RESURRECTING CLASSICALIN EDUCATION

By Dr. Chad v: Meister

In this essay I first note that there has been a significant decline,in recent times, in the usage o/classical philosophical literature inhigher education in the West. I then argue that this is a significantand troubling trend, lor unlike many 0/their literary replacements,such ancient works include issues 0/perennial interest and long­standing concern lor the human race. Two 0/these issues are brieflyexamined: character /ormation and the quest lor objective truth.I then recommend a return to classical philosophical works, suchas Plato's Republic-works which have endured the test o/time lorcenturies--as being essential/or an appropriate higher educationin the twenty-first century.

widely acknowledged that in higher education in recent years,both Christian and secular, there has been a rejection ofour Westernheritage with an ensuing radical decline in the utilization of theclassics-once the bedrock of higher learning-in the liberal arts. 1

This should come as no surprise since, as "everyone knows," noveltyis a virtue and conventional wisdom a vice. But now that we haveshifted, in many ways, away from an educational structure based onthe classics, have we advanced in moral knowledge and characterdevelopment? I think most would agree that, while advances intechnology have been significant and beneficial to us in the West,there has been no real corresponding advance in morality-eithertheoretical or practical. Sure, we are not barbaric as many were intimes past, but we've traded barbarism for moral ignorance. Theyknew wrong from right, and often acted wrongly. Our lack is not

one of fortitude but real moral S. Lewis qY',nHc"i

in The Abolition modern education is not inproviding young with a sense of the moral life. One ele-ment of his solution is that for every book read weshould read an ancient one. I think he is onto something andunderstanding why is the focus of this essay.

Even a cursory analysis ofthe current state ofhigher educationdemonstrates the almost total lack of familiarity with c1assicallit­erature.3 While in certain quarters there is an emerging awarenessofthe urgency of such familiarity, it is indeed sparse and isolated.4

Consider the following: What was significant about the battle ofMarathon? Who wrote The City ofGod? How doesAristotle's "GoldenMean" contrast with justice in Plato's Republic? What are the fourcardinal virtues? Such questions are as foreign to modern ears asquantum theory and web design would have been to the ancients.Unfamiliarity with classical literature is widespread and problematicand has been the focus of a number of recent works." This essaycenters on unfamiliarity of a specific genre of classical literature,however: classical philosophical literature-works by such diversethinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Cicero. (i For not only hasthere been a decline in the utilization of classical literature in toto,but in many circles I perceive a distinctive disregard and disdain forthe ancient philosophers especially. Not infrequently they turn outto be the whipping boys for a variety of postmodern phobiassexism,racism, and all manner ofexploitation. Thus "good riddance to thosedead white males" is the mantra often chanted.

Greek-bashing has become popular even among some conserva­tive Christian theologians. For example, disputants in the recentOpenness of God debate have each accused the other's theologicalposition of being an outgrowth of "pagan Greek philosophy" ratherthan from the biblical teaching and as such should be rejected.7 Whatthey often forget is that certain ofthe Greek and Roman philosophershad a profoundly positive influence on many of the early church Fa­thers. Augustine (A.D. 354-430), for example, the most influentialtheologian of the West and the one both sides typically claim as theirtheological predecessor, praised Cicero's Hortentius for being the im­petus for converting him from a life of debauchery and error to oneofloving wisdom, pursuing truth, and finding God.s It was also thework of Plato and neo-Platonic philosophers that helped Augustineto see the fallacies of certain heretical theological doctrines, andeven to develop his own theodicy-his defense of God given the evil

and suffering in the world. 9 The great Christian apologist JustinMartyr (A.D. 100-165) frequently cited Greek philosophers in hisworks defending Christianity as the true religion, and in defend­ing the historic, orthodox doctrines of the faith. It's not that theearly Church Fathers borrowed essential beliefs from these non­Christian thinkers or uncritically and blindly adhered to theirteachings. On the contrary, they gleaned from them the riches ofeternal truths they discovered and they jettisoned that which wascontrary to the Scriptures. 1o

