Modern education lacks the intellectual formation of ancient studies.
Several weeks ago, I visited a small school in California called Thomas Aquinas College (TAC). To say the school is unique is an understatement; all students receive the same liberal arts degree, and there are no electives. The curriculum is based off the medieval liberal arts, and classes are taught in geometry, philosophy, ancient history, Latin, grammar, science and theology. The students learn by reading the “Great Books” – Aristotle, Homer, Shakespeare, Freud, Pascal, Aquinas, etc – and discussing them in seminars. The teachers consider themselves to be “tutors” rather than “professors”, and lead round table discussions on the topics.
After visiting colleges and universities across the nation, the Princeton Review considers TAC to be the best classroom experience in America, and there is no secret why. Rather than channeling their students into one particular field of study, the college forms the students’ ability to analyze and think, and then immerses them in the writing of the great thinkers. The students there are intensely intellectual and possess a clarity of logic that few Americans are even exposed to.
