the great tradition: classic readings on what it means to be an educated human being

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Start your review of The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What it Ways to Be an Educated Man

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Worth the piece of work.

A deep and broad anthology of essays spanning almost 2,400 years, from ancient Greece through the 20th century, The Great Tradition is a long but very worthwhile read. And, it's very helpful that the essays only run from 4-15 pages or then each: these are thoughtful writers, and you'll want (sometimes need) to stride yourself.

The topic of these essays is education, and what it ways to be equipped with wisdom, virtue and perspective, rather than just facts. As the introduction notes, the Nifty Tradi

A deep and wide anthology of essays spanning about 2,400 years, from ancient Greece through the 20th century, The Great Tradition is a long but very worthwhile read. And, information technology'due south very helpful that the essays but run from 4-xv pages or and so each: these are thoughtful writers, and y'all'll want (sometimes need) to step yourself.

The topic of these essays is education, and what it means to be equipped with wisdom, virtue and perspective, rather than only facts. As the introduction notes, the Great Tradition is "anchored in the classical and Christian humanism of liberal education" – and you lot will read much here about the Classics, the Trivium, the importance of history, the influence of Latin and Greek, and the wisdom of the ages.

There are selections here from (among many others) Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Milton, John Henry Newman, C. Southward. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, and Christopher Dawson. In my view, this collection is a must-read for any educator, also as college and academy students.

I close with a few quotes to whet your appetite:

"I charge you, my educatee, not to rejoice a great deal because yous may read many things, but considering y'all have been able to retain them" – Hugh of St. Victor

"I consider in my mind these beauteous gifts of God, namely the study of literature and the humanities – and apart from the Gospel of Christ this globe holds nothing more than splendid nor divine" – Philip Melanchthon

"For you merely severely wound the body with the sword, only with language you lot pierce even the soul" – Juan Luis Vives

"The welfare of a metropolis does not consist solely in accumulating vast treasures, edifice mighty walls and magnificent buildings, and producing a goodly supply of guns and armor. Indeed, where such things are plentiful, and reckless fools get control of them, it is so much the worse and the urban center suffers even greater loss" – Martin Luther

"Nor should nosotros spend our time dipping into just any authors; we should read the best. For what has been sown in young minds puts downward deep roots and there is no force that can afterwards pull it up again" – Pier Paolo Vergerio

Enjoy!

...more than

Discussion questions hither. Related post by Eric Hutchinson hither (Twitter conversation here).

Read the section on Hugh of St. Victor in Aug. 2018.

I mentioned to Richard Gamble that some of my students and I would exist reading through this book, and he offered to fix a Zoom meeting (which we held on October. 29, 2020).

For Fall 2020, we read selections from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, and Quintilian.

For Jump 2021, we read selections from Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Basil the Neat, Jerome, A

Discussion questions here. Related post by Eric Hutchinson here (Twitter conversation hither).

Read the section on Hugh of St. Victor in Aug. 2018.

I mentioned to Richard Gamble that some of my students and I would be reading through this book, and he offered to gear up a Zoom meeting (which we held on Oct. 29, 2020).

For Autumn 2020, nosotros read selections from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, and Quintilian.

For Bound 2021, we read selections from Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Basil the Great, Jerome, Augustine, Alcuin, Hugh of St. Victor, John of Salisbury, Aquinas, and Bonaventure. Jerome's messages were fascinating. I had heard of the "more Ciceronian than Christian" vision, merely information technology was nice to read the letter itself; and another letter of the alphabet contains the illustration (mentioned here) of how the use of infidel literature to serve Christ is like David'southward employ of Goliath'south sword to cut off his head.

For Fall 2021, nosotros read selections from Erasmus, Luther, Zwingli, Elyot, Melanchthon, and Calvin. Nosotros meant to go to Milton and Burke only ran out of time.

And for Bound 2022, we read selections from Newman, Sertillanges, Weil, Lewis, Sayers, Eliot, Oakeshott, and Voegelin. The editor, Richard Hazard, came to Regent's campus and gave a lecture on Cicero'southward Legacy on Feb. 9.

