engleski

The Principle of Development in the Idea of a University of J. H. Newman

When thinking about Newman´s most influential major works, the three following readily come to one’s mind: Development of Christian Doctrine, An Essay in Aid of Grammar of Assent and Idea of a University. In the presentation our goal is to combine all three of these works through one of Newman´s basic tenants: a man is a being of progress. In other words we will enquire into the principle of development as it is manifested in Newman´s epistemology and theory of education. The principle of development will be connected to the principle of nature in both of its aspects: the static and the dynamic one. Seen from the static point of view nature can be identified with essence - the intrinsic, constitutive, immutable principle of any being which is the source of its identity and which gives it its inner, basic structure. From the dynamic point of view, nature can be seen as the principle of acting, as the source of operation and innate inclinations. If we are talking about living beings, nature in its dynamic aspect becomes the principle of growth and development. The concept of development is one of the major ones in Newman, starting from his widely influential work The Development of Christian Doctrine. The concept itself indicates the fortuitous and complex reality of a natural and necessary growth which is connected to life as a specific mode of existence and which allows the living being to mature into a more perfect and complete version of itself through actualization of all its potentials which exist in it in an implicit form. From this we see that the impulse for the development comes primarily from within the being and as such it is influenced by many natural factors and it goes through many different stages which any living being needs to go through. Newman emphasizes this even more by saying that „the advancement of our nature, both in ourselves individually and as regards the human family, is, to every one of us in his place, a sacred duty. “ Education is one of the means through which we can reach this development and perfection. As such it must be built upon nature as on its foundation because, although education represents an external and formal aid of acquisition of knowledge, still it helps us to the unfolding of innate aptitudes and potential we have inside and as such it helps us by perfecting us. Since Newman was highly influenced in his life by Scott´s maxim “Growth – the only evidence of life”, we hope to presents Newman´s understanding of university as the place in which a human being has a chance to grow and develop into a more perfect version of itself. One of the main reasons Newman was endorsing the importance of high education provided through the study of humanities was founded on the principle that this type of studies provide an opportunity for a man to develop his intellectual potential to the best of his abilities giving his mind a versatility, breadth and depth needed for his personal and social betterment.

Newman, development, university, education, progress

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