Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Classical Studies
Thesis Advisor
Anita Simpkins, Ph. D.
Committee Professor
Rev. David Masterson, Ph. D.
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to research the role and position of the illiberal arts in a classical Christian education (CCE). The current climate of growth for CCE makes it a fitting moment to consider what bearing the illiberal arts should have on paideia formation. To answer this question, the historical context of CCE and the illiberal arts is presented. This leads to a complex issue around the various imprecise terms and historical attitudes surrounding the illiberal arts. Some synonymous terms have demeaning connotations: ‘servile arts’ or ‘illiberal arts,’ and others less negative, such as ‘common arts’ or ‘mechanical arts.’ For the moment, the term illiberal arts will be used to indicate any ‘art’ or made thing that is not part of the liberal arts.
A review of relevant literature will be made covering a wide range. Aristotle was a significant influence for CCE and the illiberal arts. Consequently, much of the literature review is around his philosophy of education and intersections with his perspectives on the illiberal arts.
As classical Christian educators, the first concern ought to be the spiritual formation of the student. Here, the argument has been that Christian paideia is best formed with a classical method that includes the liberal arts and the illiberal arts, as that is what connects humans to the embodied experience of God and His Creation.
The role of the illiberal arts in a CCE should be guided by a biblical foundation. As the thesis explored this topic, there appeared to be a dissonance between the perceived Aristotelian ideal and the biblical. However, reading Aristotle’s Politics and Nicomachean Ethics gave a new perspective on how Aristotle shaped his educational philosophy as a part forming a unity within his philosophy of politics and ethics. The division of this unity is one problem identified in this thesis.
Recent science has indicted there is significant cognitive benefits to being in nature (Berman, 2025; Haidt, 2024). This has implications for the way education is developed, in the physical sense. The illiberal arts are an aspect of education that leads to greater physicality or embodiment of learning. The literature reveals many benefits of experiential learning such as the illiberal arts provide. The place and role of the illiberal arts in classical Christian education is to help return wonder to the process of virtuous paideia formation.
Recommended Citation
Kong, Nadine B. Mrs., "Should the Illiberal Arts be Servile in a Classical Christian Education" (2026). Master of Arts in Classical Studies. 23.
https://firescholars.seu.edu/classicalstudies/23
Included in
Holistic Education Commons, Liberal Studies Commons, Other Education Commons, Outdoor Education Commons