For over two millennia in the West, familiarity with the literature, philosophy, and values of the Classical World has been synonymous with education itself. The traditions of the Greeks explain why Western Culture’s unique tenets of democracy, capitalism, civil liberty, and constitutional government are now sweeping the globe. Yet the general public in America knows less about its cultural origins than ever before, as Classical education rapidly disappears from our high school and university curricula.
Acclaimed classicists Hanson and Heath raise an impassioned call to arms: if we lose our knowledge of the Greeks, we lose our understanding of who we are. With straightforward advice and informative reading lists, the authors present a highly useful primer for anyone who wants more knowledge of Classics, and thus of the beauty and perils of our own culture.
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"The best part of this book is that you get to feel indignant along with the authors at the absolutely absurd drivel that passes for scholarship. Privilege, discourse, deconstruct, gender, patriarchy, queer... Are we talking about the Greeks or are we in a "Women's Studies" class here?"
— Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
" The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom "
— Griff, 12/8/2013" Read all about the crime of the Millennium. "
— Sam, 11/25/2013" A vibrant review of the state of Classics in America today. Highly recommended for anyone (of any subject) intending to go into academia with the goal of teaching. Not only is it informative, but it's an enthralling read, as well. "
— Jonathan, 5/4/2013" I like classics, some people don't, Hanson takes it personally. "
— Scott, 1/8/2013" SPOILER: It was us. "
— Popebrak, 12/5/2012" Very good, but I think Hanson and Heath overstate the uniqueness of Greek culture/thought as being singularly important for founding Western thought (at the expense of Christian/Jewish thought). "
— Josh, 10/10/2012" there's NO reason for the classics to fall out of fashion. filter this book's contents knowing the author is defending his vocation - but it doesn't make him wrong. we are all missing very important foundational understanding of our past, talk about destined to repeat our mistakes!! "
— Mark, 9/24/2012" Written by scholars for scholars, but is a good read for someone interested in Classical Education. My main problem with the book is they never did answer their own question...I guess he died of natural causes. "
— Chris, 9/1/2012Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow in military history at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno. He is the author of over two dozen books, including The Case for Trump.
John Heath, author of Actaeon, The Unmanly Intruder, is associate professor of classics and chairman of the Classics Department at Santa Clara University, California. He lives in Menlo Park, California.
Jeff Riggenbach (1947-2021) narrated numerous titles for Blackstone Audio and won an AudioFile Earphones Award. An author, contributing editor, and producer, he worked in radio in San Francisco for more than thirty years, earning a Golden Mike Award for journalistic excellence.