Why We Need the Great Books: A Remarkable Tutor Explains

Ms. Eva Brann’s 2020 collection of essays, “Pursuits of Happiness,” demonstrates her prowess as a guardian of Western civilization.

Great literature once informed decision makers. "Reading Don Quixote," 1861, by Ignacio Merino. Lima Art Museum, Peru. Public Domain

“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Western Civ has got to go!”

In 1987, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led 500 protesters through the campus of Stanford University chanting that demand. The following year, the university abolished its mandatory “Western Culture” course for students and replaced it with “Cultures, Ideas, and Values.” Since then, many universities have discarded such “Western Civ” classes, mandatory or not, and replaced them with diversity courses or with nothing at all.