Irrigating Irrigating DesertsDeserts

C. S. Lewis on C. S. Lewis on EducationEducation

Who is C. S. Lewis?Who is C. S. Lewis?

• Oxford donOxford don

• 1898-19631898-1963

• AuthorAuthor

• Devout ChristianDevout Christian

• Christian apologistChristian apologist

• Creator of NarniaCreator of Narnia

• Influential thinkerInfluential thinker

• Relevant todayRelevant today

Oxford DonOxford Don

• He was educatedHe was educated– At homeAt home– W. T. KirkpatrickW. T. Kirkpatrick– University CollegeUniversity College

• He was an educatorHe was an educator– Oxford UniversityOxford University– Cambridge UniversityCambridge University

• He thought deeply about educationHe thought deeply about education• He wrote about educationHe wrote about education

Albert & Flora LewisAlbert & Flora Lewis

• Flora Hamilton Flora Hamilton Lewis (1862-1908) Lewis (1862-1908) earned a degree in earned a degree in math and logic from math and logic from Queen’s College, Queen’s College, BelfastBelfast

• Albert James Lewis Albert James Lewis (1863-1929), a (1863-1929), a Belfast solicitor, Belfast solicitor, was also a Queen’s was also a Queen’s graduategraduate

Wynyard SchoolWynyard School

• Sept. 18, 1908 to July 1910Sept. 18, 1908 to July 1910

• “…“…the putting on of the school the putting on of the school clothes was … the assumption of a clothes was … the assumption of a prison uniform.” prison uniform.”

• James Adams McNeill and the poetry James Adams McNeill and the poetry of Matthew Arnoldof Matthew Arnold

Malvern CollegeMalvern College

• Harry Wakelyn Harry Wakelyn Smith, a master of Smith, a master of the Classicsthe Classics

• The “Smugy” of The “Smugy” of Surprised by JoySurprised by Joy

• Poetry, i.e. “how it Poetry, i.e. “how it should be savored should be savored and mouthed in and mouthed in solitude.”solitude.”

W. T. KirkpatrickW. T. Kirkpatrick

• ““The Great Knock”The Great Knock”• His Tutor from Sept. 19, 1914 to April His Tutor from Sept. 19, 1914 to April

25, 191725, 1917• Preparation for Oxford UniversityPreparation for Oxford University• ““If ever a man came near to being a If ever a man came near to being a

purely logical entity, that man was purely logical entity, that man was Kirk.”Kirk.”

• A man who “thought not about you but A man who “thought not about you but about what you said.”about what you said.”

The Richard Selig StoryThe Richard Selig Story

The Liberal ArtsThe Liberal Arts

• Honour Honour Moderations—Moderations—Greek and Latin Greek and Latin textstexts

• Greats—Philosophy Greats—Philosophy and Ancient Historyand Ancient History

• English Language English Language and Literatureand Literature

How an Oxford curriculum was How an Oxford curriculum was differentdifferent

• One subjectOne subject

• Three yearsThree years

• TutorialsTutorials

• LecturesLectures

• Preliminary examsPreliminary exams

• Final examsFinal exams

• Viva voceViva voce

Reading and Re-reading Reading and Re-reading BooksBooks

• “…“…and perhaps and perhaps rereadingrereading of an old of an old friend—a Scott with friend—a Scott with much skipping—is the much skipping—is the best of all.”best of all.”

• An Experiment in An Experiment in CriticismCriticism

• ““Shut your mouth; open Shut your mouth; open your eyes and ears. your eyes and ears. Take in what is there Take in what is there and give no thought to and give no thought to what might have been what might have been there or what is there or what is somewhere else.”somewhere else.”

The Abolition of The Abolition of ManMan::•““The task of the modern The task of the modern

educator is not to cut educator is not to cut down jungles but to down jungles but to irrigate deserts.”irrigate deserts.”

1830 and “De Descriptione 1830 and “De Descriptione Temporum”Temporum”

Chronological SnobberyChronological Snobbery

• Definition: “the uncritical acceptance of the Definition: “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited” (date is on that account discredited” (Surprised by Surprised by JoyJoy).).

• Was it refuted, or did it merely die away?Was it refuted, or did it merely die away?• An offshoot of Darwinism (James Como) and the An offshoot of Darwinism (James Como) and the

Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution• Though a biological evolutionist, Lewis did not Though a biological evolutionist, Lewis did not

subscribe to a belief that “later is always better.”subscribe to a belief that “later is always better.”• Scripture—earlier and betterScripture—earlier and better

““Our English Syllabus”Our English Syllabus”

•““Schoolmasters in our time are Schoolmasters in our time are fighting hard in defense of fighting hard in defense of education against vocational education against vocational training; universities, on the training; universities, on the other hand, are fighting against other hand, are fighting against education on behalf of learning.”education on behalf of learning.”

Important Factors in Lewis’s Important Factors in Lewis’s ThinkingThinking

• Irrigating desertsIrrigating deserts• The purpose of educationThe purpose of education• UtilityUtility• Vocationalism—training, educating, learningVocationalism—training, educating, learning• The TaoThe Tao• EgalitarianismEgalitarianism• DisciplineDiscipline• Head and HeartHead and Heart• The Inner RingThe Inner Ring• Amateur PhilosophersAmateur Philosophers

The CurriculumThe Curriculum

• ““the great poets, orators, and the great poets, orators, and philosophers.”philosophers.”

• Art, history, religion, mathematics, Art, history, religion, mathematics, biology, music, astronomy, etc.biology, music, astronomy, etc.

• Logic, philosophy, literature, the Logic, philosophy, literature, the Classics.Classics.

• According to Lewis, the Classics do what According to Lewis, the Classics do what good history also does; they prevent the good history also does; they prevent the mind from being isolated in its own age.mind from being isolated in its own age.

Walter Hooper

Joel Heck

Joel Heck Priscilla Tolkien

The EndThe End