Quiddity College: Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy for Moral Science

Abstract

William Stephenson clearly regarded this manuscript as one of his major works, an inevitable outcome of his life-long involvement in education. Given his commitment to the importance of subjective science, Stephenson felt the need for him to anticipate what kind of education it should entail, to focus his attention on how subjectivity might be cultivated. Quiddity College is his answer. It describes a two-year college curriculum in which facts are taken for granted – prior to entering Quiddity College students would have already acquired a grounding in physics, chemistry, genetics, etcetera, and everything subjective would be fostered in the College. Part I, drawing on his own experience of both British and North American practices, provides a critique of existing systems at College and University levels. It continues with a presentation of his ideas about subjectivity and the role it should play in an ideal College. The notions of play and communication-pleasure are central to his vision. Part II outlines a curriculum for Quiddity rooted in principles from the Scottish Enlightenment and taught by the seven Fellows of Quiddity College, named after Thomas Jefferson and members of his circle such as Thomas Paine, Joseph Priestley, David Rittenhouse, and Benjamin Rush.