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Incredible collection of corking classic literature relating to education. Very accessible and I really appreciated the intros earlier each writer.

This has a fabled selection from authors from the classics on. The ECF selections are really helpful in showing how careful the early church building was in using infidel classics, and the reformation resources were interesting. Luther, specially. He's always entertaining, and he doesn't disappoint when talking most educational activity (2-3 hour schoolhouse days, no devil's-dung philosophy, and all for languages and music).

Oh, and it's slightly disappointing that information technology doesn't have anything prior to Plato, but that's pr

This has a fabulous choice from authors from the classics on. The ECF selections are actually helpful in showing how careful the early church was in using pagan classics, and the reformation resources were interesting. Luther, especially. He'due south always entertaining, and he doesn't disappoint when talking about education (2-3 hour school days, no devil's-dung philosophy, and all for languages and music).

Oh, and information technology's slightly disappointing that it doesn't take annihilation prior to Plato, only that's pretty nitpicky, given that it's probably a much wider complaint near "western survey" sorts of books like these.

Last observation: read John Henry Newman'south stuff (522ff). Maybe I'm being a lilliputian hasty in judgment, but I constitute it terrible. He essentially argues that liberal arts is exclusively about the intellectual - not virtue, which is divers intellectually for the classics anyhow, he says - and specifically intellectual pursuits with no practical benefits. That's exactly what he wanted for British "gentlemen" in the 1800s. Maybe I'one thousand also sensitive to grade dynamics, simply that really everything he said. Information technology seems a more general problem too with liberal arts education, just rarely e'er this blatant and unapologetic.

Brits really do have a remarkable chapters for being total a-holes.

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Nov 07, 2016 Jessica rated information technology information technology was astonishing

When you are done with this book you lot want to go along a crusade to change education to seek and dearest the good and beautiful wherever you tin can find information technology. This is a compilation of pertinent selections from Ancient Times to Modern times with authors similar Isocrates, Plato, Petrarch, Hugh of St. Victor, C.Due south. Lewis, and more.

Tremendous. This is a comprehensive anthology from Plato to Eric Voegelin on what it means to exist educated. This is a nifty resource that points to authors and documents for further study, exposes the reader to a broad variety of time periods, cultures, perspectives, and, despite the variety of authors and texts, provides a unity to the classical tradition. While it jars modern sensibilities, traditions and terms do mean something. One cannot lay claim to a lineage while rejecting the universal op Tremendous. This is a comprehensive anthology from Plato to Eric Voegelin on what it means to exist educated. This is a cracking resource that points to authors and documents for further report, exposes the reader to a wide multifariousness of time periods, cultures, perspectives, and, despite the variety of authors and texts, provides a unity to the classical tradition. While it jars modern sensibilities, traditions and terms practice mean something. One cannot lay claim to a lineage while rejecting the universal opinion of those who founded and continued it.

Now to start it again.

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An exceptional anthology of excerpts from the classics from Ancient Hellenic republic until the nowadays twenty-four hours. Included are familiar selections from such greats as Plato, Augustine, Milton, and Shush. Only in that location are many selections that are worthy entries from authors whose names do not immediately come to one'due south mind, fifty-fifty if you are well-read. That is what gives this drove a unique identify amongst anthologies of great writers and is why I would recommend it to all who would like to extend and deepen their An infrequent anthology of excerpts from the classics from Ancient Greece until the present solar day. Included are familiar selections from such greats every bit Plato, Augustine, Milton, and Burke. Just at that place are many selections that are worthy entries from authors whose names practise non immediately come to one'southward mind, fifty-fifty if you are well-read. That is what gives this collection a unique place amid anthologies of great writers and is why I would recommend it to all who would like to extend and deepen their sensation of what it means to be an educated man existence. ...more

Dec 19, 2021 Emily rated information technology information technology was amazing

