Is a classical, liberal arts education for everyone? While this question has been vigorously debated, it should be taken seriously, particularly at a time when classical education is increasing in popularity and demand. The question strikes at the core of what it means to be human. There are four reasons why classical education is for everyone.

    First, classical education is for everyone because it is fundamentally about the pursuit of ideals and virtues that are essential for every human being. Mortimer Adler, the champion of classical education in the twentieth century, once wrote, “The fundamental ideas and concepts upon which education should be based are not merely the mores and beliefs which happen to be current in 20th-century America. They are universal truths about what constitutes a good education for all men, at all times and places, simply because they are men.” This is why Adler argued that “…the best schooling for the few should now become the schooling for all.” Classical education applies to everyone equally because, he argues, if education aims at the betterment of human beings by forming good habits and virtues, and if those virtues are the same for all, regardless of natural capacity or circumstances, then the ends of education are the same for all. Adler’s point is logical and simple. The liberal arts aim at things that are essential for every human being. Therefore, it is for all, regardless of cultural circumstances, geographic location, cognitive capacity, historical precedent, or social status. A true liberal education isn’t about elitism—it’s for everyone. Because it seeks the common good, it calls us to invite all into the shared pursuit of truth and wisdom.

    Second, classical education is for everyone because the classics “lift the readers out of narrowness and provincialism into a wider vision of humanity” (Cowan). This point actually turns the original question on its head. That is, the liberal arts tradition does the very thing the question assumes it may not. Immanuel Kant, the dense and controversial 18^th-century German philosopher, used to rail on his students for being Cyclops. “What constitutes them as Cyclops is not their strength,” as Friedrich Paulsen points out, “but the fact that they only have one eye; they see things only from a single standpoint, that of their own specialty.” The task of philosophy and learning, according to Kant, is to furnish us a second eye. According to Kant, “The second eye is the self-knowledge of human reason, without which we can have no proper estimate of the extent of our knowledge.” While we may argue with Kant concerning the identity of the second eye, or what it should be, his point that education broadens one’s perspective is indisputable.

    The classics help us see our lives, our vocations, and our culture through a broad lens. Polymaths such as Plato, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Milton, and Jefferson were able to draw from a sea of ideas found in the ancients. They studied math, science, history, economics, theology, philosophy, literature, and virtually everything else. From their broadly informed perspectives, the great thinkers of the West were able to make incredible contributions to society and move from one subject to another with ease and enjoyment. Their immersion in and facility with the classics provided a liberating, expansive, two-eyed vision. Their wide aperture enriched their understanding and largely, though not perfectly, mitigated the narrow short-sightedness of specialization and provincialism. Unfortunately, the Cyclops, identity-based lens through which much of our culture now sees, limits our perspective and blinds us to the beauty of the tradition. The modern perspective would, in fact, be tempered by the classical lens. Instead of rendering the tradition irrelevant, futile, or only a relic of oppression, the classical lens reveals it as a wellspring of wisdom, offering timeless insights that challenge, refine, and enrich our understanding of the human condition.

    Third, a classical, liberal arts education is for everyone because it aims at freedom, the rightful aspiration of every soul. The human soul was created to be free. A classical, liberal arts education provides the means by which to attain that freedom. Robert Hutchins said, “The liberal arts are not merely indispensable; they are unavoidable. Nobody can decide for himself whether he is going to be a human being. The only question open to him is whether he will be an ignorant, undeveloped one, or one who has sought to reach the highest point he is capable of attaining. The question, in short, is whether he will be a poor liberal artist or a good one.” While a little cheeky, the point is an important one. The liberal arts were forged out of a particular view of human beings. Being made in the image of God, human beings are designed to live in the fullness of their humanity in relationship to God. The liberal arts are the proven means to free us to live wise and virtuous lives, to govern ourselves, and to live in the fullness of our purpose as image bearers. Perhaps the question is not so much whether a classical, liberal arts education is for everyone, but whether we will seek the liberty it promises.

    Finally, classical education should be for all because the flourishing of human civilization is contingent upon a liberally educated populace. The essential, God-given characteristics that every human being possesses are the very things that need to be cultivated for the preservation of humanity. As H.G. Wells poignantly noted, “Civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.” Learning from the best thinkers and sources from the past allows us to build upon what history has taught us and preserve that which is good. Russell Kirk argued that without ordered souls we have no hope of an ordered society. Not only must one have an ordered soul, he says, one must learn to impose that order on oneself. True freedom, for individuals and societies, requires a virtuous people. In the end, there is no civil order without moral order.

    A classical, liberal arts education is not merely a set of academic exercises; it is a comprehensive means of formation that equips individuals to live well, think deeply, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. It is rooted in universal truths and values that transcend cultural, intellectual, and vocational boundaries, making it relevant and beneficial for every human being. By affirming the dignity, purpose, and potential of each person, classical education offers a vision for human flourishing that goes beyond mere utility. It addresses the deeper needs of the human soul. It is the best education—and therefore it is for all, without exception. Far from being elitist or exclusionary, it is an invitation to all people to pursue the good, the true, and the beautiful, and to become fully alive as human beings.

Eric Cook is the President of the Society for Classical Learning.


Eric Cook, Ed.S.

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