Summary Of On Liberty By Frank Bruni

Education is one of the most important aspects of modern society. It passes down important information to those who would benefit from it and keeps those ideas alive while inspiring others down the line. As time has gone on, the institution of education has become a money-making machine more focused on turning children into test score numbers and less focused on the vital importance of self-discovery and personal development. John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” discusses the idea of free will in society and individualism. His ideas mirror that of two of Frank Bruni’s articles in the New York Times, “Higher Education, Liberal Arts and Shakespeare” and “College, Poetry and Purpose”, which both form ideas about the importance of classes in college …show more content…
This is what happened to Frank Bruni, as he details in his article, “Higher Education, Liberal Arts, and Shakespeare”. Bruni proposes a rhetorical question to the reader about a profound educational experience, before answering it himself. His experience reflects one that others might find themselves in as well, a class that they may not have expected teaching them one of the greatest lessons, or providing them with a new way to look at the world. To explain how this experience was significant to him, Bruni simply writes, “It informed all my readings from then on. It colored the way I talked to people and even watched TV… It transformed me.” (Bruni 3) His choice of the word “transform” is incredibly powerful. It implies that the teachings of this professor did not just have an effect on him, but instead changed him completely. This example is the pure power that education can have on its students. It inspires a new, creative way of looking at the world that they might not have considered before. Even those classes that may seem insignificant and the ones that may seem like a waste of time can provide critical life lessons that one may not have gleaned without the help of the course. Similarly, the institution of college itself exists as an extension of previous educations. College advances upon …show more content…
This is the essence of why education is imperative to unlocking the true potential of humans. Without a basis of education, the possibilities of what a person can become are locked. The average person is not aware of what they might enjoy or what they might be good at if they do not try. With an education, people are made to practice things previously foreign to them like complex mathematics and sciences. Though it may seem tedious to learn things that do not seem apparently important, these lessons may open doors down the line to realizing what an individual person is passionate about. The sanctity of education must be protected to assure that each person has the opportunities available to become the best version of themselves. In John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” he defends the idea of individuality by stating, “Secondly, the principle requires liberty of tastes and pursuits; of framing the plan of our life to suit our own character; of doing as we like, subject to consequences as may follow; without impediment from our fellow creatures, so long as what we do does not harm them, even though they should think our conduct foolish, perverse, or wrong.” (Mill 86) Without an education, these tastes and pursuits could go unrecognized by the common uneducated man. Their individuality is thus contained by the limits of their mind and what they already know.