The search for linguistic universals yielded interesting data on languages, but after decades of work, not a single proposed universal has withstood scrutiny.
Therefore, I believe there can be a fundamental shift in the world from the search for universals to the understanding of variables (Malcolm Gladwell).
Though Eisner has no background in education, and not much of a formal philosophy, he understands that students in Bel-Air are taught how to internalize literate thinking the ability to effectively communicate and bargain, and to extrapolate from particulars to universals from an early age.