Jesuit Universities: Tradition, Renewal and New Goals

Abstract

This paper builds on a study of Western education by John O’Malley, which identifies two rival yet complementary traditions: the Aristotelian tradition of a pure search for knowledge, exemplified by the university, and the Isocratic tradition of forming persons with the rhetorical skills required to change society. The paper shows how these two traditions were combined in educational goals propagated by the Society of Jesus and how they continue to influence education today. In particular the Isocratic tradition is a challenge to the dominant model of the university today.