4 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2017
    1. Education generates habits of application, order and the love of virtue; and controuls, by the force of habit, any innate obliquities in our moral organization.

      This line really stuck out to me given the connection it draws between education and moral values. I find this to be a very interesting ethical debate- do educated individuals have "better" moral values than the moral values of those who are not? It is clear from this line that Jefferson feels as though that is the case, but I am still unsure as to which side of the issue I stand with. I understand the argument on both sides, so I guess the ultimate question here is how heavily are education and morals linked?

    2. To understand his duties to his neighbours, & country, and to discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either.

      This object stood out to me given the fact that it is the only object of its nature. All the other objects listed involve themselves with the advancement of the self rather than the society- ultimately making it clear that Jefferson believed that the progression of a society stems from the advancement of the self rather than the society as a whole. I think this is an interesting ethical question- should we focus education on a grander scale by making it more global or should we follow the beliefs of Jefferson and focus it on the individual in order to stimulate advancement as a society? The relationship between the individual and the society is something we have been discussing at great lengths in my current EGMT course and I think it is very applicable to this excerpt.

  2. Oct 2017
    1. To understand his duties to his neighbours, & country, and to discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either.

      This object stood out to me given the fact that it is the only object of its nature. All the other objects listed involve themselves with the advancement of the self rather than the society- ultimately making it clear that Jefferson believed that the progression of a society stems from the advancement of the self rather than the society as a whole. I think this is an interesting ethical question- should we focus education on a grander scale by making it more global or should we follow the beliefs of Jefferson and focus it on the individual in order to stimulate advancement as a society?

    2. It was the degree of centrality to the white population of the state which alone then constituted the important point of comparison between these places

      I was incredibly taken back by these lines due the blatant racism they express. However, I also see these lines as a sign of how far we have come as both a university and a society since this document was written. These lines remind me of Margo Lee Shetterly's talk when she revealed she didn't used to understand the value of history as she was constantly focused on the future and moving forward. While it is disheartening to know that the location of our university was chosen based on its "centrality to the white population", it is also important to know so that we may reflect on the progress we have made throughout history if we wish to continue to move forward as a society and a university.