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Liberal Education: The Antidote for “Two Minutes Hate”
In August, Baylor University philosopher Thomas Hibbs honored Zaytuna College by visiting the Berkeley campus and offering students and faculty a brilliant lecture about the contemporary importance of liberal education. He delivered the talk extempore, using George Orwell’s famous essay “Politics and the English Language” as a framework. Dr. Hibbs drew out, through analogy, modern equivalents of the very phenomena that had so troubled Orwell in his own day. He compared the hostile, hyper-partisan style of cable news to “Two Minutes Hate” (from Orwell’s novel 1984), a presentation designed to rile up the audience against political enemies. The “Hate” overpowers better judgment by speaking directly to the basest impulses. Dr. Hibbs explained how such abuse of rhetoric can be resisted: “Liberal education, what Orwell’s suggesting about ownership of our language as individuals, is a way of avoiding, at a minimum, becoming a grimacing, screaming lunatic. There are cultural conditions around us now which aim to turn all of us into grimacing, screaming lunatics.” He clarified that such reasoning cannot be taught in a vacuum. Rather, liberal
“Liberal education, what Orwell’s education necessarily suggesting about ownership of our leads the individual that language as individuals, is a way of faithfully pursues it into a avoiding, at a minimum, becoming a vast tradition. “If you’re grimacing, screaming lunatic.” into liberal education, one of the first things you realize is that you are heir to at least one great tradition or maybe many that you can spend the rest of your life studying and never master,” he said. “The paradox is here. The people who spent the most time deeply immersed in a tradition, or more than one tradition, end up being remarkable individual thinkers. They end up making their particular stamp.” Without the context and framework of a rooted tradition of learning, no foundation exists—but when it does, true innovation, rather than a mere collection of accidents, can emerge.
Dr. Thomas Hibbs, philosopher and Dean Emeritus at Baylor University, in discussion with President Hamza Yusuf.
When Dr. Cindy Ausec was young, she wanted to be a nurse. “My family didn’t know about grants or scholarships, so my stepmother suggested that I join the military so that I could attend nursing school through their system.” In 1975, Dr. Ausec joined the military as a German translator. She later enrolled in the Defense Language Institute as a speaker, the only private E-2 to do so at the time. She was stationed in Germany for four years before completing her bachelor’s degree in political science, hoping to work as a diplomat. Dr. Ausec declined the option to be deployed to Korea, choosing instead to be stationed at Fort Huachuca near Tucson, AZ. There, she met her husband and worked in security and, later, aerospace. The two planned to retire when they turned fifty and go back to school, but Dr. Ausec started the process earlier. “I’m kind of a lifelong learner,” she says. “I always keep learning; I always keep reading.” She completed her master’s degree in classical art and archaeology at the University of Arizona in Tucson and earned an MBA from National University. After moving to the Bay Area, she earned her doctorate in near eastern religions through a joint program between UC Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union. She arrived at Zaytuna College in 2012, teaching courses in ancient civilizations, the rise and fall of civilizations, democracy, U.S. history, and philosophy, but the favorite part of her tenure has been the opportunity to continue learning. Today, Dr. Ausec heads the Academic Support Center, providing academic assistance for students in numerous ways. She organizes and delivers workshops to help students adjust to college life; improve their grammar; develop better notetaking, writing, and reading skills; and plan for future careers. She also supports the students’ senior theses, tracking progress and coordinating with advisers.
Unlike most faculty members at Zaytuna, Dr. Ausec works closely with students across cohorts, reading and editing their papers and providing one-on-one writing support. “The best part of my job is working with students and watching them improve,” she says. On campus, Dr. Ausec revives skills she learned in childhood visits with her great-grandmother Katie. “I used to visit her every summer, and we would spend time doing crafts together,” she explains. “She taught me how to sew, to crochet, and to make jams. I was really lucky. She inspired me a lot.”
Now, students, staff, and faculty are fortunate to receive her peach jam, made fresh with fruit from her husband’s garden every year. During reading week, she always makes comfort food that students can take back to their dorms, giving them a little taste of home cooking. “If I’m ever feeling homesick, I can always rely on her to remind me of a mother’s love,” says MA student Zaid Khanani (’22). “She cares for us students beyond just the academics. She keeps us fed, makes sure we are doing well, and is always there to offer her ear along with some chocolate.” For students, she has a few life lessons to share: “Don’t be upset if God doesn’t give you what you ask for, because what He gives you is always better than what you intended. Set goals and keep working toward those goals. Make learning a lifelong thing. And start your papers early!”
