Liberating the Liberal Arts Through Leadership Studies: An Essay

Abstract

At one time, the liberal arts were the principal method by which educated people understood and engaged the world. For a number of reasons, the liberal arts lost their social utility and became marginalized. Because of changes in the last decade in the nature of work and how organizations view their participants, there is an opportunity and a need to restore the liberal arts to a central societal role. Concepts drawn from contemporary leadership studies have considerable utility in effecting that restoration.