Criticism of the ancients continues to flourish, however, onall sides of the cultural landscape. Plato's Republic has been hitespecially hard by those espousing political correctness. A decadeago, for example, the Republic was removed from Stanford Univer­sity's core curriculum due to its representing "anti-assimilationistmovements" and it, as well as other classics, were replaced withfeminist and Marxist readings.u Other universities followed suit.This move away from classical philosophical literature, however,is not restricted to liberal institutions infected by those on theLeft who staunchly oppose traditional mores, on the one hand, orevangelical theologians advocating orthodoxy, on the other. Evenin colleges and universities which utilize the Great Books curri­cula, less than half now include the Republic, and virtually noneofthem include writings ofCicero-both staples ofthe humanitieswell into the twentieth century. 12 I've seen a similar move in manyChristian colleges as well, both Protestant and Catholic. The shiftaway from utilizing classical literature, and especially classicalphilosophy, appears to be a widespread phenomenon.

Bethel College junior Norman Bridges (seated, center) as mem­ber ofjudiciary committee, 1958-59. Pictured (standing, l to r)

are Barbara Hoke, George Swank and Deloris Reynolds and(seated, l to r) Frances Shupe, Norman Bridges & Albert Beutler.

So there is an obvious dearth in the utilization ofand familiarityclassical philosophical literature. But so what? What is the

significance ofworking through dusty old books penned by ancientphilosophers, many of whom wrote over two millennia ago?

How can such works be relevant to those of us in the twenty­first century, especially those of us with real lives and real jobs?For one unfamiliar with classical philosophy, it may seem incred­ible to suggest such a thing as mandating the reading of ancientphilosophy texts in any college course other than, say, AncientPhilosophy. It would certainly be a surprise for one to suggestincluding them in a required general education course. However,I think such a move is not only an important one, but a necessityfor an adequate liberal arts education even now in the twenty-firstcentury. To understand why, consider some ofthe perennial issuesaddressed by the ancient philosophers:

1. The belief that there are unchanging absolutes in ourworld -timeless truths which are immune from societalinterpretation and replacement;

2. The view that reason should be placed above the passionsand desires-it should be master and they the slaves;

3. The abstract and rational inquiry about the natural world-aquest sometimes presupposing, sometimes defending, objec­tive truth;

4. Rational beliefin God, as opposed to a blind and thoughtlessfaith;

5. A vision of human nature that places it above the merenatural world;

6. The importance of living a life of virtue-especially thefour cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation, andjustice;

7. The role of moral training and the development of virtu­ous habits in character formation;

8. The role of will in advancing one's character;9. The significance oftrue friendship and what it means to be

a friend;10. The meaning and role of political liberty in a civilized

state;11. Republican liberty, and the belief in "certain inalienable

rights" given by God;12. Civic virtue: one's willingness to subordinate oneselfto the

good of the community as a whole.

While each of these issues is worthy of much reflection and- - .

seem to be central in the appropriate role of a higher education:character formation and the quest for truth.

ANDTHE VIRTUES LOST

I've been surprised to discover over the years that the studentsin my classes cannot typically list either the four cardinal virtuesofantiquity or the three theological virtues of historic Christianity:faith, hope, and love. These seven classical virtues have been thebedrock of Western social and moral thought for many centuries,and most students I've had cannot list one of them! Even moresoberingly, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to impart suchvirtues and their moral significance to students in educational set­tings. As Dallas Willard notes, "There is now not a single moralconclusion about behavior or character traits that a teacher couldbase a student's grade on-not even those most dear to educators,concerningfairness and diversity" (1998, p. 3).13 How different thingsare from our ancient heritage. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, forexample, noted that the central aim of education is to make thestudent like and dislike what he or she ought (Nicomachean Eth­ics 1104 B). Similarly, according to Plato, for a properly educatedstudent, "anything beautiful he will welcome gladly, will make it hisown and so grow in true goodness ofcharacter; anything ugly he willrightly condemn and dislike, even when he is still young and cannotunderstand the reason for so doing, while when reason comes hewill recognize and welcome her as a familiar friend because of hisupbringing" (Republic 401e-402a). Both ofthese men founded theirown schools, the first "universities" in the Western world, which

