Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education
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- Author：David V. Hicks
- ISBN：1538195356
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Reviews
Rocky Ramsey
，
Great book！ My big takeaway is that the modern analytical form of education is born from a disenchantment with the world， specifically through losing Paideia， Dogma， Dialectic， and Virtue。 Christ solves the conundrum of Virtue and Rhetoric， the philosopher and the rhetorician。 Classical education must be Christian to make sense of the tools the ancient Greeks stumbled upon。 The Mythos of the Greek poets and the Logos of the Greek Philosopher/Rhetoricians are united in Christ and given transcende Great book！ My big takeaway is that the modern analytical form of education is born from a disenchantment with the world， specifically through losing Paideia， Dogma， Dialectic， and Virtue。 Christ solves the conundrum of Virtue and Rhetoric， the philosopher and the rhetorician。 Classical education must be Christian to make sense of the tools the ancient Greeks stumbled upon。 The Mythos of the Greek poets and the Logos of the Greek Philosopher/Rhetoricians are united in Christ and given transcendent meaning。 Education must be Classical and Christian because the modern form of education robs each generation of a Mythos passed on through understanding Virtue and Paideia。 Modern education does not form humans but rather machines。 Daddy State gives us the ideal image of a machine in a cog。 The Father gives us the ideal image of his son。 Modern man must choose which way to go。 。。。more
Guyon
，
Outstanding。 It is dense， but it articulated many of the issues I felt in my own （modern） education， and put forth a vision for a kind of schooling built towards the forming of a truly good and wise person， not a mere receptacle of facts， or a utilitarian laborer。 This is the way of teaching that I longed for， and a kind I glimpsed in the professors I loved most in my own schooling。 If you wish to teach， read it。 If you have a child and you are considering the sort of education they will receive Outstanding。 It is dense， but it articulated many of the issues I felt in my own （modern） education， and put forth a vision for a kind of schooling built towards the forming of a truly good and wise person， not a mere receptacle of facts， or a utilitarian laborer。 This is the way of teaching that I longed for， and a kind I glimpsed in the professors I loved most in my own schooling。 If you wish to teach， read it。 If you have a child and you are considering the sort of education they will receive- I would strongly offer it to you， if even just to understand the landscape they are likely to encounter and where you may supply their lack。 It is worth the effort。 。。。more
Bethany
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Excellent book on classical education， was introduced to a new perspective on how to teach and the purpose and importance of educating in this way。
Astrid
，
Reread， this time with notebook at hand to jot down quotes and ideas。 There were a bunch， but here's my favorite:"When fastidious doubts and analytical dredging are not allowed to muddy the waters， the surface of a classic， dancing with light， mirrors the depths of its own accord and reveals its truth at the young reader's own level of maturity and insight。" Reread， this time with notebook at hand to jot down quotes and ideas。 There were a bunch， but here's my favorite:"When fastidious doubts and analytical dredging are not allowed to muddy the waters， the surface of a classic， dancing with light， mirrors the depths of its own accord and reveals its truth at the young reader's own level of maturity and insight。" 。。。more
Rebekah
，
This should be required reading for every teacher or parent！ For such a short book it was dense and worth every word。 "the true end of education and source of happiness。。。is the life of virtue: the life that knows and reveres， speculates and acts upon the Good， that loves and reproduces the Beautiful， and that pursues excellence and moderation in all things。" 21"。。 an education that fails to prepare man for the life of virtue robs him as a youth his chance to receive what Cicero calls right reas This should be required reading for every teacher or parent！ For such a short book it was dense and worth every word。 "the true end of education and source of happiness。。。is the life of virtue: the life that knows and reveres， speculates and acts upon the Good， that loves and reproduces the Beautiful， and that pursues excellence and moderation in all things。" 21"。。 an education that fails to prepare man for the life of virtue robs him as a youth his chance to receive what Cicero calls right reason: the ability to recognize who he is and what his purposes are in terms of the virtues and excellence found in nature。" 。。。more
David Pulliam
，
Worth reading to understand the classical educational movement but you’ll wince at some of the utopian descriptions of the pre-modern era。 Really appreciated the chapter， On the Necessity of Dogma and I find his distinction between the dialectic and analysis very helpful。
Brittany Sprague
，
