Classical education in history strives for truth, goodness, and beauty. In Classical Greece, educators taught students not only content, but also how to distinguish truth from falsehood, goodness from evil, and beauty from ugliness. An educated Greek was specifically taught these three: truth, goodness, and beauty. These three are objective and are taught to students to cultivate the highest forms of thinking, expression, and action.
In other words, the teaching of history with a classical approach teaches virtue. Virtue means moral excellence, or behavior showing high moral standards. The aim of history education is not to create students who have encyclopedic knowledge, or to foster students who can simply win quiz games, it is instead to form virtuous individuals. By compelling students to make judgements of the past, students naturally question their own thoughts and actions, in light of their historical knowledge. Learning history through the lens of truth, goodness, and beauty inspires students to virtuous lives.
Over the years in Western Civilization, Classical education has been replaced with progressive education. Progressive education focuses more on training a student to memorize a particular perspective over training the student in thinking skills. To understand this further, we should take a look at the study of history and the different ways of learning.
History is the study of written human behavior over time. Although this sounds extremely simple, it is not. Sometimes our knowledge of history changes with time. For example, Pompeii had been buried for 1600 years before its discovery led to increased knowledge regarding Roman civilization. But more important than archeological finds, perspective plays the central role in the study of history. Two courses in medieval history, one taught by an avid atheist, the other by a devout Christian, could be presented as two different histories. The historian’s perspective and historical judgment can determine what his interpretation of events looks like. To the avid Western atheist, the Middle Ages were the Dark Ages, where controlling religious fanatics burned innocent people at the stake and led a huge, useless war against the harmless Muslims. To a devout Christian, the Medieval Ages was a time when brave Christians civilized German, Slavic, and Celtic barbarians and the entire European continent. Sacred and classical literature and culture were kept alive in holy places guarded by pious monks.
A person naturally gravitates to whatever is the best. At a most simple level, this may mean that if you have a choice between a magnificently cooked meal and fast food, or gazing at a beautifully sculpted or poorly created statue, you will choose the options that are more appealing and healthy to the body and mind. Regarding education in history, one of the teacher’s roles is to present the past and teach the analytical tools of history using the best method for the appropriate age. In the United States, the primary place where history is taught with the best method is in some graduate level schools. There, students are challenged to not only have a basic knowledge of the past, but to also be able to analyze the meaning of the past. Students read both secondary and primary sources, question analyses of authors and of teachers, and create their own interpretations that are hopefully based in evidence, historical context, and logic.
Unfortunately, in K-12, undergraduate and graduate level education, history courses are often places of indoctrination or job skills. Students are compelled to learn what the teacher thinks and they are taught how to convey this message to others. As most k-12 teachers in the United States rely on the state for their paycheck, it is natural that the bias of most public school history teachers is for a larger and more powerful state. The more tax money coming into the state schools represent higher salaries and better work conditions for teachers. The result of this educational structure and style is an American society that does not know history and is not able to analyze the past or the present logically and honestly. And, it is an educational system that is biased towards a greater role of the state.
Along with the ideological problems, many history classrooms are structured to teach large groups of students menial tasks, such as organizational skills, technical skills of writing, and memorization of information. Teachers, who feel overwhelmed with so many tasks outside the academic arena, and whose students are unable to perform simple reading, writing, and speaking tasks, eventually succumb to the philosophy that their students will never rise beyond the ability to work in linguistically rich environments. As one of my colleagues at the middle school said, “We all know our students are going to be working in factories or outside doing menial tasks. Our job is to teach them organizational skills.”
Classical education in history is rooted in a tradition that began with the first historians from ancient Greece and is tied to the ideal of providing children with the very best in education. It is Classical Education in History. This method is also known as the historical method, or historical thinking.
Classical Education is not to be confused with Classical Studies. Whereas Classical Education is primarily a method of learning, Classical Studies is a study of humanities from ancient Greece and Rome. Classical Education was the dominant form of Western education until the late 1800s, although it typically did not include the study of history. At the turn of the century in the United States, other educational philosophies crowded out the ideal of teaching individuals basic knowledge and how to analyze. Progressive education meant to give American students the tools to live in an industrialized society, respond positively to bells and mass instruction, and the ability to fulfill menial tasks punctually. After a few generations this alternative method of education began to produce inferior results in the United States, and so today writers and teachers have started to go back to the proven educational methods of the past.
In other words, the teaching of history with a classical approach teaches virtue. Virtue means moral excellence, or behavior showing high moral standards. The aim of history education is not to create students who have encyclopedic knowledge, or to foster students who can simply win quiz games, it is instead to form virtuous individuals. By compelling students to make judgements of the past, students naturally question their own thoughts and actions, in light of their historical knowledge. Learning history through the lens of truth, goodness, and beauty inspires students to virtuous lives.
