It is imperative for us to discover what ideas we accept and why, as well as where our ideas and the ideas around us come from. Otherwise, we can neither fully understand and be masters of our own lives nor make much sense of the world around us. Remaining uninvolved with ideas is not an option. Locating and examining ideas requires us to engage in abstract thought. The primary role of a higher education, a liberal education, is to help us confront, understand, and evaluate ideas.
College is the institution designed to offer a liberal education.
It demands that we learn how to think abstractly, in order to confront the world of ideas. Given the role of ideas in our lives, clearly everyone needs a liberal education. It is intensely practical and appropriate for all. Ideas don't occur alone. They are connected to other ideas, forming ever-larger groups and subjects, so that locating and examining ideas becomes quite complex.