One of the most influential books I've read in helping me form my views on education （read during my Masters studies） Particularly the chapter on Christian Classical Education left me so hopeful and excited to continue in this pedagogy。 It's academic in tone but so rich。 Would highly recommend for all classical educators。 One of the most influential books I've read in helping me form my views on education （read during my Masters studies） Particularly the chapter on Christian Classical Education left me so hopeful and excited to continue in this pedagogy。 It's academic in tone but so rich。 Would highly recommend for all classical educators。 。。。more
Hope
，
Wow！ This book was chock full of powerful ideas about what constitutes true education。 It was so deep that I couldn't read more than five or six pages at one sitting （usually with a dictionary nearby）。 But I appreciated how Hicks helped me wrestle with the differences between what used to be considered "being educated" （knowledge leading to virtue） vs。 what now passes for education （knowledge that leads to a bigger paycheck。） Of course， that is simplifying it too much， but you get the idea。 A fa Wow！ This book was chock full of powerful ideas about what constitutes true education。 It was so deep that I couldn't read more than five or six pages at one sitting （usually with a dictionary nearby）。 But I appreciated how Hicks helped me wrestle with the differences between what used to be considered "being educated" （knowledge leading to virtue） vs。 what now passes for education （knowledge that leads to a bigger paycheck。） Of course， that is simplifying it too much， but you get the idea。 A fantastic read if you have the patience。 。。。more
JR Snow
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Superb。 Hicks navigates both classical and Christian historical sources for a summary and explanation into the core tenants of classical education。 His two focuses are 1。 The present problem of science taking over the philosophy of education， and 2。 the problem of de-normativising education。 He eloquently argues for a return to a fuller epistemology that takes into account religion， myth， relationship， etc。 rather than a narrow， empirical （scientific method） view of knowledge， and then a robust Superb。 Hicks navigates both classical and Christian historical sources for a summary and explanation into the core tenants of classical education。 His two focuses are 1。 The present problem of science taking over the philosophy of education， and 2。 the problem of de-normativising education。 He eloquently argues for a return to a fuller epistemology that takes into account religion， myth， relationship， etc。 rather than a narrow， empirical （scientific method） view of knowledge， and then a robust return to "dogma"–viewing education as a set of values and facts that should be passed on。 Hicks needs to be read by many a classical educator who tends to believe that classical education is about teaching skills rather than facts–this is not true。 Common core is all about teaching "critical thinking" in fact。 But merely obfuscates the remaining issue of dogma being transmitted to the student。 The curriculum guide and thoughts about a "teachers seminar" are both helpful and thought-provoking。 。。。more
Mariah Dawn
，
Ok。 Brace yourself。For years I have seen a footnote on Ambleside Online’s website with a special thanks to David V。 Hicks and Norms and Nobility。 I’ve always been curious， and I finally had the chance to read it。 I have words。First， I’m glad I waited until I had graduated a student before I read it。 I think if I would have tried to read it any earlier I would have been overwhelmed。 The amount of prereading I have done， especially worldview books， helped greatly in following the trail Hicks was l Ok。 Brace yourself。For years I have seen a footnote on Ambleside Online’s website with a special thanks to David V。 Hicks and Norms and Nobility。 I’ve always been curious， and I finally had the chance to read it。 I have words。First， I’m glad I waited until I had graduated a student before I read it。 I think if I would have tried to read it any earlier I would have been overwhelmed。 The amount of prereading I have done， especially worldview books， helped greatly in following the trail Hicks was leading us down。 Then there is what I see in my daughter when I read about what true education does to a person。 I can see her reflected in these words， just as I can see 18 year old me reflected in what he said about the results of modern education。 I am thankful my second education has redeemed that。Second， wow。 Many times I paused and had a Charlotte Mason quote pop in my mind that related to what I read。 Miss Mason’s “higher life”， “the science of relations”， thoughts on books， history， a mother’s education， etc。 Seeing the suggested classical curriculum was like finding all of the Hobbit characters in the Prose Edda: What are these familiar things doing in this strange book？I get it， and I understand the fruit of it。My favorite chapter was chapter 11。 A little something from my commonplace: “A scholarly mind is characterized by an ability to make connections， to visualize the relatedness of sundry facts， ideas， and concepts。 The scholar’s mind works like a person laboring over a jigsaw puzzle， grouping pieces by pattern， image， and color， while retaining in the mind an outline of the whole picture。 The scholar derives his excitement and motivation at first from snapping discrete pieces together and， in time， from seeing the image of the whole puzzle begin to emerge。 His excitement， as well as his chances for completing the puzzle， however， depend on his being given a sufficient number of pieces from the same puzzle。”Immediately I thought， “It’s the science of relations and spreading the feast。” 🤓I did get a little tired of the modern education bashing。 We get it， it’s broken， been broken for decades。 There’s no need to call people morons or ignoramuses。 Don’t tell me education produces character and virtue at the same time as you’re calling people morons and ignoramuses。 It’s not a good look。 🤷🏼♀️ 。。。more
