Another Sort of Learning

by James V. Schall

Another Sort of Learning: Selected Contrary Essays on How Finally to Acquire an Education While Still in College or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advise about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to Be Found

"James V. Schall has written a delightfully odd book about books, because he believes that (1) to be educated is to confront the great questions about what is; that (2) many modern students, in or out of school, never learn to raise, much less answer, the great questions, thus are uneducated in the deepest sense; and that (3) great books, past and present, which wrestle deeply yet non-technically with these questions rather than passively mirroring popular culture with its myopia and prejudices, can fill this vacuum for anyone, in or out of school. It contains unusually sane reflections on education, unusually reflective reviews of books, and unusually discriminating booklists. Just the book I have wanted to give my students for years." - Peter Kreeft, Boston College

"For years I have meant to write such a book as Another Sort of Learning, suggesting how the rising generation might acquire some measure of wisdom despite the intellectual vices or indifferences of the Academy; but I am happy that Schall has forestalled me. It is full of much valuable wisdom." - Russell Kirk, Author, The Conservative Mind

"Few teachers can match Fr. Schall at conveying a sense of the life of the mind, few would have the audacity to write about 'what a student owes his teacher', or the charm to carry it off, or the wisdom to make it memorable. He never forgets that 'to learn' is a transitive verb, and that its object is truth." - Joseph Sobran, Editor, National Review

Genres: Philosophy, Education, Nonfiction, Catholic, Essays, Theology, Cultural

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Fr. James V. Schall, SJ was Professor of Political Philosophy at Georgetown University.

He was born in Pocahontas, Iowa, January 20, 1928. Educated in public schools in Iowa, he graduated in 1945 from Knoxville, Iowa High, and then attended University of Santa Clara. He earned an MA in Philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1945.

After time in the U.S. Army (1946-47), he joined the Society of Jesus (California Province) in 1948. He received a PhD in Political Theory from Georgetown University in 1960, and an MST from University of Santa Clara four years later. Fr. Schall was a member of the Faculty of Institute of Social Sciences, Gregorian University, Rome, from 1964-77, and a member of the Government Department, University of San Francisco, from 1968-77. He has been a member of the Government Department at Georgetown University since 1977.

Fr. Schall has written hundreds of essays on political, theological, literary, and philosophical issues in such journals as The Review of Politics, Social Survey (Melbourne), Studies (Dublin), The Thomist, Divus Thomas (Piacenza), Divinitas (Rome), The Commonweal, Thought, Modern Age, Faith and Reason, The Way (London), The New Oxford Review, University Bookman, Worldview, and many others. He contributes regularly to Crisis and Homiletic & Pastoral Review.

He iss the author of numerous books on social issues, spirituality, culture, and literature.

Reviews

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, there are some books which one wishes they had read when they were first starting out in life, and not when they already accomplished college. This book in union with "Disorientation: How to Go to College Without Losing Your Mind" by John Zmirak would be a powerful combination in keeping young adults from being thoroughly swiped up by the ideological "education" (I mean . . . Indoctrination) which the youth are being initiated into via most college campuses today.

This book offers a wonderful One-Two Punch, of great arguments and further reading in each chapter. This book is broken up into 3 Parts: (1) Why We Should Love Learning for its own sake, (2) Reviews for Certain Books that Will Help Inculcate that desire, (3) Address the higher things behind learning and how to effectively learn, to actually "Be Educated" rather than indoctrinated.

The author brilliantly lays out the dangers of today's modern education and institutions, coming to conclusions that I already suspected but could neither put to words nor effectively explain my position from, but the warning against the Idolatry of Ideas which ideologies attempt to do, to how modern education is not the be all and end all of knowledge (whether of the most important things or least important things), to the dangers and pitfalls of a democratic society, and more, all provided food for thought for the serious student who actually wants to acquire a serious yet liberating and inspiring education.

For a Jesuit, Father Schall is one of the last great ones from that Order.

[Trae Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in the summer. I forget much of the content of the book. I do, however, remember thinking that this is one that I would go back and re-read. Schall isn't the easiest of authors to read, but he certainly is one of the more insightful (leave it to the Catholics). Like always, there's great book recommendations. Thank you James Schall for increasing my wish list on Amazon.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays by a Jesuit priest who teaches at Georgetown should not be this incredible. Except it is. He roped me in with the opener on why used bookstores are essential and just kept going. There is a lot in here about true liberal arts education, and the search for truth and meaning in life, and the real purpose of politics. Great stuff. This is the book I wish I had read as a sophomore in college. It would have cleared up a lot. But better late than never.

[Sarah Ashour · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three star rating is based on my own personal enjoyment, not on the quality of the book, and that is a judgment on me rather than the book. I was rather unprepared for the extensive discussion of political philosophy; at least the book helped show me a missing piece in my own education. On the bright side, I did appreciate the thorough and frequent booklists, as well as the huge bibliography in the back. A great read, just more difficult than expected.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Formal education, even a great formal education, often does not address the most important things, the highest things. But do not despair, an education in the highest things in life can be obtained through the reading of really good books. The author suggests his favorites at the end of each of the 21 chapters.

One of my favorite chapters was on the seriousness of sports, and I whole-heartedly agreed with his suggestion that the best bookstores are used bookstores. Some of the chapters required me to read closely, and even then without full comprehension; but there was much I could understand.

I have added several books to my "to consider reading" list, including Plato, Chesterton, and Belloc.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, a Catholic, deals mainly with the issues of political philosophy, ethics, and education in general and in some particulars. Included in the discussion are a vast number of authors examined for their thoughts on various ideas within the three subjects mentioned above. There is a lot of ground covered on the ancient and recent authors but not particularly deep, mainly to arouse curiosity for deeper study.

I love books with lists of other books to delve into, ideas that have a long history of debate and wisdom filled quotes from the many areas addressed here. Its a goody bag for students who would love to make the best of their young life, building a firm foundation to move forward intellectually.

[Magnus Itland · Rating 4 out of 5]

To deeply understand western civilization, to share a framework with thinkers of our past, there are certain types of books one ought to have read. Professor Schall has assembled a bookshelf of such books, scattered between thought-provoking essays in a Christian / Hellenic classic intellectual tradition. The books are supposed to be clear and engaging enough to be read by young adults, yet deep enough to yield rich new insights for the seasoned intellectual. Unfortunately not all of them are readily available.

[Ardella Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to read this again. An absolute must for anyone who needs to educate himself better. Each chapter has a list of books at the end that a person should read--authors like Joseph Pieper and G.K. Chesterton are recommended. This book is what real education is about; Schall does not confuse training with education.

[J.C. Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read all of it. But from what I have read, I've succumbed to. And then have learned to appreciate how truly bad I've been as a student.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit beyond me, and suggesting reading books even further beyond me, but it served its purpose well: to direct me to consider the higher things and "what is".

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have not read all the essays in this remarkable book, the ones I have read are EXCELLENT! Need to read the entire book!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a wonderful treatise on how and why you need to develop your own program of education. Fr. Schall's book recommendations alone would be worth the price of the book.

[Mariah Keyrouz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspired me to go back to college and study Philosophy. I've also added it to my curriculum where I teach.

[Rachel Meyer]

I would have enjoyed this book more if I already had some knowledge of the books/ideas that Schall discusses, which is backwards since the purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to those books/ideas. It was hard to keep up with his lofty musings, which were overloaded with commas and abstract nouns and made big leaps from one idea to another. I know his musings were full of good insights, but I need either a better grasp of the topics or a more advanced reading comprehension level if I am ever to glean all of them.

Still, what I did follow was excellent. Schall makes several wise points about books, learning from great thinkers of the past and present, and pursuing understanding of the “higher things.” Now I can begin venturing into some other great books with a bit more context about them, which is all I really wanted.

“Our highest ‘earned’ academic degree, whether it be a high school diploma or two doctorates of philosophy, will not guarantee that we really confront the what is that is given to us wherever we exist. The recruitment for this latter search is what this book is about” (273).

“Education, philosophy, science, politics, history, revelation—these are the themes that I have considered here in various ways. I have often talked of Plato and Aristotle, of Augustine and Aquinas, of Chesterton, Pieper, and C. S. Lewis. I have done this to underscore their importance. And I have repeated favorite book titles worth emphasizing in differing contexts. I wanted to suggest that anyone with some diligence and some good fortune can find his way to the highest things even if such higher level concerns are not formally or systematically treated in the schools, even if they are in fact denied there or by our own friends or culture” (271).