This book was a bit of a beating at times simply SO good! I will definitely exist coming back to it. Though I call up it'south a book worth reading again, I'll take it in much smaller doses...reading information technology in one year was quite the challenge. Having others to read and discuss it with made it more reasonable - I couldn't have done it otherwise. There were many selections that made me realize where my own education has fallen short, and at present in that location are so many more than books and authors that I am looking forward to re This volume was a fleck of a beating at times just SO good! I will definitely be coming back to information technology. Though I think information technology's a volume worth reading again, I'll have it in much smaller doses...reading it in one twelvemonth was quite the challenge. Having others to read and discuss information technology with fabricated it more reasonable - I couldn't have done it otherwise. At that place were many selections that made me realize where my own education has fallen short, and now there are so many more than books and authors that I am looking forward to reading! ...more

Jun 22, 2019 Al rated it it was amazing

I tin can't praise this volume enough. I tin can't praise this book plenty. ...more

I have read various selections. This is a great resource for Christian teachers. A wide variety of known and unknown authors, from Plato to Rhabanus Maurus. Much of this stuff is nigh a Christian view of pagan literature. Two specifics:

Basil'south Sermon (To Immature Men, on How they might Derive Turn a profit from Pagan Literature): timely, insightful, and very helpful for me every bit someone who teaches pagan literature to immature people. Basically, he says that we should exist bees, moving from pagan flower to pagan

I have read various selections. This is a nifty resource for Christian teachers. A wide diverseness of known and unknown authors, from Plato to Rhabanus Maurus. Much of this stuff is near a Christian view of pagan literature. Ii specifics:

Basil's Sermon (To Young Men, on How they might Derive Profit from Pagan Literature): timely, insightful, and very helpful for me every bit someone who teaches heathen literature to young people. Basically, he says that we should be bees, moving from pagan flower to infidel flower, getting nectar to plough into good Christian honey for our souls.

Melanchthon's Preface to Homer: disgusting, ridiculous, and just plain embarrassing. He says that Homer is the near divine work autonomously from Scripture, that we should worship it with our words, that if we call up it is bad so Satan has lied to us. Reading this Preface is similar listening to a teenage girl rave nigh Twilight. I like Homer, but don't tell this:
"But as great deities are sometimes worshiped with sacrifices of coarse grain and table salt, so we bestow upon the praise of such a bully writer what footling we tin in our insignificance."

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Jan 02, 2010 D.N. rated it really liked it

Out of the scattering of 'Western Readers' I've used as a resource, "The Great Tradition" might exist the all-time. Take a chance has painstakingly arranged selections from Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Basil, Augustine, Hugh of St Victor, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Erasmus, Edmund Shush, John Henry Newman, Thomas Arnold, Albert Jay Nock, Dorothy Sayers, C. S. Lewis, and Eric Voegelin (to name a few) in an appealing format. Every bit Run a risk notes in the Introduction, "this co Out of the scattering of 'Western Readers' I've used as a resource, "The Not bad Tradition" might be the all-time. Chance has painstakingly bundled selections from Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Basil, Augustine, Hugh of St Victor, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Erasmus, Edmund Burke, John Henry Newman, Thomas Arnold, Albert Jay Nock, Dorothy Sayers, C. S. Lewis, and Eric Voegelin (to proper name a few) in an appealing format. As Gamble notes in the Introduction, "this drove from what has been called 'The Peachy Tradition' is intended to supply an arsenal of the liberal arts for those who would wage state of war—covertly or openly—on the side of an education rooted in the classical and Christian heritage." ...more

Oct 29, 2007 Leila rated it it was astonishing

An anthology of the greatest Western minds on instruction and didactics. The crunchy con's reply to what ails modern education? An anthology of the greatest Western minds on educational activity and educational activity. The crunchy con's answer to what ails modernistic education? ...more

Jul x, 2009 Matt rated it really liked it

Neat selections and good introductions!

Aug 14, 2011 Jenny rated it it was amazing

The selections are comprehensive and well-chosen, and the intros/commentaries are helpful. I particularly appreciate the many selections from church fathers and medievals.

Mar 12, 2012 Reader2007 rated it it was amazing

A near excellent compilation of essays on the discipline of instruction.

It would take a much better man than I to wade through this noble but turgid tome.

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