Laura
，
I've been classically homeschooling for several years and have read quite a bit about classical education， but I had never read this particular book。 I think it would have been nice to have read it when my kids were young， but I didn't know about it then。 I found some of the chapters similar to other books I had read， but the authors who wrote them had probably read this book！ It was encouraging to read even this late in my homeschool journey。 I've been classically homeschooling for several years and have read quite a bit about classical education， but I had never read this particular book。 I think it would have been nice to have read it when my kids were young， but I didn't know about it then。 I found some of the chapters similar to other books I had read， but the authors who wrote them had probably read this book！ It was encouraging to read even this late in my homeschool journey。 。。。more
Brianna Bratrud
，
I’m already looking forward to reading this again in the fall， and all the discussions to come。 This is absolutely necessary reading for the serious classical educator today。 Hicks presents a book high in its ideals of what true learning means as well as providing practical examples of what that looks like worked out。 He writes with a more academic tone but beautifully and passionately。 Not a word is out of place or unnecessary。 Now， if you are interested in this book， you must know you cannot j I’m already looking forward to reading this again in the fall， and all the discussions to come。 This is absolutely necessary reading for the serious classical educator today。 Hicks presents a book high in its ideals of what true learning means as well as providing practical examples of what that looks like worked out。 He writes with a more academic tone but beautifully and passionately。 Not a word is out of place or unnecessary。 Now， if you are interested in this book， you must know you cannot just pick it up and choose to dip into a chapter that sparks your interest。 Hicks establishes definitions from the beginning and everything else only really makes sense based upon that foundation。 Without getting specific， cus I don’t have the time， I’ll also just say that Hicks is able to hit on exactly what is wrong with both modern education and the misunderstood and poorly done classical education。 Most importantly he hits on what is true classical education: the quest for virtue through imitation of the Ideal Type; the normative governing the analytical; the light of knowledge carrying with it the glorious burden of responsibility and therefore the contemplative life informing and giving life to good， beautiful， true action。What especially struck me this time around—this is my 2nd read since my senior year in high school with the good old faithful Andrew Kern as my thesis advisor， helping me to just barely start to grasp at this marvelous gift called classical education—was the chapter on how a classical education works well in a democracy and is for ALL people; the chapter on science as “saving the appearances;” and a very short profound thought near the beginning on the relationship between art and truth。 And then everything he has to say about Dialectic。 This is such a satisfyingly profound and dense book so full of love for the perfect Ideal Type from which all glorious and beautiful others hint at but darkly。 Truly life-changing。 Thank you， David Hicks。 。。。more
eClaghorn
，
For excellence in thinking; the purpose of education。 A primer on Classical education。
Nkululeko Godana
，
Simply the best book on education。 Christlikeness is the goal of education
Hannah
，
This is not a long book， but it is very rich and full， and there is no way to get everything out of it in one read。 There is so much excellent insight and food for thought here， that I already know I will benefit from reading it many many times。
Karleen
，
Some good quotes，“Cardinal Newman’s description of liberal education remains， to this day， unimpeachable: that which teaches the student “to see things as they are， to go right to the point， to disentangle a skein of thought， to detect what is sophistical， and to discard what is irrelevant。 It prepares him to fill any post with credit， and to master any subject with facility。”“True learning is revealed in character; it is not a matter of courses or degrees or preparation for a job。 ‘Education，’ Some good quotes，“Cardinal Newman’s description of liberal education remains， to this day， unimpeachable: that which teaches the student “to see things as they are， to go right to the point， to disentangle a skein of thought， to detect what is sophistical， and to discard what is irrelevant。 It prepares him to fill any post with credit， and to master any subject with facility。”“True learning is revealed in character; it is not a matter of courses or degrees or preparation for a job。 ‘Education，’ wow John Ruskin， ‘does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave。’ True learning induced a patient， inquiring， ruminative， and good-humored disposition。 When god humor deserts the educated man， his god magnets sustained him。 True leaning begins in dogma and ends in dialectic。 “True learning makes affirmation and acknowledges limitation; it begets honesty and humility， compassion toward man and reverence toward God。 The educated man is never aggressive in his behavior or arrogant in his mood: these are Matus of an ， or if the modern student， with a talent for “faking it”。 True learning brings man to a full statue of humanity in all his domains— the individual， the social and political， and the religious。 True learning knows what is good， serves it above self， reproduces it， and recognizes that in knowledge lies this responsibility。 True learning resolves the paradox between education for the world’s fight and for the soul’s salvation in favor of the active life of virtue。 Only a sacred soul can fight the world’s fight and know the cost of losing and the value of what it has won。” 。。。more
Colin
，
An excellent treatise on the importance of classical education and suggestions for educational reform。 The author writes specifically from a Catholic Christian perspective， but I found that even without sharing that religious agenda， I could derive much inspiration from this book。
A
，
9。5/10。What is wrong with today's educational system？ Are the wrong things being taught？ Are our students just stupid？ Why cannot education have any moral influence on the life direction of our students， other than being a means to reach money？ Hicks has written an excellent answer to these questions。 I fault him for nothing other than his modern faith in the miraculous powers of democracy to transform the mass man。 The mass man — the mediocre， unreachable， indolent man — cannot be taught the hi 9。5/10。What is wrong with today's educational system？ Are the wrong things being taught？ Are our students just stupid？ Why cannot education have any moral influence on the life direction of our students， other than being a means to reach money？ Hicks has written an excellent answer to these questions。 I fault him for nothing other than his modern faith in the miraculous powers of democracy to transform the mass man。 The mass man — the mediocre， unreachable， indolent man — cannot be taught the higher values of life。 His natural intelligence， willpower， and self-discipline do not allow that。 He must be influenced by social pressure， the necessity of making a living， and rhetoric。 Only through these will he become a functioning member of society。But there is a naturally higher subset of mankind that can be educated。 Alas， today they are not！ Their problem begins with education， for their education is an education of means， not of ends。 They are taught the techniques and scientific discoveries of manifold domains — physics， chemistry， biology， literary studies — and learn to become masters at dissection。 They dissect philosophers' thoughts， poetic meters， and historical events。 But what don't they do？ Actually connect their learning to what it means to be a noble human。Students learn of every particular in sight but never think about how one ought to live as a human being。 Normative questions are shoved away due to them being labeled as "subjective"。 All "subjective" things become objects of scorn， which obliterates the meaning of all art， philosophy， literature， and classics。 All disciplines become subject to mass analysis — the splitting of an infinite amount of hairs — until the student arrives at absolutely no meaning。 Digging deep into the wells of the various disciplines， the student learns structure， rhyme， literary devices， random historical events， the workings of the cell， how the weather functions， but can never ask the question: "so what for me as man？"The teacher， renouncing moral standards of the past and replacing them with an implicit morality of defeating traditional European "oppression"， destroys their students' love for learning。 Shakespeare is not taught to answer the difficult questions of life — authority/freedom， love/obligation， honor/exception， passion/reason， family/ambition — but instead to dissect his sentence structure。 Or worse: to reveal his patriarchal， racist intentions。 Thus the individual has no moral educational drive。 He has no literary heroes to look up to — no Achilleses， no Don Quixotes， no Odysseuses — and thus is submerged into "popular culture" with no saving buoy。 He drowns in the mediocrity of the masses and becomes an economic puppet for the "entertainment industry"。The student goes into the world thinking that it has magically progressed due to the wonders of science。 Never reading the thoughts of the greats who came before him， he thinks them antiquated， quaint， and too reactionary to consider。 His teachers never gave him a chance。 Sympathizing with the mass man in the name of "equality"， they thought that their students couldn't handle classic literature。 Too hard。 Too many big words。 Better read those "diverse" LGBTPEDO childrens' books instead。 The student never thinks in the modern educational environment。 He never makes an argument his own and passionately defends it in debate。 Debate is too masculine， too "contentious" for this weak， effeminate world of ours。 It's "toxic"， as they say。 But it is essential for the molding of self and idea， thus allowing the student to take a truly new viewpoint of the world。 And that is the lesson of classical education: one must mold one's self to viewpoints to truly understand them。 Only once one has passionately argued for them does one have the right to discard them。 Most moderns just walk by them and scoff。 