------...... ......_------Quotes

"On May 4, we will graduate the largest class ever at BethelCollege. These young men and women have spent four or more yearsin preparing for this day. Now they are beginning again. They willbecome nurses and teachers, businesspersons, accountants, pastors,musicians and scientists. Some will go to graduate or professionalschools. Many will immediately enter the work force.

"These graduates will take with them a Bethel diploma. Morethan that, they will take with them a Bethel education."

-"From the President," Bethel Magazine,vol. 14, no. 2, Spring 2003

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ill(~lu.ded moral training as an essential element of instruction.But how does one teach such abstract ideas as wisdom, courage,justice, and the like in modern settings? How does one promoterich moral character in educational environments?

The answer for many ofthese ancient thinkers was through thetriumvirate of 1) right education, 2) practicing proper habits, and3) spending time with teachers who were paragons of wisdom andcharacter. Plato and Aristotle especially exemplified each ofthesein their lives, schools, and works. But such teachings and practicesare foreign to many modern ears. Imagine asking this question toa guidance counselor when inquiring about a particular institutionofhigher learning: "Will my son (or daughter), after spending fouryears at your college, have become a better person-a person witha deeper character and a reflective understanding of what is rightand wrong?" For many, such a question would be ludicrous since itis no longer the role ofhigher education, in their minds, to promotevirtues or values in the classroom. Some no longer even view therole of a professor to be one of "professing" anything relevant tonon-empirical matters. Rather, they are viewed as "processors"ofthe various moral, spiritual, and sociological options, for value­neutrality is the name of the game in a pluralistic culture.

But for the ancients, a divorce ofmoral practice from academicinstruction would have been unthinkable. They didn't view life inthe fragmented, splintered way we moderns, or rather postmod­ems, often do. Thus, for Aristotle, to live a life of virtue meant notmerely understanding the virtues, but developing virtuous habitsor practices by which one could then act more virtuously as heor she matured over time. The habits themselves would becomemeans by which one advanced in character. The recent resurgenceof interest in spiritual disciplines is in many ways an appropriatereturn to this wisdom taught by many of the ancients, includingthe Apostle Paul (e.g., I Tim. 4:7-9; I Cor. 9:27). This is in no way aclaim that these philosophers had everything educationally rightin reference to morals and virtue; far from it. But I think there arefundamental principles of education regarding moral formation,such as the three mentioned above, that can and should be gleanedfrom them and implemented in institutions of higher education.

THE FOR TRUTH AND THE RISE OFRELATIVISM

The second issue of relevance that the ancient philosophersfocused on quite extensively was a quest for truth-objective abso­lutes which were immune from societal interpretation. In Plato'sRepublic, for example, a central focus of the dialogue is the searchfor an answer to the question, "What is the nature of justice?"

(dilwiosunein Greek, the same word translated as "righteousness"in the New Testament). Socrates, the narrator ofthe book, contin­ues to question his interlocutors who have their own conceptionsof what justice is. At the beginning of the dialogue, one of them,the sophist Thrasymachus, argues for the view that justice is theadvantage ofthe stronger-a relativistic "might is right" view heldby the later Machiavelli. (Sophists were paid teachers of rhetoric,in ancient Greece, who sought to win the argument at all costs butyet denied that there was absolute truth and certain knowledge.)Through a dazzling set of arguments Socrates both silences hissophistic friend and lures in the two real truth-seekers with whomhe engages in the dialectic for the remainder of the book.

