Classical Humanism and the Challenge of Modernity

Introduction

“Man hat (…) die Behauptung aufgestellt, der Neuhumanismus (…) habe mit der Antike kaum etwas zu tun. Ich kann dazu nur sagen: wer so denkt, der irrt.”

(Wolfgang Schadewaldt, 1973)

Classical education and modern society

There was a time when the classics were by far the most important subject in higher education. The numerous Latin schools and colleges scattered across the European continent in the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries offered extensive education in Roman and, to a lesser extent, Greek literature. At these schools, other topics, such as history or geography, were not taught independently but only insofar as they were relevant to the study of classical texts. The classics were also prominently represented at the artes-faculties ...