The Idea of a University

Polemic is a literary device that constructs an argument by setting it in opposition to a rival argument. By taking an opposing position as a target or a foil, the points of the writer’s own position can come out with greater clarity by merit of the contrast. Newman’s work frequently employs polemic. Unlike some uses of this literary device, Newman’s is never overly accusatory, bitter, or unfair. Rather, he simply takes an opposing view as the occasion for which to present his argument.

Two major polemical targets emerge in The Idea of a University. First, there is the growing trend of universities doing away with theology as a core part of their curricula. Newman asserts that this trend is driven by what he calls “a form of infidelity of the day” (286): a shallow agnosticism that relegates theology to the realm of subjective opinions and proceeds by ignoring theology rather than honestly engaging its arguments. Second, there is the perceived antagonism between science and religion. Newman attributes this, at least in part, to scientists’ habit of over-extending their principles and methodologies into theological areas, and theologians doing the same to the sciences.