A direct approach to civic formation that preserves the spirit of pure liberal education.

The article examines the historic view of "pure liberal education," which holds that liberal education should focus solely on intrinsic goods like knowledge and virtue formation, avoiding the direct pursuit of civic goods to preserve its freedom from utilitarian aims, broad subject matter, and intellectual integrity. It acknowledges objections that integrating civic aims might compromise the mode, matter, and integrity of liberal education. In response, the author proposes a pedagogy that closely aligns with pure liberal education but explicitly incorporates the development of "conversational virtues"—intellectual practices and dispositions that facilitate truthful, respectful dialogue—recognizing that academic and civic life overlap through their shared conversational nature. This approach allows educators to foster civic formation ethically and organically by cultivating these virtues in students and making their civic relevance explicit, without narrowing the curriculum or imposing political views. The article also addresses objections regarding potential distractions or instrumentalization, arguing that occasional, mindful attention to civic applications enriches rather than diminishes liberal education.