Utopia and Human Culture: Alternative Communities of Higher Learning in America Eli Orner Kramer Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected]
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Theses Theses and Dissertations 8-1-2015 Utopia and Human Culture: Alternative Communities of Higher Learning in America Eli Orner Kramer Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses Recommended Citation Kramer, Eli Orner, "Utopia and Human Culture: Alternative Communities of Higher Learning in America" (2015). Theses. Paper 1751. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UTOPIA AND HUMAN CULTURE: ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITIES OF HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA by Eli Kramer B.A., Johnston Center for Integrative Studies of the University of Redlands, 2012 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Department of Philosophy in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale August 2015 Copyright by Eli Kramer, 2015 All Rights Reserved THESIS APPROVAL UTOPIA AND HUMAN CULTURE: ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITIES OF HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA By Eli Kramer A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the field of Philosophy Approved by: Dr. Randall Auxier, Chair Dr. Kenneth Stikkers Dr. Douglas Anderson Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 1, 2015 AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Eli Kramer, for the Masters Degree in degree in Philosophy, presented on May 1, 2015, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: UTOPIA AND HUMAN CULTURE: ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITIES OF HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Randall Auxier In this thesis I explore the place of the actualized utopian American alternative community of higher learning within a philosophy of human culture. I carry out such a study in order to articulate a unifying description of movement; to find the “target” that orients the activity of actualized utopia, as opposed to a classificatory rule to define a mechanically determined utopian-object. Although these communities have varied in practice since the first generation of them were created in the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that they have played, and continue to play, a particular role in America. They imagine what a world beyond their own could look like; and through their resistance to the perceived status quo (on which they rely for their identity), they prefigure a world that could be. Although this world never comes fully into existence, the actualization (i.e., the process of becoming a dynamic symbolic product of culture) of these communities illuminates new possibilities for human life in the larger culture. While these actualized utopian communities often live long beyond their pre-figurative years, paradoxically their practices largely stay the same. A resistance to the perceived modern culture, and a vision of a world that offers more opportunities for life and dignity, has made these communities places that cultivate persons with a sense of agency. These communities create a sense of active consciousness; they create people who believe the world is changeable. An open humanistic and personalistic theodicy is what distinguishes these schools from a cult of domination, or an organization bent on a utopia that depersonalizes and dehumanizes the opportunities of others in service of a singular vision. i DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to those who recognize and act on the full significance of the fact that “whatever is actual is possible.” May their works and institutions very existence always revitalize and open us up to possibility. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In November 2013 I was lucky enough to receive the Singer Research Grant for Studies in Experimental Education. This grant allowed me to work on multiple projects pertaining to the issues in “experimental” higher education. I hope to spend my life creating, preserving, and defending, such institutions. Many thanks to Larry Singer for his generosity and support. In addition, I could not have finished such a complex and challenging thesis without the support of the Masters Fellowship from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I would like to thank Scott Sanders, Lori Colins-Hall, and Nickolas Daily at Antioch College for assisting with archival research and for their honest assessment of the dreams and challenges of Antioch College, both old and new. Also many thanks to Gail Bowman, for her coordination of a visit and discussion with many current administrators, faculty, and students at Berea College, as well, as Sharyn Michell, and Rachel Vagts for their archival support, and review of my thesis. Only an open and supportive thesis advisor would have approved of this project, and thus I am deeply indebted to Dr. Randall Auxier for his weekly conversations, discussions, and support. Without him, I would have been unable to write such an unusual philosophical work. His understanding of, and commitment to, such institutions was a constant reminder as to why this project is important. I am deeply thankful to Jared Kemling, Elizabeth Hartman, Laura Mueller, Natalie Long, James Anderson, Matt Ryg, Myron Jackson, Gaelan Harmon-Walker, Dr. Kenneth Stikkers, Dr. Douglas Anderson, and many others, who listened attentively and provided feedback on this thesis. I owe a great deal to mentors and colleagues who helped uncover the complex stories around alternative educational thought. In particular, I received the gracious support, mentorship, and friendship of Patricia Karlin-Neumann, Joy Kliewer, Kelly Hankin, James Hall, and of iii course Kevin O’Neill, who spent countless hours helping me become the writer I am today. Although I do not personally know many of the scholars who studied these schools, I am nevertheless grateful for their wisdom, especially L. Jackson Newell, due to his breadth and depth of knowledge. I wish to thank my parents, Mark Kramer and Lois Orner, for their support, humor, and feedback. Last but not least, I thank Jacob Storms and Thomas Albanese for their life-long friendship, that continues to grow, wherever we wander in our lives. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii CHAPTERS INTRODUCTION: The Incomplete Account of the American Alternative Community of Higher Learning ............................................................................................................................... 1 (PART 1: Human Culture) CHAPTER 1 – The Creation, Conservation, and Progress of the Symbolic Forms of Human Culture .............................................................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 2 – Higher Learning in America .................................................................... 37 (PART 2: UTOPIA) CHAPTER 3 – Antioch College ........................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 4 – Berea College ........................................................................................... 86 CONCLUSION – Toward a Comprehensive Philosophy of Utopia and Possibilities for Utopian Higher Learning Communities in the Next Forty Years .............................................. 108 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 125 VITA ......................................................................................................................................... 130 v INTRODUCTION: THE INCOMPLETE ACCOUNT OF ALTERNATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES OF HIGHER LEARNING In this thesis I explore the place of the actualized utopian1 American alternative community of higher learning within a philosophy of human culture.2 I carry out such a study in order to articulate a unifying description of movement; to find the “target” that orients the activity of actualized utopia, as opposed to a classificatory rule to define a mechanically determined utopian-object. Although these communities have varied in practice since the first generation of them were created in the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that they have played, and continue to play, a particular role in America. They imagine what a world beyond their own could look like; and through their resistance to the perceived status quo (on which they rely for their identity), they prefigure a world that could be. Although this world never comes fully into existence, the actualization (i.e., the process of becoming a dynamic symbolic product of culture) of these communities illuminates new possibilities for human life in the larger culture. While these actualized utopian communities often live long beyond their pre-figurative years, paradoxically their practices largely stay the same. A resistance to the perceived modern culture, 1 In this thesis I reimagine utopia as a cultural concept. I attempt to refute the popular understanding of utopia as an idealized and unactualizable dream. It is worth mentioning that Sir Thomas Moore’s coinage