{"id":1129,"date":"2016-10-17T19:17:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T19:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newmansociety.org\/?p=1129"},"modified":"2020-05-19T14:13:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T18:13:04","slug":"educating-to-truth-beauty-and-goodness-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardinalnewmansociety.org\/educating-to-truth-beauty-and-goodness-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Educating to Truth, Beauty and Goodness"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Editor\u2019s Note: The following essay appears in Appendix A of The Cardinal Newman Society\u2019s <\/em>Catholic Curriculum Standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The world, in all its diversity, is eager to be guided towards the great values of mankind, truth, good and beauty; now more than ever\u2026Teaching means to accompany young people in their search for truth and beauty, for what is right and good. \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/em>Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion, 2014\u00a0<\/em><\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We want our students to maximize their human potential and to both be good and do good in authentic freedom. In order to do this, our students need to be able to know how to wisely and fully apprehend and interrogate all aspects of reality from a solid Christian intellectual tradition. This intellectual tradition involves not just teaching facts and skills, but is also essentially focused on seeking to know the value and nature of things and in appreciating the value of knowledge for its own sake.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One method of assisting students to keep focus on these aspects of Catholic intellectual inquiry is to use the lenses of truth, goodness, and beauty to evaluate a subject under consideration. These three elements are often understood as being among the transcendentals. Transcendentals are the timeless and universal attributes of being.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0They are the properties of all beings. They reflect the divine origin of all things and the unity of all truth and reality in God. These elements are among the deepest realities. They help unite men across time and culture and are often a delight to explore and discuss, because they are substantive to our very nature.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The transcendentals of truth, beauty, and goodness are closely intertwined. Dubay (1999) observed that, \u201cTruth beauty and goodness have their being together, by truth we are put in touch with reality which we find is good for us and beautiful to behold. In our knowing, loving and delighting the gift of reality appears to us as something infinitely and in-exhaustively valuable and fascinating.\u201d<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0In seeking to discuss one, the others are naturally and organically brought into the conversation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The following simple definitions and essential questions are provided as a general framework to help facilitate a discussion on any topic in any subject. The goal is not to generate easy questions for easy answers, but to generate foundational questions for deep inquiry into the value and nature of things, to instill a sense of the intrinsic value of knowledge, and to elicit a sense of wonder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Beauty<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Beauty can help evoke wonder and delight, which are foundations of a life of wisdom and inquiry.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0Beauty involves apprehending unity, harmony, proportion, wholeness, and radiance.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0It often manifests itself in simplicity and purity, especially in math and science.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Often beauty has a type of pre-rational (striking) force upon the soul, for instance when one witnesses a spectacular sunset or the face of one\u2019s beloved. Beauty can be understood as a type of inner radiance or shine coming from a thing that is well-ordered to its state of being or is true to its nature or form.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Beauty pleases not only the eye or ear, but also the intellect in a celebration of the integrity of our body and soul. It can be seen as a sign of God\u2019s goodness, benevolence and graciousness, of both His presence and His transcendence in the world.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0It can serve as re-enchantment with the cosmos and all reality<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0and assist in moving our students to a rich and deep contemplative beholding of the real.<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some essential questions related to beauty:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n