Over the years in Western Civilization, Classical education has been replaced with progressive education. Progressive education focuses more on training a student to memorize a particular perspective over training the student in thinking skills. To understand this further, we should take a look at the study of history and the different ways of learning.
History is the study of written human behavior over time. Although this sounds extremely simple, it is not. Sometimes our knowledge of history changes with time. For example, Pompeii had been buried for 1600 years before its discovery led to increased knowledge regarding Roman civilization. But more important than archeological finds, perspective plays the central role in the study of history. Two courses in medieval history, one taught by an avid atheist, the other by a devout Christian, could be presented as two different histories. The historian’s perspective and historical judgment can determine what his interpretation of events looks like. To the avid Western atheist, the Middle Ages were the Dark Ages, where controlling religious fanatics burned innocent people at the stake and led a huge, useless war against the harmless Muslims. To a devout Christian, the Medieval Ages was a time when brave Christians civilized German, Slavic, and Celtic barbarians and the entire European continent. Sacred and classical literature and culture were kept alive in holy places guarded by pious monks.
A person naturally gravitates to whatever is the best. At a most simple level, this may mean that if you have a choice between a magnificently cooked meal and fast food, or gazing at a beautifully sculpted or poorly created statue, you will choose the options that are more appealing and healthy to the body and mind. Regarding education in history, one of the teacher’s roles is to present the past and teach the analytical tools of history using the best method for the appropriate age. In the United States, the primary place where history is taught with the best method is in some graduate level schools. There, students are challenged to not only have a basic knowledge of the past, but to also be able to analyze the meaning of the past. Students read both secondary and primary sources, question analyses of authors and of teachers, and create their own interpretations that are hopefully based in evidence, historical context, and logic.
Unfortunately, in K-12, undergraduate and graduate level education, history courses are often places of indoctrination or job skills. Students are compelled to learn what the teacher thinks and they are taught how to convey this message to others. As most k-12 teachers in the United States rely on the state for their paycheck, it is natural that the bias of most public school history teachers is for a larger and more powerful state. The more tax money coming into the state schools represent higher salaries and better work conditions for teachers. The result of this educational structure and style is an American society that does not know history and is not able to analyze the past or the present logically and honestly. And, it is an educational system that is biased towards a greater role of the state.
Along with the ideological problems, many history classrooms are structured to teach large groups of students menial tasks, such as organizational skills, technical skills of writing, and memorization of information. Teachers, who feel overwhelmed with so many tasks outside the academic arena, and whose students are unable to perform simple reading, writing, and speaking tasks, eventually succumb to the philosophy that their students will never rise beyond the ability to work in linguistically rich environments. As one of my colleagues at the middle school said, “We all know our students are going to be working in factories or outside doing menial tasks. Our job is to teach them organizational skills.”
Classical education in history is rooted in a tradition that began with the first historians from ancient Greece and is tied to the ideal of providing children with the very best in education. It is Classical Education in History. This method is also known as the historical method, or historical thinking.
Classical Education is not to be confused with Classical Studies. Whereas Classical Education is primarily a method of learning, Classical Studies is a study of humanities from ancient Greece and Rome. Classical Education was the dominant form of Western education until the late 1800s, although it typically did not include the study of history. At the turn of the century in the United States, other educational philosophies crowded out the ideal of teaching individuals basic knowledge and how to analyze. Progressive education meant to give American students the tools to live in an industrialized society, respond positively to bells and mass instruction, and the ability to fulfill menial tasks punctually. After a few generations this alternative method of education began to produce inferior results in the United States, and so today writers and teachers have started to go back to the proven educational methods of the past.
Truth, in History
The Socratic discussion is an integral element of a Classical Education in History. In a Socratic discussion, students present their historical judgment and defend it with evidence and logic. Throughout the discussion, and in every element of a Classical approach to the study of history, is the principle of The Absolute. The Absolute is a concept of unconditional reality, existing regardless of individual circumstances. In simpler terms - for the study of history, this idea means that there is a truth; students and teachers are called to honestly search for the truth, and all work in history needs to be aimed at finding out the truth.
Without the existence of The Absolute, any definition of what is man, what is right, what is worthy, is relative. The tragedies caused by mass murderers like Mao and Hitler and Stalin become merely decisions and outcomes taken by others instead of horrendous acts. Without the goal of searching for the truth in history, the classroom becomes slave to the bias of the teacher as he attempts to shape students into what he has determined what is good or bad.