True education is not just thought， but living what one has learned。 It is feeling the pressure to live up to the high principles that the ancients teach us。 The true teacher should be a sage — that is， one who both teaches and lives what he teaches。 The living abstractions that are today's educators cannot do that， for they don't even teach principles。 That's "subjective"， as they say。 They renounce responsibility and upturn the natural order of teacher molding student， adult molding child。 They discard the past's wisdom in favor of laissez faire， which inevitably turns into those oh-so-virtuous behaviors of getting drunk， smoking weed， and endlessly scrolling through Instagram。What a generation our educators have left us。 Forsaking any type of duty to a classical ideal， they destroy the individual consciences of our youth while implanting a new conscience of progressivism。 The students are never explicitly told that they are having this new conscience implanted inside of them， but that is precisely the result of our modern schools。 The intelligent students — the ones who have an inkling of the feeling that they have a duty to rise up — get their natural duty replaced by one that tells them to fight for the Blacks， gays， and womxn。 They turn into upper-class fools。 They run away from "diversity" while preaching about its great value。 They never read enough literature to question democracy， but instead become preachers of its divinity。They have no self-direction except for that gained through media osmosis。 They never question whether "rising" in their careers and making more money is the greatest value in life。 They never self-check themselves to some higher standard — their only moral compass is pleasure and pain。 They only lose weight to feel better in this world and attract more sexual husks。 Their free time consists in leisurely dissipation — no effort is expended to become more virtuous。 Video games， social media， and parties will do。 All of life is spent in the great haze of sensual pleasure。 Coming into their mid-30s， with a decaying body and soon-to-be abhorrent looks， they question themselves。 "What am I doing here？ What is the purpose of life？"。 Confusion strikes their souls。 The mid-life crisis happens。 With no metaphysical values， no God， no conception of virtue， no knowledge of the wisdom of the ancients， they are left in a perenially infantile state。 Unaware of their own ignorance， they think they can order their lives。 If not， they can pay for an ordered life — the counselor， social worker， psychiatrist， and doctor are always available for a price。Oh， what a horrid condition！ Modern man is lost in a great delusion。 Knowing nothing of his ancestors， he walks blindly into the future。 He stumbles and falls over， again and again， yet thinks he can order himself。 He cannot！ If only someone could tell him of the greatness of Athens， the strength of Rome， the steadfastness of Christendom， the warrior spirit of the Vikings 。 。 。 but that knowledge has been lost。 O Classical Tradition， buried in the muck of progressivist delusion， may thou be revived one day！ May thy spirit come to modern man！ May thy wisdom fill his mind， heart， and spirit！ Without such a miracle， Man will only continue his great fall。 。。。more
Davis Smith
，
This book is exceptionally hard to secure for those who are on a budget。 In a prime example of obnoxious publisher greed， a new copy of this slim 170-page tome costs $66， even though， to my knowledge， it is technically still in print （the actual content lasts closer to 150 pages， and fewer if you're not interested in the logistics of a classical school）。 American University Press clearly knows that this is a coveted book by those in classical education circles， but there's nothing one can do abo This book is exceptionally hard to secure for those who are on a budget。 In a prime example of obnoxious publisher greed， a new copy of this slim 170-page tome costs $66， even though， to my knowledge， it is technically still in print （the actual content lasts closer to 150 pages， and fewer if you're not interested in the logistics of a classical school）。 American University Press clearly knows that this is a coveted book by those in classical education circles， but there's nothing one can do about it—one must either suck it up or fish for a rare used copy （which will inevitably be heavily marked）; and purchasing copies as a gift for others， which this would otherwise be an ideal book for， is out of the question。 Thankfully， I was finally able to get this from the library， though not without waiting several months for it to escape the ILL cycle。 Anyway， the big question is: is it worth it？ Fortunately （and maybe unfortunately depending on the status of your checking account）， the answer for me is clearly yes。 It did lead me to eventually purchase the book， because I think it is essential content for the shelves to be referenced time and again。 It is yet another diagnostic-with-solution book written during the 1980s that assesses the dire direction of the American project with visionary accuracy （The Closing of the American Mind， After Virtue， and Amusing Ourselves to Death also belong to that category）; and if it was available at a more reasonable price， I have no doubt it would approach the same level of popularity。 There is an incredible amount of insight on each page， even if Hicks repeats a lot of points to an occasionally wearisome degree。 