What is at stake in compromising the Enlightenment ideals of a liberal education with new educational policies engendered by a neo-liberalized, global marketplace? Richly grounding his arguments in the social philosophy of European and American intellectuals, Raphael Sassower explores Western culture's long-standing ambivalence toward 'the life of the mind.' He shows how and why this historical legacy contributes to today's confusion over goals and values in contemporary education. He sheds new light on many of today's controversies, showing why the demands of technology and a global economy increase society's need for 'educational sanctuaries' of liberal education, intellectual 'play' and social consciousness that may better serve the diverse and often conflicting needs of a changing world.