In a public school district-sponsored Common Core Training I attended in 2013, the presenter stated how everything in history is up to debate and that there is not one right answer. When I challenged her by giving examples of murder caused by Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, she changed the subject. Without the idea that there is an Absolute, mass murders, torture, and other indignations become merely events in history to memorize. America’s educational establishment would like to teach in this manner, in order to manipulate the past and direct our students to make the “correct” choices today that fulfill their political agenda. We owe it to our children and ourselves to offer alternatives based in truth, goodness, and beauty.
The study of history has standards to follow that enable a person to best analyze the past, in some ways similar to the Scientific Method. Sometimes this is referred to as historical thinking of the historical method. Without the idea of an Absolute, the study of history becomes just an exercise of the mind, or a tool of indoctrination. Studying history goes beyond mere memorization of certain facts, and mere analysis of events. It is the search for true causes, effects, reasons, and understanding of humans and human actions.
Without the existence of The Absolute, any definition of what is man, what is right, what is worthy, is relative. The tragedies caused by mass murderers like Mao and Hitler and Stalin become merely decisions and outcomes taken by others instead of horrendous acts. Without the goal of searching for the truth in history, the classroom becomes slave to the bias of the teacher as he attempts to shape students into what he has determined what is good or bad.
In a public school district-sponsored Common Core Training I attended in 2013, the presenter stated how everything in history is up to debate and that there is not one right answer. When I challenged her by giving examples of murder caused by Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, she changed the subject. Without the idea that there is an Absolute, mass murders, torture, and other indignations become merely events in history to memorize. America’s educational establishment would like to teach in this manner, in order to manipulate the past and direct our students to make the “correct” choices today that fulfill their political agenda. We owe it to our children and ourselves to offer alternatives based in truth, goodness, and beauty.
The study of history has standards to follow that enable a person to best analyze the past, in some ways similar to the Scientific Method. Sometimes this is referred to as historical thinking of the historical method. Without the idea of an Absolute, the study of history becomes just an exercise of the mind, or a tool of indoctrination. Studying history goes beyond mere memorization of certain facts, and mere analysis of events. It is the search for true causes, effects, reasons, and understanding of humans and human actions.
Goodness, in History
Classical Greek education sought goodness in everything. Goodness, like truth and beauty, were considered objective valued to evaluate people, material things, thoughts, and events. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Truth, goodness, and beauty are the three things we all need, and need absolutely, and know we need”; truth relates to the mind, goodness to the will, and beauty to the heart, feelings, desires, or imagination. “These are the only three things that we never get bored with, and never will, for all eternity, because they are attributes of God, and therefore of all God’s creation: three transcendental or absolutely universal properties of all reality.”
In history, man’s actions and thoughts are recorded. The historian seeks not only to detail the happenings of the past but also to make sense of them, to understand the meaning of the past, to make connections between events. In seeking goodness in history, the student learns about man’s motives for his actions, focusing on all elements that may inspire someone to action. Perhaps a person acted bravely in the past, because of a love of his family or of his wife. Maybe someone offered himself up as a martyr because of his devotion to God, religion, or because of a love of country. In seeking goodness in evaluating history, the student strives to see the whole human, and not just one element.
Opposite of seeking goodness in history is evaluating history from a reductionist perspective. For example, the Marxist historian looks only to materialism to evaluate the actions of all humans. The Marxist will argue that people steal, because their poor condition made them do it. Or, this country went to war, because the leaders were financially greedy and wanted to take from others. Or, this person became an attorney, because he wanted more money. The Marxist historian does not seek goodness in history, but only seeks material reasons why humans act the way they do.
Somebody who has a holistic view of man seeks all reasons why people act the way they do. An enlistee in the Civil War for the North may have enlisted because he was against slavery. Fighting for the freedom of others that one may never see in life does not enrich someone materially, but it is a valid reason to fight and die. Another person, a Southerner, may have fought in the Civil War because he wanted to protect his land from invaders. As most southerners did not own slaves, the reason they were fighting had very little to do with financial reasons. Seeking goodness in beauty is a complete and open method in searching for reasons why humans act the way they do.
In history, man’s actions and thoughts are recorded. The historian seeks not only to detail the happenings of the past but also to make sense of them, to understand the meaning of the past, to make connections between events. In seeking goodness in history, the student learns about man’s motives for his actions, focusing on all elements that may inspire someone to action. Perhaps a person acted bravely in the past, because of a love of his family or of his wife. Maybe someone offered himself up as a martyr because of his devotion to God, religion, or because of a love of country. In seeking goodness in evaluating history, the student strives to see the whole human, and not just one element.
Opposite of seeking goodness in history is evaluating history from a reductionist perspective. For example, the Marxist historian looks only to materialism to evaluate the actions of all humans. The Marxist will argue that people steal, because their poor condition made them do it. Or, this country went to war, because the leaders were financially greedy and wanted to take from others. Or, this person became an attorney, because he wanted more money. The Marxist historian does not seek goodness in history, but only seeks material reasons why humans act the way they do.
