Hillsdale College Holds Third CCA of the Academic Year: “Classical Greece and Rome”
Seminar explores the history, philosophy, and literature of the West
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College hosted its third Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar of the 2022-23 academic year from Feb. 5-8. The seminar, titled “Classical Greece and Rome,” explored the history, philosophy, and literature of classical Greece and Rome. Study of ancient Greece and Rome, once a central element of a liberal arts education has largely disappeared from college and university curricula. Hillsdale College promotes the study of the classics through its required Classical Liberal Arts Core and through these types of lecture programs.
David T. West, of Ashland University, opened the seminar discussing Pericles and Athenian democracy. Turning to Rome, Barry Strauss, of Cornell University, spoke about the rise and fall of the Roman Republic. “The lesson is that, in order for a republic to survive, people have to be devoted to the idea of a commonwealth, a public thing, and the idea of liberty, both for the many and for the few,” Strauss said.
On Monday, Walter Nicgorski, professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, spoke on Cicero and the Stoics. He was followed up by Peter Ahrensdorf, of Davidson College, who explored Xenophon’s Socrates. “Xenophon, we know, regarded Socrates as the best of human beings, but he followed Socrates in a spirit of independent-minded—and even fearless—inquiry, rather than with unreserved deference,” Ahrensdorf said.
The series ended with an examination of the great works of Homer and Virgil. Classicist Joshua Katz highlighted how Homer produced timeless works that have influenced everything since. Anthony Esolen, of Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, spoke on Virgil and the importance of reading the classics. “We read Virgil because we are human beings who heed the words of those who have come before us, honor their wisdom and their truth, and trust that the conversation will continue,” he said.
For pictures from the CCA seminar series, click here. Video recordings of the lectures are available here.
For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.