Socrates and the Liberal Arts

I am finding it very ironic that what I am learning in my western civilization class crosses over into our discussions and readings for IS 101. In western civ. we are learning about ancient Greece and its philosophical characters such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates wrote that "the unexamined life is not worth living." That saying was mentioned in our IS 101 class on Friday, and I think that it ties in nicely with the liberal arts discussions we've been having. Giamatti's speech about the liberal arts really connected with Socrates and his teachings. The liberal arts is about examining yourself as an individual and how you can benefit the community around you. Always yearning for more knowledge is what philosophy is all about, and liberal arts puts a major emphasis on the importance of a well rounded knowledge. I think that if Socrates was alive in this day and age he would be a strong advocate of the liberal arts and their benefits for our democracy and society. Socrates was famous for challenging other Greeks to become "just individuals" and put the polis (Greek city-state) above themselves. I thought that the passage about Socrates and E.T. was just how a philosopher would interact with an ordinary citizen, always asking questions. As a liberal arts student, I feel that it is my job to always ask questions, becoming conscientious of my goals in life and what I want to attain before graduating from Wartburg College. Socrates would have challenged all of us here at Wartburg to keep asking ourselves what we want out of this liberal arts program, and what questions we have, not what answers we hold about life.