Naturally， I don't agree with everything that Hicks says （especially his big idea about the Ideal Type， which takes classical education in an Enlightenment direction that I don't feel comfortable with）， but I have a tough time envisioning how anyone could respond to any of his main talking points。 This is THE definitive critique of modern education， and it is worth reading if only for that。 But I mainly treasure it for its unparalleled description of the education that brings humanity closest to what it is meant to be。 This is a book to savor when you despair of the possibility of our culture's salvation—certainly， the apparent utter incompatibility of everything that I hold dear and valuable with American cultural stipulations has been on my mind lately， and this was a timely read due to that。 Hicks is unashamedly optimistic that classical education can offer deliverance， but he never loses sight of the fact that our telos is of an altogether different aim than mere world citizenship。 However， I think his greatest achievement is elucidating the harmony between classical and Christian conceptions of education， and his final vision is something like a mix between the Republic and the City of God。 Though the topic of classical education will always provide fertile material for new books， everyone has to go through Hicks to get there; and to face up to his sui generis formulation。 。。。more
Colette
，
What to say about this book？ There is so much here。 I definitely want to own this book so I can mark all the great passages and continue to think about the ideas Hicks put forth。 I read the 1981 edition and would love to see an updated 40th anniversary edition come out。 As I read I kept thinking about what he might say now， after four decades of changes in education。 I can’t believe， though， how much hasn’t changed for the better。
Houston
，
life-changing
Hilary Forrest
，
I've read this for the apprenticeship at CIRCE。 There is much that I appreciated about this book。 At times I felt saddened as it is clear he was able to foresee much of where we are in this current day in regards to education; specifically the impact of how education has been carried out in the last century and where it has led us as a people group。 These are things that discourage me。 It is helpful to talk through the concepts with my peer group in the apprenticeship。 I've read this for the apprenticeship at CIRCE。 There is much that I appreciated about this book。 At times I felt saddened as it is clear he was able to foresee much of where we are in this current day in regards to education; specifically the impact of how education has been carried out in the last century and where it has led us as a people group。 These are things that discourage me。 It is helpful to talk through the concepts with my peer group in the apprenticeship。 。。。more
Michael
，
Really excellent discussion of how the modern approach to education has wandered so far from what has generally been considered "best practices" for thousands of years。 A bit academic， and tending toward the philosophical， but very insightful。 It has been excellent food for thought for me， something that I find myself chewing on regularly。 Think along the lines of MacIntyre's After Virtue or maybe Willard's Divine Conspiracy， Chesterton's What's Wrong with the World， and The Closing of the Ameri Really excellent discussion of how the modern approach to education has wandered so far from what has generally been considered "best practices" for thousands of years。 A bit academic， and tending toward the philosophical， but very insightful。 It has been excellent food for thought for me， something that I find myself chewing on regularly。 Think along the lines of MacIntyre's After Virtue or maybe Willard's Divine Conspiracy， Chesterton's What's Wrong with the World， and The Closing of the American Mind by Bloom， all applied specifically to how we do education， and you get the idea of what this book is about。 。。。more
Stephen
，
As many have noted， Hicks' book is densely written， so it will require rereading。 Here are some of the lower-hanging fruits I could pick upon a first reading。 Hicks opens by developing the concept of the "Ideal Type，" through which the ancient world attempted to answer the question， "What is man， and what are his purposes？" （4）。 Modern education has traded that normative focus for the operational focus， asking "What can be done？ instead of， What ought to be done？" （11）。Hicks observes， "The good As many have noted， Hicks' book is densely written， so it will require rereading。 Here are some of the lower-hanging fruits I could pick upon a first reading。 Hicks opens by developing the concept of the "Ideal Type，" through which the ancient world attempted to answer the question， "What is man， and what are his purposes？" （4）。 Modern education has traded that normative focus for the operational focus， asking "What can be done？ instead of， What ought to be done？" （11）。Hicks observes， "The good school does not just offer what the student or the parent or the state desires， but it says something about what these three ought to desire" （13）。 As he says later， explaining the dangers of education without values， "To teach man the devastating science of swordsmanship and not the moral implications and responsibilities that come with wielding a sword is to unloose upon the world both a murderer and a victim" （99）。Language should be at the center of a normative education。 