Diamondback, Yearbook of St. Mary's University, 1956 Page: 19 of 184
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"... There is one science, and only one, that begins not
with an assumption but with an experience that cannot be
denied. That experience is th2 experience of being; that sci-
ence is philosophy . . .
"A science built on an assumption is not only the source
of doubt, it is also the cause of lonesomeness. We laugh at
the professors of yesteryear who lived in an ivory tower. To-
day the professor has turned the joke upon the student whom
he is condemning to the isolation of a compartment of knowl-
edge. Every student who pursues a specialized field based
upon an assumption, that comes from he knows not where,
becomes in a way a prisoner in the narrow compartment of
that field which is carpeted from wall to wall with initial
intellectual doubt. As a result college graduates are isolated
from each other. They have no common ground of intellectual
interest. They root for the football team.
"We must also save the student from the feeling that he
is being domineered by the authority of an unevidenced prin-
ciple. The acceptance of such an authority calls for a greater
credence than we give supernatural faith which is 'the evi-
dence for things unseen.' Assumptions are without con-
vincing evidence . . .
"The student exercises a kind of authority over the
teacher who is his servant. There is nothing base about thisrelation. It is a sure sign of the teacher's superiority according
to the Christian concept of government wherein our Lord com-
mands that the greater should serve the lesser .. .
"I have touched upon the weakness of the strong and
necessary institution of authority. By its very nature it is
destined to pass away. It is a crutch upon which we must
lean in our travel through time. Only the feeble and conserva-
tive look upon it as a convenient concept that should not be
humbly challenged nor progressively outgrown. We can never
do that entirely in this life but we can become increasingly
independent. Independence is an essential mark of the human
person who by definition is a self-controlled individual. Edu-
cation is interested in the improvement of this self-controlled
individual. Consequently it should do everything possible to
contribute to his independence under God. The authority of
the spoken word is necessary but it is much better generally
speaking to see for ourselves than to hear from another. This
idea is latent in the very concept of our heavenly destiny
where we are called to enjoy not an audition, but the beatific.
vision."Excerpts from address
Walter Buehler, S.M.,
Faculty Meeting, Feb.of V. Rev.
to General
11, 1936... - -.
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St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.). Diamondback, Yearbook of St. Mary's University, 1956, yearbook, 1956; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1210541/m1/19/?rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting St. Mary's University Louis J. Blume Library.