Perennialism
Perennialism values knowledge that
transcends time. This is a subject-centered
philosophy. The goal of a perennialist
educator is to teach students to think
rationally and develop minds that can think
critically. A perennialist classroom aims to
be a closely organized and well-disciplined
environment, which develops in students a
lifelong quest for the truth. Perennialists
believe that education should epitomize a
prepared effort to make these ideas available
to students and to guide their thought
processes toward the understanding and
appreciation of the great works; works of
literature written by history’s finest thinkers
that transcend time and never become
outdated. Perennialists are primarily
concerned with the importance of mastery of
the content and development of reasoning
skills. The adage “the more things change,
the more they stay the same” summarizes the
perennialists’ perspective on education. In
this philosophy skills are developed in a
sequential manner. Here, the teachers are
the main actors on the stage.
Perennialism is identified as a very
conservative theory of education. Rooted in
the following schools of thought: idealism,
realism, and neo-Thomism, the educational
focus of 
 perennialism is on finding
universal truths and absolutes associated
with reason and faith (Webb et. al., 2010).
According to this theory of education, truth
is universal and does not change.
The literal definition of perennial means
“everlasting” or something that “returns
year after year.” As implied by its name,
perennialism is based upon the belief that
there are everlasting ideas and universal
truths. Therefore, the 
primary goal of
education within this philosophy is to search
for and disseminate truth. In addition, this
philosophy of education advocates for the
cultivation of human intellect.
There are two main types of Perennialist.
Ecclesiastical Perennialists and Lay (secular)
Perennialists.
ECCLESIASTICAL
PERENNIALISTS
Ecclesiastical Perennialists followed 
 a
Christian doctrine. Consequently, 

curriculum taught by this group focused on

 
developing intellect while stressing faith
and reason by creating a relationship with
God (Webb et. al., 2010). The stress on faith
was seen in the use of scriptures, the
catechism, and instruction on Christian
dogma. St. Thomas Aquinas (1224- 1274),
who is the patron saint of Catholic schools,
colleges and universities, is a noted
ecclesiastical philosopher.
LAY (SECULAR) PERENNIALISTS
Historically, Lay Perennialists emphasized a
strong liberal arts curriculum that included:
“philosophy; mathematics; history;
geography; political science; sociology;
theology; languages and literature; physical
and life sciences; and the fine arts and
humanities” (Webb et. al., 2010, p. 71). In
order for students to become truly
intellectual beings, they needed to be able to
master each of these subject areas according
to the Perennialist philosophy.
Perennialists think it is important that
individuals think deeply, analytically,
flexibly, and imaginatively. They emphasize
that students should not be taught
information that may soon be outdated or
found to be incorrect.
Historically, this philosophy reflects the
views of Plato and Aristotle. The search for
truth, which is the basis of this philosophy,
can be seen in both of these famous
philosophers works. Other histori- cal
philosophers who greatly influenced the
development of Perennialism were St.
Thomas Aquinas (1224 – 1274) and 

Jacques Maritain (1882-1973). Both of these
philosophers represented the Ecclesiastic
 Perennialist position. As such, they argued MORTIMER ADLER
that intelligence alone was not sufficient to
understand the universe, it was also critical
to have a relationship with a higher Spiritual
being.
Lay (secular) philosophers that have
influenced perennialism include: Robert M.
Hutchins, Mortimer Adler, and Allan
Bloom.

ROBERT M. HUTCHINS (1899 –

1977)
Robert M. Hutchins was a chancellor of the
University of Chicago who argued that the
ideal education is one that is designed to
develop the mind (Webb, 2010). To support
the development of the mind, he proposed a
curriculum based on the “Great Books” of
Western civilization.
Hutchins believed in what he called the
“permanent studies.” These were core
courses in liberal arts whose content did not
change. As such, he argued that selecting
100 “Great Books” and teaching them to
students naturally aligned with these
permanent studies.
 Sample titles of the first
10 out of 54 Volumes of the “Great Books”
include:
Mortimer J. Adler
Mortimer Adler proposed a curriculum that
would be appropriate for all students.
Within such a curriculum, students would be
taught language, literature, mathematics,
natural sciences, fine arts, history,
geography, and social studies (Webb et. al.,
2010).
He also advocated for the use of the “Great
Books” by arguing that students could learn
a lot from the great works of the past. Both
Adler and Hutchins opposed any form of
differentiated curricula (e.g., vocational,
technical, or academic) under the guise that
all students in a democratic society should
have access to the same high-quality
education.

Robert M. Hutchins

 Volume 1: The Great Conversation

 Volume 2: Syntopicon I
 Volume 3: Syntopicon II
 Volume 4: Homer
 Volume 5: Aeschylus, Sophocles,
Euripides, Aristophanes
 Volume 6: Herodotus & Thucydides
 Volume 7: Plato
 Volume 8: Aristotle
 Volume 9: Aristotle
 Volume 10: Hippocrates & Galen