As the ancients believed， "Learning to speak properly causes the student not only to think but to live properly" （26）。 Hicks goes on to say， "At the heart of a classical education is the word: the complete mastery of its shades of meaning， of its action-implicit imperatives， of its emotions and values" （34）。 But in addition to the logos， which Hicks defines as man's rational attempt to understand the world， we need the mythos， "man's imaginative and， ultimately， spiritual effort to make this world intelligible" （29）。 Christianity alone is able to bring these two values together: "For the educated believer， the Christian story reconciled the warring camps of pagan philosophy and mythology。 Christ embodied the rational principle （the logos） in story form （the mythos） （92）。 Based on these principles， in the second half of his book Hicks outlines a curriculum and plan for implementing it。 （The plan is rather complicated， with a different schedule each day of the week--on Mondays you have 1st period first， Tuesday 8th period is first， Wednesday 6th period is first， etc。）Still， the overall ideas are valuable， especially that of a "teachers' seminar" （developed in Chapter 12） where teachers can discuss the readings and pedagogical approaches that will support the school's normative aims。 I think having such a seminar would be helpful， because after reading this book， I am convicted that I have been too oriented to having students learn the content of the Great Books--able to summarize plot events of the literature we read， able to write coherent papers about them--rather than to challenging them with questions like， "How， in light of this， should I change my life？" For example， we can summarize and discuss the complexities of fate vs。 freedom in Oedipus Rex， but how do we arrive at a normative principle from it？ What ought I to do in response to reading it？ 。。。more
Rachelle
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So rich and a good read for educators of all kinds。
Jason Carter
，
So good， I would give this six stars if available。Hicks， in a small book （<160 pages） covers an immense amount of ground。 Beginning with the observation that there is something very wrong with modern American education （and this book was first published over 20 years ago）， Hicks builds the case for a return to classical education。He argues throughout that modern education has abandoned normative education （ie teaching the young both how to think and what to do） for the purely analytical。 That t So good， I would give this six stars if available。Hicks， in a small book （<160 pages） covers an immense amount of ground。 Beginning with the observation that there is something very wrong with modern American education （and this book was first published over 20 years ago）， Hicks builds the case for a return to classical education。He argues throughout that modern education has abandoned normative education （ie teaching the young both how to think and what to do） for the purely analytical。 That the scientific method， proper in its own domain， is wholly incapable of the leap from what is to what ought to be。He offers critiques of the democratic mindset applied to education--and devastating critiques of the modern teaching academy--but doesn't stop with the negative。 Instead， he rebuilds a positive model of classical education， one built on the humane letters of the ancient texts。 Further， he goes so far as to offer a full curriculum for the 7th-12th grades。So much insight。 So much wisdom。 So many reasons to read this book。 Six stars。 。。。more
Robert Murphy
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This book is absolutely perfect。 I have never been so consistently corrected and enlightened in so much of my thinking。 A sparkling jewel you will have to reread many， many times。
Tammy Schilling
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Lots of good ideas， but seriously the hardest book I've ever read。 Took a long time to get through。 I will have to meditate on what I did understand and come back to it again in a few years。 Lots of good ideas， but seriously the hardest book I've ever read。 Took a long time to get through。 I will have to meditate on what I did understand and come back to it again in a few years。 。。。more
Emily
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Some excellent stuff， but honestly I think it was unnecessarily verbose and grandiloquent （thank a synonym finder for that one）。 Thankfully， now that we are 40 years downstream of the original writing of this book， much of the meat of this argument is found echoed in other works on classical Christian education。 Also， without an underlying community （parents， families， church， neighborhood communities） that understands， values， and practices virtue， no school can effectively teach virtue。 I thin Some excellent stuff， but honestly I think it was unnecessarily verbose and grandiloquent （thank a synonym finder for that one）。 Thankfully， now that we are 40 years downstream of the original writing of this book， much of the meat of this argument is found echoed in other works on classical Christian education。 Also， without an underlying community （parents， families， church， neighborhood communities） that understands， values， and practices virtue， no school can effectively teach virtue。 I think that is part of what Hicks gets at in his follow-up essay from the 2017 CiRCE magazine article， "Is Classical Education Still Possible？" 。。。more
Stef
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