|
Article Excerpt
Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin, by Tracy Lee Simmons (ISI, 268 pp., $24.95)
Why the classics? This question has dominated the education debate for decades now. The late Mortimer Adler made an impressive case for the Greeks, and other greats, as a source of good answers to the problems of philosophy. But Adler received the following rejoinder from W. H. Auden, in a 1940 essay:
Most [adults] are reading only in order to escape from their own thoughts or to be socially respectable. If they are to improve, the first thing to say to them is not -- "You don't read enough," or "You read bad books," but -- "You read far too much. You haven't the slightest idea what kind of person you are or what you want to know, and it is no use your trying to read at all until you have, and are compelled to admit that the truth you discover is most disagreeable. To read the Iliad because Professor Adler tells you it is good is no better than reading the...
|
|
More articles from National Review
The Insurgency.("Fighting the Good Fight: A History of the New York Co..., May 20, 2002
Shelf Life.(reviews of three political books)~(book review), May 20, 2002
On the Right.(conservative views on current events)(Column), May 20, 2002
The Misanthrope's Corner.(Column)(Brief Article), May 20, 2002
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
|
