4 ms·

if I may ask, where is "down here"

• jruohonen 3y ago
  Finland, although I am fairly sure some other European countries have similar statements in their laws. Note though (for marcus_holmes above too) that the word liberal is a somewhat morbid translation; a direct translation would be free, but the word liberal fits better into the weird North American separation ("liberal arts" versus "university"), which we do not even have in Europe as they belong together.
  • CRConrad 3y ago
    From the way most people hold a map, that's usually called "up here".
  • nostromo 3y ago
    From an American perspective, “free” or “open” are better translations than is “liberal” here. “Liberal research” will leave people scratching their heads.
    • jruohonen 3y ago
      Point taken. But note the strong Humboldtian vibe in: "to educate students to serve their country and humanity".
  • AnimalMuppet 3y ago
    "Liberal arts" comes from the Greek and Roman world - so, much of Europe, though probably not Finland. From wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_education): "Originally these subjects or skills were held by classical antiquity to be essential for a free person (liberalis, "worthy of a free person") to acquire in order to take an active part in civic life, something that included among other things participating in public debate, defending oneself in court, serving on juries, and participating in military service." So "liberal" was "for free people" as opposed to slaves. If I understand correctly, the "liberal arts college" is more in contrast to a trade school - basically, teaching things that enrich your life rather than things you depend on to make a living. Universities kind of span both - they teach philosophy and literature, but they also teach things like engineering.