Metaphysics for the Liberal Arts - Process, Quality, and Continuity

This book explores the relationship between metaphysics and the liberal arts.
Part I contrasts the dualistic metaphysics of Platonism, Cartesianism, and materialisms, with the process metaphysics of William James, John Dewey, C.S. Peirce, and A.N. Whitehead with an eye toward illustrating how education should be treated as a transactive and interactive process whose objects of knowledge evolve through time. In Part II, the authors go on to investigate conceptions of the value of a liberal arts education, considering reactionary, conservative, pragmatist, and radical approaches.. Finally, in Part III, the authors explore connections between metaphysics and conservative, radical, and pragmatist conceptions of art, and demonstrate how process metaphysics can be extended to highlight the role of aesthetic experience in both understanding and appreciating art and in liberal arts education.
A timely and unique exploration of the relationship between metaphysics and the liberal arts, this book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and faculty with interests in several branches of philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of education, and aesthetics.

List of contents

Preface A
Preface B
Part I: The Role of Quality in Static and Process Metaphysics
Chapter 1 Dualistic Metaphysics
Chapter 2 Process Metaphysics
Part II: Conserving the Liberal Arts amid the Crisis of Narrow Instrumentalism
Chapter 3 Reactionary Models of Liberal Arts Education
Chapter 4 Michael Oakeshott's Conservatism in Liberal Arts Education
Chapter 5 Pragmatism in Liberal Arts Education
Chapter 6 Radical Philosophies of Liberal Arts Education
Part III: The Work of Art and Qualitative Experience
Chapter 7 Conservative Approaches to Art
Chapter 8 Radical Philosophies of Art
Chapter 9 Pragmatism and Art as Experience
Conclusion: Quality and Continuity in Metaphysics and the Liberal Arts

About the author

Bethany Henning is Assistant Professor of philosophy at the College of St. Scholastica.
Seth Vannatta is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Morgan State University, USA.

Product details

• Authors: Bethany Henning, Bethany Vannatta Henning, Seth Vannatta
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 28.01.2026
• EAN: 9781032623986
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3262398-6
• No. of pages: 258
• Series: Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; EDUCATION / General, EDUCATION / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, History of Art, Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology, Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology, Philosophy & theory of education, Philosophy and theory of education, Teaching of a specific subject, Art forms, Art styles not defined by date, The Arts: art forms, Conservatism & right-of-centre democratic ideologies, Right-of-centre democratic ideologies and movements