This is typical Plato; in the Republic and many of his otherdialogues, he is utilizing the method of his teacher Socrates bydiligently striving for the abstract and absolute definitions ofwhat are called "what is it?" questions: What is justice? What isvirtue? What is education? What is truth? These are the kinds ofquestions Plato sought answers to, and by the very way he raisedthem he was eliciting absolute, unchanging, eternal answers.Through this socratic methodology he was bringing to light (forthe sophists and others) the static nature of these important andenduring concepts. He was rebutting relativism through the veryprocess of questioning.

There is much to be learned here. This relativism that Socrates,Plato and Aristotle especially were so assiduously refuting hasbecome rampant in modern Western society. It comes in all shadesand varieties-cognitive, epistemological, moral, etc. And despitetheir brilliant demolition of sophistic, relativistic reasoning, ithas resurfaced today with a vengeance, especially among collegestudents. As professor Allan Bloom has noted, "There is one thinga professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every studententering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth isrelative" (p. 25).

Several years ago I spent a few days at Mardi Gras with severalstudents and friends, not for purpose ofreveling in moral decadence(which is the reason most attend this lewd event) but to talk aboutspiritual matters with anyone interested in such a discussion. Afterall, I figured, Mardi Gras did begin as a religious event-the weekoffeasting before the fasting period of Lent-so why not engage inthe old religious activity of talking about God and other spiritualmatters. There were other "spiritually" oriented folks there as well:fortune tellers, astrologers, spiritists, Wiccans, even vampires,black witches, and devil worshippers. There were also a numberof fellow Christians there, most of them screaming into bullhornsdisrespectful and odious expressions like "Queers, turn or burn in

hell" and God even loves like you." But most ofthose attending were college students and various other "Gen­X'ers" that were interested in having a "good time."

In the midst of all this, we wanted to do something different;something new, or maybe something very old, to foster discussion.So we decided to utilize the ancient method of Socrates-askingquestions. We painted a sign, one that reflected the liveliness andvariety of color corresponding to the Mardi Gras experience, andincluded on it in bold type the following simple question: What isTruth? The results were incredible. Crowds gathered around us todiscuss that very question, and the discussion was quite lively. Afew said there was no truth, and we asked them if that was true.Others claimed that you cannot know truth-that you cannot becertain ofanything-and we asked them ifthey were certain aboutthat. Still others chided that we were using Western "either/or"logic in believing in absolute truth, and we said that either wewere or we weren't. It was like living a platonic dialogue.

In the end we had made a number of friends, fellow pilgrimswho came to believe that such a thing as truth really does exist, and

..._-----

"<:t!U€~sti.Oll:Would you say being president of Bethel Collegerepresents a fulfillment ofyour personal goals, or is there anotherobjective you have in mind?

"Answer: 'I have found my tenure at Bethel to be immenselyfulfilling. I have also enjoyed the opportunities I have had towork within our community with many diverse organizations andboards. That has been satisfying professionally.

'''I have enjoyed seeing Bethel College grow and prosper. Ithas become a vibrant, exciting college campus. I love the stu­dents; they keep me young. I love the faculty and staff, and allwho contribute to the life ofthe college. And I still take zest, fun,excitement and joy from the work I have to do.

"'However, my personal goals are not defined by my work alone,but are bound up in my family and my faith. These provide thefulfillment, satisfaction and foundation of my life.'"

-"Bridges: Bethel's $34 Million Campaign Off toPromising Start," South Bend Tribune,Nov. 24,2002

who became interested in pursuing that truth wherever it leads.What most didn't realize is that these same questions had beenaddressed over two thousand years ago. Many ofthe responses wegave were straight out ofPlato andAristotle andAugustine-greatphilosophers ofthe Western tradition.

