To help students internalize this idea, we help them identify the underlying idea for the subjects they study, through the following elaboration:

• Mathematics as learning to think quantitatively
• Economics as the study of “who gets what, when, & how” 
• Algebra as arithmetic with unknowns 
• Sociology as the study of human conformity to group norms 
• Anthropology as the physical and historical study of humans in light of their evolution from non-cultural into cultural animals 
• Physics as the study of mass and energy and their interaction 
• Chemistry as the study of elementary substances & the manner in which they react with each other 
• Philosophy as the study of ultimate questions with a view to living an examined life 
• Biochemistry as the chemistry of life processes in plants & animals 
• Science as the attempt to learn through quantifiable observations and controlled experimentation 
• Theology as the study of theories of spiritual reality 
• Ethics as the study of principles to be used in contributing to the good of, & avoiding unnecessary harm to, humans and other sentient creatures 
• Art as the application of skill and judgment to matters of taste and beauty (as in poetry, music, painting, dance, drama, sculpture, or architecture) 
• Professions as ways of earning a living through the skilled and artful use of knowledge in everyday life 
 

Our hope is that students begin to think critically within the subjects they study.  To do this, they need the intellectual skills and discipline essential to the educated mind.

We then provide students with this essential Idea: When beginning to learn a subject, It is helpful to formulate an organizing idea to guide your thinking.