Not for Profit

"Nussbaum makes a persuasive case."--New Yorker "Nussbaum ... brings to this perennial [education] debate an impassioned urgency ... and broad erudition... Nussbaum's defense of this worthy cause is deeply learned."--Mick Sussman, New York Times Book Review "One turns with some relief to Martha Nussbaum's Not for Profit, and her impassioned ... argument in favor of study of the humanities."--Peter Brooks, New York Review of Books "Against the commercialisation of the academy, [Nussbaum] poses a sentient, Socratic and cosmopolitan vision of higher education."--Jon Nixon, Times Higher Education "A comprehensive look at today's worldwide marketplace for college students."--Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post "It's an important and timely plea because the pursuit of so-called useful educational results continues apace, and because the threats to humanistic education are indeed profound."--Michael S. Roth, Chronicle of Higher Education "Moving deftly between analysis and and polemic, the author draws on education practices in India, experimental psychology, the works of such liberal education proponents as Dewey and Tagore to emphasize the importance of critical pedagogy for the development of individual responsibility, innovation, and self-examination... [I]n advocating educational curriculums that recognize the worth of personal development and creative thought, this slim book is itself a small but decisive step in the effort to broaden and enrich current pedagogical practices."--Publishers Weekly "For Nussbaum, human development means the development of the capacity to transcend the local prejudices of one's immediate (even national) context and become a responsible citizen of the world."--Stanley Fish, New York Times Opinionator Blog "This is a passionate call to action at a time when the nation is becoming more culturally diverse and universities are cutting back on humanities programs."--Vanessa Bush, Booklist "Nussbaum's ideals are dynamic. Hers is a cosmopolitan humanism oriented towards global citizenship... Not only a spirited defence of the humanities and a lament for their perceived decline, it is a call to action."--Luke Slattery, Australian "[A] short, though-provoking book... Not For Profit offers a passionate and persuasive defence of the humanities. While most of the cases Nussbaum discusses are drawn from the US and India, her argument has undoubted relevance for Australia."--Tim Soutphommasane, Australian "Nussbaum believes that cutting the liberal arts from our academic programs will lead to undereducated graduates. To make responsible decisions, a student must comprehend more than a limited business-oriented curriculum can provide... Not For Profit is required reading for educational administrators, government analysts, and liberal arts instructors at all levels."--Julia Ann Charpentier, ForeWord "But when economic growth becomes the focus of education, both democracy and human decency are in jeopardy. In her new book, Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities (Princeton), acclaimed University of Chicago philosopher and legal scholar Martha Nussbaum argues that our culture of market-driven schooling is headed for a fall."--John Allemang, Globe and Mail "This book will certainly add weight to Nussbaum's considerable reputation and influence as a major public intellectual. Her core diagnosis is both accurate and compelling... Not for Profit is an important book with an urgent message that should be read and considered by the widest possible audience."--Paul Russell, Globe and Mail "Nussbaum's defense of the value of the humanities is informed, intelligent and deeply plausible--so much so that many readers might find themselves somewhat at a loss as to how our society, and indeed the world in general, has reached the p

Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the Law School and in the Philosophy Department at the University of Chicago. She is the author of many books, including Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law (Princeton).

Foreword by Ruth O'Brien ix Preface to the 2016 Edition xiii Acknowledgments xxv I The Silent Crisis 1 II Education for Profit, Education for Democracy 13 III Educating Citizens: The Moral (and Anti-Moral) Emotions 27 IV Socratic Pedagogy: The Importance of Argument 47 V Citizens of the World 79 VI Cultivating Imagination: Literature and the Arts 95 VII Democratic Education on the Ropes 121 Afterword to the Paperback Edition: Reflections on the Future of the Humanities-at Home and Abroad 145 Notes 155 Index 163