the Gettysburg Address on their own and getting something from it."
Peter Schramm
Executive Director - Ashbrook Center
Ashland University
Lecture - February 12, 2009
Peter Schramm
Executive Director - Ashbrook Center
Ashland University
Lecture - February 12, 2009
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