Description
Book SynopsisWhy pursue a university education? Some people answer in terms of the purpose of getting a good job. Others respond in terms of the aim of earning more money. Still others answer in terms of the goal of promoting social justice. Drawing on C. S. Lewis's belief that the purpose of life is the experience of perfect happiness, Stewart Goetz explains Lewis's simple but overlooked view that a person should pursue a university education for the pleasure that comes from higher-level intellectual activity. Goetz not only sharpens our understanding of Lewis's life and work in higher education, but also leads us to question why we attend, study, teach, or research at a university.
Trade ReviewVery few Lewis scholars capture the richness of Lewis’s thought in the way Owen Barfield described it: “somehow what he thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything.” In his provocative and illuminating treatment of Lewis’s view of higher education, Goetz has done exactly that. * Justin D. Barnard, Professor of Philosophy, Union University, USA *
Thoughtful and thought-provoking. Stewart Goetz provides an important contribution both to Lewis scholarship and to the wider conversation about the purpose and value of education. * Michael Ward, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, UK *
Stewart Goetz has emerged as a leading Lewis scholar, particularly with respect to Lewis’s philosophical writing. In this book he makes a convincing case that Lewis saw the fundamental purpose of higher education to be the pleasure and happiness it brings. Lovers of Lewis will naturally find this book to be a delight! * Jerry L. Walls, Professor of Philosophy, Houston Christian University, USA *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Introduction: Why Higher Education? 1. The Intrinsic Goodness of Pleasure 2. The Pleasure of Higher Education 3. Higher Education and Being a Christian 4. Higher Education and Naturalism 5. Lewis and Higher Education Today 6. What Do I Think? Notes Bibliography Index
