Teaching the "Great Books" in Classical Education in the USA: Philosophy, History, Practice

The "Great Books" program represents one of the most influential and controversial pedagogical innovations of the United States in the 20th century. It is not just a list of literature but a comprehensive philosophy of education that aims to shape an intellectually independent and ethically responsible person through direct engagement with fundamental texts of Western civilization.

Philosophical and Historical Origins

The idea dates back to the European tradition of studia humanitatis, but it received its modern form in the works of American philosophers John Erskine, Mortimer Adler, and Robert M. Hutchins. In the 1920s, Erskine introduced a "great books" seminar at Columbia University, where students read and discussed original texts from Homer to Freud, bypassing secondary criticism. However, the true laboratory and symbol of the movement became the University of Chicago under Chancellor Hutchins (1929-1951). Hutchins, disillusioned with the narrow pragmatism and early specialization in American education, along with Adler, developed a model of general education based solely on reading and dialogic discussion of primary sources.

Interesting fact: Hutchins and Adler, neither classical philologists (one was a lawyer, the other a philosopher), saw the "great books" as "great ideas." Adler later created the monumental "Syntopicon" — a two-volume index to 102 key ideas (from "God" and "Cause" to "Slavery" and "War"), traceable through all volumes of the series "Great Books of the Western World" (54 volumes, published in 1952).

Goals and Methods: Socratic Dialogue as the Core

The goal of the program is not the transmission of knowledge but the development of critical thinking, the ability to engage in rational discourse, and an understanding of eternal human problems. The method is a seminar in the form of a Socratic dialogue, where the teacher acts not as a lecturer but as a moderator ("tutor") asking open questions. Students learn to read attentively, identify arguments, and build their own position in dialogue with Plato, Augustine, Machiavelli, or Newton.

A characteristic example: a seminar may simultaneously discuss Plato's definition of justice in "The Republic," Thomas Aquinas' interpretation of natural law, and Mill's utilitarianism. The student's task is not to memorize their views but to understand the logic of each, identify contradictions, and apply these systems to modern ethical dilemmas.

Canon and Critique: "Whose West? Whose Books?"

The "Great Books" canon has historically been formed around texts considered foundational for the Western intellectual tradition: from Greek epics and tragic poets through philosophers, theologians, and scientists of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to thinkers of the modern era. The key principle is chronological immersion, allowing one to see the development of ideas in history.

However, the canon itself has become the subject of sharp criticism, especially during the "cultural wars" of the 1980s and 1990s. The program was accused of elitism, eurocentrism, patriarchy, and excluding the voices of women, representatives of non-European cultures, and social minorities. The famous slogan of the critics — "Whose West? Whose books?" — forced supporters of the program to revise their lists. In many modern variations (such as at Columbia University), the "Great Books" course is supplemented or correlated with the study of global and multicultural texts, forming a dialogue of traditions.

Current State and Significance

Today, the program exists in various forms:

In leading universities: as an essential component of general education (e.g., the famous "Columbia Core" course, including "Humanities" and "Modern Civilization").

In liberal arts colleges: as the foundation of the curriculum (a striking example is St. John's College in Annapolis and Santa Fe, where the entire bachelor's program, including mathematics and natural sciences, is built on reading and discussing primary sources).

In civil education: as a means of forming a common cultural foundation in a fragmented society.

Despite the criticism, the influence of the program is enormous. It has proven that direct contact with complex texts forms a special type of intellectual courage and depth. In the era of clip thinking and information noise, the ideal of thoughtful, unhurried reading and dialogue with the greatest minds of the past remains relevant as an antidote to superficiality and dogmatism. Thus, the "Great Books" in the USA are not an archaic relic but a living, constantly reformed pedagogical tradition that advocates the value of humanistic knowledge for the development of a free individual and a responsible citizen.

Permanent link to this publication: