Book Review

The ideal of University by John Henry Newman, a famous theologian, educator, litterateur and linguist in the Victorian era of the 19th century, I have a lot of feelings. The deepest one is that it gives me a new understanding and Reflection on the education I have received and various phenomena in the university education around us.It was only after consulting the materials that I learned that Newman was a great advocate of liberal education in the 19th century. He advocated that universities should impart all kinds of knowledge equally and completely. Moreover, the role of university should not only impart knowledge, but also pay attention to the cultivation of students' autonomy and rationality. In the ideal of the University, Newman actively expounds his views on liberal education, including his views on the nature and functions of the University. It's incredible that he has a lot of ideas that still have a lot of positive significance today. This may be the reason why the ideal of a university has not been eliminated after a hundred years of publication.I think this book points out two main goals of modern and future university education: to promote students' all-round development and to weaken the subjective utility of learning.The first is to promote the all-round development of our students. According to Newman, perhaps most of us would agree that "a university is, first of all, a place to receive education, a place to acquire a great deal of knowledge from a wide range of subjects." I think this sentence emphasizes not only education and knowledge, but also "numerous". Many of them don't mean that we should choose as many courses as possible, then carry out the so-called internal volume, and finally get high performance points. On the contrary, it refers to a kind of learning attitude, that is, the organic integration and rational use of the knowledge we have learned, so that we can not only excel in our study, but also live a wonderful self in all aspects of life. According to Newman, "knowledge is an indispensable condition for expanding thought and a tool for expanding thought." Expand the scope of knowledge, learn more and see more, not limited to their own professional knowledge. In this way, we will not be too narrow-minded. I will not be a "incompetent" person just because I leave my major. Of course, the knowledge of each subject is interlinked. For example, learning philosophy is conducive to our better understanding of pedagogy. This is not a reflection of the overall development of their own knowledge system?Moreover, we should weaken the subjective utilitarianism of our study. What is subjective utilitarianism? In fact, this is also a kind of learning attitude of us, but it is not appropriate. It means that we only study for the sake of learning and getting high GPA. And this kind of utilitarian learning is less beneficial to our future development. In Newman's eyes, the existence of university is neither to make people become learned, nor to prepare for work, nor to make people noble and sacred, but to prepare for acquiring knowledge. The real purpose of university is to "cultivate good social citizens" and bring about the harmonious development of society. "Having knowledge can be used by us in a habitual way, although we can get no other benefit from it, nor benefit any direct purpose." "I argue that knowledge is for knowledge itself, not just for what it can do." However, looking at our life and our experience, how many people in our society can still insist on "pursuing knowledge for the purpose of knowledge itself"? I have to admit that the study of the students around me (and sometimes myself) and most of the education I have experienced, especially in the middle school stage, our education is too utilitarian, our learning is too utilitarian. According to the principles of British university education published in 1837, Whewell put forward that "examination is only a means, not an end, which should always be kept in mind." Indeed, examination is just a form. If you don't learn anything, the key is to see yourself. Therefore, we should learn less utilitarian, learn knowledge, improve self-quality is the most important.These are all my thoughts and Reflections on Newman's the ideal of a university