CLASSICSIN EDUCATION

What I am recommending, then, is a return to such classicalphilosophical literature in higher education. Why not require allstudents to read through at least several ofthe philosophical worksof antiquity that were part and parcel of a traditional Westerneducation? Of course, I'm not suggesting a neglect of other classicworks such as the Bible and Homer, the mainsprings from whichour own culture developed. These should be staples as well. Themost profound words ever spoken on moral matters, for example,were those of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount. We would do wellto read and meditate on his sage counsel here and in the gospels asa whole. 14 And in Homer we have, in adventurous depiction, virtuesand vices central to living life well both personally and publicly.

Nor am I dismissing the role of multicultural literature in anappropriate contemporary education. Not at all. Such works areimportant and even essential reading for those in a diverse culturesuch as our own, and unlike some who argue for a return to theclassics, I feel quite strongly about this. What I'm arguing for inthis essay, however, is that the neglect ofthe traditional Westernclassics in philosophy-works from which much of our own wayofthinking and valuing has emerged-is tragic and will have far­reaching consequences if not soon corrected.

Further, I'm recommending a return to the philosophical clas­sics at both secular and religious institutions. I would place theRepublic at the top ofthe list. It deals with enduring issues ofhu­man concern including not only the nature ofjustice, but whetherit's profitable to live a just life, what is involved in the best kindof education, the significance of the parts of the soul in humanflourishing, how art affects the moral life, and the qualificationsof an ideal political ruler.

These are oflongstanding concern for the human race. Manyacademics are currently moving away from and even denyingthe Hellenic and Christian core of virtues and values that haveshaped the modern Western world, and they are doing this to their,and our, detriment. There is a reason these classics are classics.Such works would not have endured the test of time, survivingfor centuries and millennia even, oftentimes at great personalnpriL wi t.h 011 t, O'pnprRt,ion'l oft,ho11O'ht.f11l npcmlp rPNHm;7;no' tho;,'

Aldous in his Brave New World, prophesied that therewould be no reason for the controllers of a futuristic culture to banbooks since no one would want to read one. I'm afraid that, in asense, his fears have become a reality. Despite the recent and rapidincrease in booksellers (such as Barnes & Noble) and the sale ofbooks, the general interest seems to be not so much in the seekingof truth and betterment of character but in advancing triviality,gossip, narcissism, and mindless adventure. When the New YorhTImes bestsellers are diet books, Grisham and Steele novels, andhistorical fiction masquerading as truth, and when the most popularnewspapers and periodicals in the country include The NationalEnquirer and People magazine, it seems that a cultural devolutionhas occurred. What's worse, however, is that the devolution is notjust in the broader culture, but in higher education-even Christianhigher education-itself. We're no longer reading "ancient books"as C. S. Lewis counseled, books such as Plato's Republic, Aristotle'sNicomachean Ethics, Augustine's City ofGod, and Cicero's On Du­ties. 15 But I believe that for the betterment of our society-for thebetterment of each ofour own souls-it would behoove us to returnto the wisdom and insights of these old thinkers, even if they aredead white males. For many of their insights are not mere inven­tions of morality, virtue, and vice relative to a time and place farremoved from our contemporary world. Rather they are discoveriesof the appropriate functioning of our own human nature as madein the image of the living God.

NOTES1 For an insightful analysis of the erosion of the classics in education,

see Hanson, Heath, and Thornton (2001).2 Peter Kreeft (p. 25) puts it well: "We are stronger in the knowledge

of nature, but weaker in the knowledge of goodness. We know more aboutwhat is less than ourselves but less about what is more than ourselves.When we act morally, we are better than our philosophy. Our ancestorswere worse than theirs. Their problem was not living up to their principles.Ours is not having any."

3 By the term "classical literature" I am referring primarily to workswritten in ancient Greece and Rome, roughly from 750 B.C. to AD. 450.

4 I find it very interesting that one of these quarters is the homeschooling movement. Resources focusing on a classical education, suchas the excellent work The Well-Trained Mind (1999), are on the rise andare proving to be of practical as well as moral benefit to many. Most of theIvy League schools now routinely accept home-schooled kids due to theirexcellent academic preparation.

