Classical education

Classical education refers to education in a core curriculum of subject matter that forms the basis of Western civilization.

By definition, a classical education, or classical curriculum, includes instruction in the ancient languages from which seventy percent of all words in English derive, namely ancient Greek and Latin. Originally, a classical curriculum included Hebrew. Today many linguists consider Hebrew the original "Old High" language from which all other spoken languages derive. More to the point, a classical curriculum included the Bible - and one needs facility in Hebrew and ancient Greek to read Biblical texts in the original.

The classical curriculum also included the Western Canon of works most consider the seeds of Western thought.

Few students receive any of the elements of a classical education today. This places them at a disadvantage, ironically in learning many "modern" subjects like mathematics and especially science. The reason: practitioners of both these disciplines turn to Greek and Latin to add new words to the jargons of their respective disciplines. A classically educated student can gain command of these jargons far more easily.

More importantly, a classically trained student is better able to judge political ideas, and determine which of those ideas are sound and which unsound.