The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of DublinNewman, John Henry
Religion
The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of Dublin
Newman, John Henry
Education, Higher; Universities and colleges
Such, I said, was that Knowledge, which deserves to be sought for its own
sake, even though it promised no ulterior advantage. But, when I had got
as far as this, I went farther, and observed that, from the nature of the
case, what was so good in itself could not but have a number of external
uses, though it did not promise them, simply because it _was_ good; and
that it was necessarily the source of benefits to society, great and
diversified in proportion to its own intrinsic excellence. Just as in
morals, honesty is the best policy, as being profitable in a secular
aspect, though such profit is not the measure of its worth, so too as
regards what may be called the virtues of the Intellect, their very
possession indeed is a substantial good, and is enough, yet still that
substance has a shadow, inseparable from it, viz., its social and
political usefulness. And this was the subject to which I devoted the
preceding Discourse.
One portion of the subject remains:—this intellectual culture, which is so
exalted in itself, not only has a bearing upon social and active duties,
but upon Religion also. The educated mind may be said to be in a certain
sense religious; that is, it has what may be considered a religion of its
own, independent of Catholicism, partly co-operating with it, partly
thwarting it; at once a defence yet a disturbance to the Church in
Catholic countries,—and in countries beyond her pale, at one time in open
warfare with her, at another in defensive alliance. The history of Schools
and Academies, and of Literature and Science generally, will, I think,
justify me in thus speaking. Since, then, my aim in these Discourses is to
ascertain the function and the action of a University, viewed in itself,
and its relations to the various instruments of teaching and training
which are round about it, my survey of it would not be complete unless I
attempted, as I now propose to do, to exhibit its general bearings upon
Religion.
2.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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