Year: 2025
Author: Pedro Erber
Innovative Teaching and Learning , Vol. 7 (2025), Iss. 1 : pp. 71–82
Abstract
This paper examines the transformation of liberal arts education under neoliberalism, focusing on the ideological shift that has redefined the purpose of higher education in economic terms. The paper traces the increasing instrumentalization of education through the lens of “human resources” and “human capital” theory. Drawing on the works of Gary Becker and Friedrich Hayek, it explores how neoliberal thought has reshaped not only educational institutions but also the very conception of knowledge and subjectivity. The argument highlights the paradox at the heart of neoliberal education policies: while higher education is framed as an investment in human capital, neoliberal economic theory simultaneously asserts the fundamental unpredictability of market demands and the limits of knowledge itself. The paper concludes by reflecting on the potential for intellectual freedom within this framework, reclaiming the liberal arts as a domain of autonomous inquiry beyond immediate economic utility.
Journal Article Details
Publisher Name: Global Science Press
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4208/itl.20250107
Innovative Teaching and Learning , Vol. 7 (2025), Iss. 1 : pp. 71–82
Published online: 2025-01
AMS Subject Headings: Global Science Press
Copyright: COPYRIGHT: © Global Science Press
Pages: 12
Keywords: Neoliberalism Liberal Arts Education Human Capital Human Resources Higher Education Policy Knowledge and Ignorance Friedrich Hayek Market Rationality.