A statue of Greek philosopher Socrates. Classical liberal education sought to pass on knowledge and develop capacity for independent thought, to prepare young people for participation in the civic, cultural, and business affairs of Western democratic societies. Richard Panasevich/Shutterstock
If you don’t have a core curriculum in the schools and colleges, if there isn’t a limited set of books, ideas, documents, events, and personages that all students study and retain, you will not have a well-functioning, high-trust, unified society.
Mark Bauerlein
Author
Mark Bauerlein is an emeritus professor of English at Emory University. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, the TLS, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