Somebody who has a holistic view of man seeks all reasons why people act the way they do. An enlistee in the Civil War for the North may have enlisted because he was against slavery. Fighting for the freedom of others that one may never see in life does not enrich someone materially, but it is a valid reason to fight and die. Another person, a Southerner, may have fought in the Civil War because he wanted to protect his land from invaders. As most southerners did not own slaves, the reason they were fighting had very little to do with financial reasons. Seeking goodness in beauty is a complete and open method in searching for reasons why humans act the way they do.
Beauty, in History
Beauty in history refers to the heart, feelings, desires, or imagination. An important element of the study of history is the study of the arts. The arts comprise visual arts (such as architecture, ceramics, drawing, filmmaking, painting, photography, sculpting), literary arts (fiction, drama, poetry, and prose) and performing arts (dance, music, and theatre). In studying history, it is essential to include a study of the arts in every era and in every culture. Students learn what is beauty and how to evaluate arts across different cultures and times. In doing so, students are raised to seek beauty in all they do and to reject the opposite of beauty, ugliness. The Greeks taught that beauty was an objective value. This sense of “Classical beauty” needs to be restored in education, and especially in the study of history.
Classical artists implemented a theory about proportions of the human body to achieve beauty in sculpture. Polykleitos, a Greek sculptor, wrote that a statue should have distinct parts interconnected with a system of mathematical proportions and equilibrium. Greeks sought structure in art to express an ordered world. Parts of the body were meticulously mathematically harmonious, with all parts perfectly proportioned. The lasting admiration for Classical Greek sculpture is a testament to the importance and objectivity of beauty in art.
In architecture, beauty held to mathematical proportion, continuous sequence, symmetry, and balance. Symmetry of Classical Greek buildings, such as the Parthenon, the Temple of Olympia, the Temple of Hera, the Sanctuary of Artemis, as well as Ancient Greek villas all display attention to form and mathematical exactness. Greeks passed their ideas onto the Romans, as displayed in Roman works, such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Roman villa.
A student classically trained in art history will be able to appreciate beauty in all cultures and time periods, and will also be able to explain the movement away from classical art in the modern era.
In addition to visual arts, students trained in classical beauty will learn to appreciate classical literature. Classical literature is literature that has withstood the test of time, adheres to universal themes, is written in a way that is inspiring and interesting, and compels the reader to deeper thought about his place in the world, his place in relation to others, and to God. Classical literature refers to the greatest works of ancient civilizations and to all periods of history. Students of history should have both an encyclopedic knowledge of great literature from history and should have read a few works of literature from each culture.
In the past, American students had an “outline knowledge” of Russian literature, British literature, American literature, Greek literature, etc., and, students read a few works from each culture. When a student knows the major works and authors from different cultures, they are intrigued to read at least some of these works. Understanding literature from different era and cultures helps a student more appreciate the culture of that time period.
Classical artists implemented a theory about proportions of the human body to achieve beauty in sculpture. Polykleitos, a Greek sculptor, wrote that a statue should have distinct parts interconnected with a system of mathematical proportions and equilibrium. Greeks sought structure in art to express an ordered world. Parts of the body were meticulously mathematically harmonious, with all parts perfectly proportioned. The lasting admiration for Classical Greek sculpture is a testament to the importance and objectivity of beauty in art.
In architecture, beauty held to mathematical proportion, continuous sequence, symmetry, and balance. Symmetry of Classical Greek buildings, such as the Parthenon, the Temple of Olympia, the Temple of Hera, the Sanctuary of Artemis, as well as Ancient Greek villas all display attention to form and mathematical exactness. Greeks passed their ideas onto the Romans, as displayed in Roman works, such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Roman villa.
A student classically trained in art history will be able to appreciate beauty in all cultures and time periods, and will also be able to explain the movement away from classical art in the modern era.
In addition to visual arts, students trained in classical beauty will learn to appreciate classical literature. Classical literature is literature that has withstood the test of time, adheres to universal themes, is written in a way that is inspiring and interesting, and compels the reader to deeper thought about his place in the world, his place in relation to others, and to God. Classical literature refers to the greatest works of ancient civilizations and to all periods of history. Students of history should have both an encyclopedic knowledge of great literature from history and should have read a few works of literature from each culture.
In the past, American students had an “outline knowledge” of Russian literature, British literature, American literature, Greek literature, etc., and, students read a few works from each culture. When a student knows the major works and authors from different cultures, they are intrigued to read at least some of these works. Understanding literature from different era and cultures helps a student more appreciate the culture of that time period.
To learn more about socratic approach to learning history, go here.
To buy our socratic history curriculum, go here.
To buy our socratic history curriculum, go here.
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