Review by Choice Review
Arendt wrote only two essays about education, "The Crisis in Education" (Partisan Review, 1958) and "Reflections on Little Rock" (Dissent, 1959). Although the latter generated considerable controversy, the former hitherto has received scant critical attention. The contributions anthologized here by Gordon (philosophy, Quinnipiac Univ.) presuppose that this neglect is unjustified: "The Crisis in Education" is central to Arendt's corpus and potentially valuable for educators. Arendt believed that education should simultaneously introduce the young to the world they will inherit as adults and foster their ability to renew it. Therefore, the world must be protected from the young and vice versa. Accomplishing that goal requires authority on the part of the educator. Education, in its logic and requirements, stands radically opposed to politics, whose animating principles are civic freedom and equality rather than authority, and therefore the spheres should be kept separate. The authors featured in Gordon's collection all address this argument, so understandably there is overlap and repetition. Still, they are far from uniform in views or approach. The mix of established scholars (Peter Euben, Jerome Kohn, Elisabeth Young-Eruehl) with newer voices would have pleased Arendt, as would the equal attention given to theoretical issues (e.g., the nature of thinking) and more practical concerns (culture wars, cooperative learning). Graduate and faculty collections. S. K. Hinchman St. Lawrence University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
