Newman on the Dangers of Liberal Education – Prof. Thomas Hibbs

Prof. Thomas Hibbs argues that Newman exposes the dangers of liberal education when intellectual refinement is detached from moral and spiritual formation, producing not saints but “gentlemen” who can become self-enclosed, proud, and oddly shallow.

This lecture was given on January 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speakers:

Thomas Hibbs is currently J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor where he is also Dean Emeritus, having served for 16 years as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College.  At Baylor he was also the inaugural director of Baylor in Washington, D.C. where he currently runs a summer program on Religion and Social Life.   He has served as department chair at Boston College and as president of the University of Dallas.

Hibbs has published more than thirty scholarly articles, the most recent of which is “Aquinas and Black Natural Law.” He has published eight books, the most recent of which is Theology of Creation: Ecology, Art, and Laudato Si’ (University of Notre Dame Press, 2023).  He has also published two books on film and philosophy and one book on art. He has published more than 100 reviews and discussion articles on film, theater, art, and higher education in a variety of venues including First Things, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review.  He writes regularly for The Dallas Morning News.

Hibbs’ lectures have been protested by nihilists at Boston University and by communists in Palermo, Sicily.

Keywords: Conscience, Grace, Gentleman, Liberal Education, Moral Formation, Newman, Personal Influence, Religion, Truth, University Education