5 See Hanson and Heath (2001). Another insightful work along theselines is that ofAllan Bloom (1987).

G For an insightful analysis of why there exists this unfamiliarity, seereferences in footnote 5.

7 See, for example, Pinnock (2001) and Geisler and House (2001).Geisler and House are also sympathetic, however, to elements of Greekinfluence in the early church.

S See Augustine (1994, Book II, Chapter IV, 61-62).9 Augustine's theodicy, which he offers in several ofhis works, involves a

libertarian freedom of the will, and his account comes directly from the neo­platonist Plotinus. This theodicy is still utilized by Christian apologists.

10 For an insightful analysis of the role of Greek thought in earlyChristianity, see Nash (1992).

11 See the article by Avery (1995, pp. 234-255).12 For a detailed study of what's in and what's out in recent Great

Books curricula, see Tomcho, Norcross, and Correia, (1994, pp. 90-101).This unfortunate trend has continued over the last decade as well.

13 Willard quotes Harvard president Derek Bok in this same vein:"Religious institutions no longer seem able as they once were to impartbasic values to the young. In these circumstances, universities, includingHarvard, need to think hard about what they can do in the face of whatmany perceive as a widespread decline in ethical standards" (p. 2).

14 As Willard (1999) points out in his enlightening essay, Jesus wasbrilliant-not just about matters offaith, but in general.

15 Lewis (1970) makes a strong argument for reading works of antiq­uity. Besides Boethius and Augustine, he includes on his list more "recent"Christian greats such as Thomas Aquinas, Thomas aKempis, Francis deSales, Blaise Pascal, and William Law.

REFERENCESAristotle. (1962). Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. by Martin Ost­

wald. New York: Macmillan.Augustine. (1950). The City of God. New York: The Modern

Library.Augustine. (1994). Confessions. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers.

Edited by Philip Schaff. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,61-62.

Avery, Jon. (1995). "Plato's Republic in the Core Curriculum:Multiculturalism and the Canon Debate." The Journal ofGeneralEducation, Vol. 44, No.4, 234-255.

Bloom, Allan. (1987). The Closing of the American Mind. NewYork: Simon and Schuster.

Cicero. (1971). On the Good Life. Translated by Michael Grant.New York: Penguin.

Geisler, Norman and H. Wayne House. (2001). The Battle forGod. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

Hanson, Victor Davis, John Heath, and Bruce S. Thornton.(2001). Bonfire of the Humanities. Wilmington, Delaware: lSIBooks.

Hanson, Victor Davis and John Heath. (2001). Who KilledHomer: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery ofGreeh Wisdom. San Francisco: Encounter Books.

Kreeft, Peter. (1992). Bach to Virtue. San Francisco: IgnatiusPress.

Lewis, C. S. (1947). The Abolition ofMan. New York: Macmillan.Lewis, C. S. (1970). "On the Reading of Old Books." God in the

Doch: Essays on Theology and Ethics. Ed. by Walter Hooper. GrandRapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing, 200-207.

Nash, Ronald. (1992). The Gospel and the Greeks. Richardson,TX: Probe Books.

Pinnock, Clark. (2001). Most Moved Mover. Grand Rapids:Baker Book House.

Plato. (1992). Republic. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Revisedby C. D. C. Reeve. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing.

Tomcho, Thomas J., John C. Norcross, and Christopher J. Cor­reia. (1994). "Great Books Curricula: What Is Being Read?" TheJournal of General Education, Vol. 43, No.2, 90-101.

Willard, Dallas. (1998). The Divine Conspiracy. San Francisco:HarperSanFrancisco.

Willard, Dallas. (1999). "Jesus the Logician." Christian Scholar'sReview XXVIII:4, Summer, 605-614.

Wise, Jessie and Susan Wise Bauer. (1999). TheWell-TrainedMind. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Chad V Meistel; B.A.S., M.A., Ph.D. is assistant professor ofPhilosophy at Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana.