Comment by ZenoArrow | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ZenoArrow | Hacker News Reader

While there seems to be a rich seam of culture that can be mined from the ancient Greeks, does the source of the ideas really matter? If we're looking to teach about the ideas behind human culture in schools, could we not incorporate the ideas from the Greeks, Romans, etc... in some form of Sociology course (like Sociology but with an expanded remit)? Can also use the ideas from the ancient world to enhance Critical Thinking courses and History courses and Literature courses.

I guess what I'm saying is I'd prefer to see the fruits of the ancient world to be used to enhance a broad range of subjects, to help us contrast them with ideas throughout our history, rather than treating it as a single subject.

I see where you're coming from, but poems, plays, and sculpture are "the fruits of the ancient world." A work like the Iliad only comes around once every few millennia, and no synopsis will frame its ideas so starkly.

The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the most thrilling pieces of literature available to a reader today, and they both pose difficult moral questions. I just can't imagine a sociology textbook writer formulating a "What do you think: Glory, or Contentedness?" segment as compelling as the entire arc of Achilles' role in the battle for Troy.

So yes, the lessons of the ancient world are applicable to a broad range of subjects, but the art is also valuable in and of itself.

"So yes, the lessons of the ancient world are applicable to a broad range of subjects, but the art is also valuable in and of itself."

True, but I did mention studying these works through Literature courses, would this not be a suitable way to approach The Iliad and The Odyssey?

I guess I'd rather have a greater amount of flexibility in the education system for bringing together both old and new ideas. Whilst there's certainly plenty of material worthy of study from the activity of the ancient Greeks, what about other periods of time? If we have a separate course on the classics, should we have a course on the Renaissance as well (for example)?

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