Re:Howard University’s removal of classics is a spiritual ca...
by wolverine876 on Tuesday October 26, 2021 @10:49PM
(#29009050)
IME, people learn best by exploring. You don't need to learn certain things by a certain time, so just explore: Find something that grabs you, start there, and follow your nose where it leads you.
Have fun, find joy and beauty, challenge and wisdom. The classics are renowned for a reason and I find them most appealing, engaging, and get the most from them when I think that the book was written by an ordinary, flawed person; there's a personality, their interior world, their experiences, their own vision, their blind spots, just like me and my ordinary neighbor - it's not scripture, there's another person in the room. Then - holy cow, it's incredible that a human created it. I think our instincts provide a good indication of what we are ready for - based on what we've learned so far and what state we are in for learning.
Also, it took me time to not see classics as tests, and to be comfortable not understanding everything. I'm probably not going to understand everything on the level of the authors of humanity's greatest works (and in their field of specialty at the pinnacle of their achievement), or of the experts who study them, or sometimes even of my ordinary neighbor - they will see things I don't; it's not a race. Sometimes, after reading something else, after more life experience, I return to them and they made more sense. Being honest with myself about what I don't understand helps me gain much more than people who fake it (to themselves and to others). For one thing, I know my strengths and weaknesses and can address them; for another, when there's something I don't grasp, I don't deny its existence (to protect my ego) or twist it into something I already think - I give myself an opportunity to learn more.
If nothing strikes you now, a short history of the ancient world might be a good starting point. It would provide ideas on what to read next, and lot's of context - even modern classics often reference or reflect ancient ones. Britannica provides excellent histories for non-specialists, long enough to take it seriously but shorter than book-length, written with personality and the author's voice voice, and usually by real experts (e.g., leading scholars). If nothing grabs your attention, I'd start with their history of Ancient Greece.
Also, I strongly recommend getting annotated editions of the books, which will explain many of the references which may be obscure to non-specialists, or no longer common knowledge.
Finally, I recommend subscribing to the Oxford English Dictionary, which is fantastic for understanding the history of a concept and all the different ways it has been perceived and expressed over time (with the actual quotes from the people who create and use the words). When you encounter a concept that feels alien - either the word itself or how it's used, a quick lookup in the OED provides immediate sense and context, and gives you some grasp of it. It's really a remarkable work of knowledge - the history of (almost) every concept ever put into words.
Have fun, find joy and beauty, challenge and wisdom. The classics are renowned for a reason and I find them most appealing, engaging, and get the most from them when I think that the book was written by an ordinary, flawed person; there's a personality, their interior world, their experiences, their own vision, their blind spots, just like me and my ordinary neighbor - it's not scripture, there's another person in the room. Then - holy cow, it's incredible that a human created it. I think our instincts provide a good indication of what we are ready for - based on what we've learned so far and what state we are in for learning.
Also, it took me time to not see classics as tests, and to be comfortable not understanding everything. I'm probably not going to understand everything on the level of the authors of humanity's greatest works (and in their field of specialty at the pinnacle of their achievement), or of the experts who study them, or sometimes even of my ordinary neighbor - they will see things I don't; it's not a race. Sometimes, after reading something else, after more life experience, I return to them and they made more sense. Being honest with myself about what I don't understand helps me gain much more than people who fake it (to themselves and to others). For one thing, I know my strengths and weaknesses and can address them; for another, when there's something I don't grasp, I don't deny its existence (to protect my ego) or twist it into something I already think - I give myself an opportunity to learn more.
If nothing strikes you now, a short history of the ancient world might be a good starting point. It would provide ideas on what to read next, and lot's of context - even modern classics often reference or reflect ancient ones. Britannica provides excellent histories for non-specialists, long enough to take it seriously but shorter than book-length, written with personality and the author's voice voice, and usually by real experts (e.g., leading scholars). If nothing grabs your attention, I'd start with their history of Ancient Greece.
Also, I strongly recommend getting annotated editions of the books, which will explain many of the references which may be obscure to non-specialists, or no longer common knowledge.
Finally, I recommend subscribing to the Oxford English Dictionary, which is fantastic for understanding the history of a concept and all the different ways it has been perceived and expressed over time (with the actual quotes from the people who create and use the words). When you encounter a concept that feels alien - either the word itself or how it's used, a quick lookup in the OED provides immediate sense and context, and gives you some grasp of it. It's really a remarkable work of knowledge - the history of (almost) every concept ever put into words.