Liberal education has long been a fascination for scholars in a variety of disciplines and is closely associated with the idea of the educated person. Seen at one time as a matter for colleges and universities, over the years it has become central to the debate surrounding general education in high school and even the earlier grades. Yet so many and varied are the uses of the term 'liberal education' that the question arises of whether and how the idea is any longer a useful or helpful construct. In what way might it speak helpfully to educational challenges we face today? In what ways does it still speak helpfully to educational challenges we face today? In what ways might it be a guide as we search for a better way forward? These are the central questions that are addressed in this book. In doing so, the positions of three theorists—John Henry Newman, Mortimer J. Adler, and Jane Roland Martin—who have written about liberal education in a compelling way and from different perspectives are selected for close analysis. The analysis is built upon to fashion a new ideal of the educated person and a new theory of liberal education.

"This book is an insightful new analysis of the issues surrounding the definition of what a liberal education could and should be....It is well researched and easy to follow....Mulchay is very well qualified to write on this topic....The book would be of interest to higher education faculty and graduate students....Recommended." - CHOICE, January 2009

"Daniel Mulcahy outlines a new and radical approach for Liberal Education in which he attempts to revolutionize the understanding of the usefulness of liberal education by employing pragmatism, particularly surrounding the world of work and everyday life.He has created a lucid argument that will no doubt ignite the perennialist school of thought, confound the chattering class, and quite possibly find itself smack in the middle of the new paradigm that he suggests. Mulcahy's work is not one that callson division or consternation, but rather a higher value with an intense commitment to vocation of education. In an Age of Distraction, it is a serious work that asks for and demands serious attention. The work of others in the field of liberal education may differ with Mulcahy in the years to come, but they cannot go without answering his call.." - Studies in Philosophy and Education

"Daniel Mulcahy outlines a new and radical approach for Liberal Education in which he attempts to revolutionize the understanding of the usefulness of liberal education by employing pragmatism, particularly surrounding the world of work and everyday life. He has created a lucid argument that will no doubt ignite the perennialist school of thought, confound the chattering class, and quite possibly find itself smack in the middle of the new paradigm that he suggests. Mulcahy's work is not one that calls on division or consternation, but rather a higher value with an intense commitment to vocation of education. In an Age of Distraction, it is a serious work that asks for and demands serious attention. The work of others in the field of liberal education may differ with Mulcahy in the years to come, but they cannot go without answering his call." - Studies in Philosophy and Education