A liberal arts education encourages doubt and critical reasoning. It also encourages moral responsibility. Most all of the liberal arts universities began as Christian institutions. Knowledge is not value-free and a liberal arts education demands that students acknowledge the ethical, spiritual, and religious concerns that exist in all dimensions of human endeavor, whether in science, economics, politics, or in the arts. The study of philosophy and religion are core elements of a liberal arts education.
History is another core area of a liberal arts education.
An understanding of the past is essential to understand the present. A liberal arts education demands that we think about these sorts of questions. ICU is a liberal arts institution in Japan. It was founded 50 years ago, immediately after Japan's defeat in the Second World War. It was intended then and now to offer an alternative style of education in Japan.