Classical Education: Virtuous Living 1

Classical education is not job-training.

The foundational philosophy of C.E. asserts that the goal of education is not economic, but living a good life.

All free men, regardless of the work they will eventually pursue, need a measure of knowledge, understanding and wisdom which will enable them to lead virtuous lives. Therefore, classical ed neglects, for a time, strictly utilitarian, job-specific skills in favor of cultivating a mastery of language, perspicuity of thought and purity of life.

The ancients believed this education must lead its students to discern the transcendent values of Goodness, Beauty and Truth. Exposure to the best and highest in all disciplines would result in refined tastes and sound judgements. They insisted that not all ideas or expressions of ideas are equally valid and virtuous, and that students do not instinctively know the difference and therefore must be trained to know. These assertions highly offend modern sensibilities and have led some to label this education as elitist. It can be, if we let it, but is not inherently so. (More about that when I address the pitfalls of C.E.)

The goal, then, of Classical Education is not for its students to achieve high SAT scores, be accepted at an Ivy League school, obtain a particular job, reach a certain level of financial gain, or to be labeled as successful, but rather to acquire wisdom which will enable its possessor to live well in every capacity of life - his home, his workplace, his neighborhod, his community, and his world.