[Nur Baig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is and isn't purely about continuing education and almost vying for an existentialist meaning in life, it's about vying to complete our knowledge knowing that it won't be, for we alone aren't complete.

Knowing 'what is' doesn't come to begin and end at formal education, rather starts after it. Life is a great teacher after all.

But, this one contains a lot of faith and spiritual life and its top-down approach to 'what it, much from readings of Augustine and at times Aquinas. Hard to digest on many occasions, especially the middle section. Some passages were admirable, hence the three stars.

[Parker Samelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This analysis of contemporary education culture goes right to the heart of the issue. Great job of illuminating the most crucial things that every young person should learn…none of which are thought in school.

[Nicholas Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most conversational and memorable books to grace my shelves. Schall's wit is clear on every page, and he regards his muses with wonder, avoiding their pitfalls of polemic. Very pleased to have read this, and I look forward to exploring his voracious list of recommendations.

[Mark Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fortunately, I read this at the beginning of my teaching career and its advice found an eager participant. Each chapter ends with a list of further reading, so this book enabled my reading beyond the covers.

[Jeff Beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book. Why didn't I read it sooner? Now it has me on a mission to read many more important books that I probably should have read long ago.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. An odd brew of thoughtful pieces that doesn’t quite come together to present a coherent worldview of substantive depth.

[Kevin B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an excellent read, but I wasn't taking notes. I'll need to reread it eventually so I can explain why I loved it.

[Tim Timberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book that points towards the biggest questions in life.

[Barry C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books you wish they handed out in high school instead of reading Tarzan. Packed with insights. Packed with thought provoking essays. Packed with a bibliography that makes you salivate. Give yourself and your friends a treat.

[Gerrit G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be read carefully, need to dig deeper...

[Herbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to love this book. I really wanted to love this book. It came to me so highly recommended. In the end, I was terribly disappointed in it, and sometimes even irritated with it.

It's clear that Rev. Dr. Schall is a learned and thoughtful man. I imagine that taking a political philosophy class from him as an undergraduate would have been a life changing experience. The best teachers are those who can translate difficult concepts into language that the lowliest of students can understand. Maybe he was able to do this in his classes, but his prose in these essays left me constantly confused and my mind constantly wandering. His writing is chewy and sometimes just plain impenetrable. There's a few good essays in here. The opening essays on the university curriculum--such as "Why Read?", "What a Student Owes His Teacher," and "Grades"--were often provocative. "On the Seriousness of Sports" was my favorite essay and is perhaps the best philosophical explanation of why humans go crazy about sports. "What Is a Lecture?" is a humorous and much needed defense of this endangered genre. But most left me shrugging my shoulders and paging ahead to see how many pages were left to go.

I read the book straight through and perhaps it would have been better to have read a random essay here and a random essay there. I suspect that this may be a book that is better owned (I checked my copy from the library) and pulled down from one's shelves occasionally. It may also be, that since he describes his book as an attempt to recruit others to join the ancient and honorable search for the highest things, and since I came to the book already recruited to that quest, I was left wanting. I guess I am still recommending it, especially if you are an educator--and Schall's many book lists are alone worth the price of the book if you find it in a second-hand bookstore. But you may want to sip it more slowly than I did.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected it to be. I expected it be a book about books - what books everyone really should read in the classical tradition. It is more a book about what ever Catholic should read. Still interesting, but not precisely what I was shooting for. Ironically, one of the more interesting aspects of the read for me was that I read it right after Early Christians in Disarray and found it overwhelmingly compelling evidence of the strong hellenization of Christianity, and particularly Catholicism.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part is outstanding. The second part is also good, but some of the later essays, being things originally written for other contexts, don't fit as nicely into the whole of the book and were less accessible to those not as interested in political philosophy (e.g. my wife).

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth a read, no matter your status in life or in education, as a student, a teacher, a parent, an admin, or that old lady who lives up the street with too many cats. There's something in here for you, to make you rethink and reconsider life and learning and the purpose of the human experience.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just started but this book is AMAZING. It's exactly what I wanted; how to get an education in spite of college. :)

[Kristen Mccormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book more than twice. I don't agree with everything but its pretty sound as far as providing you with mind blowing concepts to help you become a student of life