Jeffrey Brenzel: The Essential Value of a Classic Education | Big Think

Jeffrey Brenzel: The Essential Value of a Classic Education
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From "What's the best kind of life for a human?" to "How should governments be arranged?", the great classics tackle some of the most enduring questions that have resisted the attempts of science and the ages to solve. Brenzel will try to convince you that having intimate conversations with these great works will not only build your intellectual muscle but will also help you to grapple with the big questions in your own life and improve your judgment.
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Jeffrey Brenzel:
Jeffrey Brenzel is Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University and a Lecturer in Yale's Philosophy Department. He has worked as a nonprofit executive, a private sector entrepreneur, a scholar and a university administrator. In this capacity as the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Brenzel is responsible for worldwide outreach to talented students, the selection process itself, and the development of university admissions policy and practices. Brenzel earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, while at the same time founding and developing InterLearn, Inc. an investor-backed venture that used new media and technology to produce career education and liberal arts programs for adult learners.
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TRANSCRIPT:
What is the best sort of life for a human being? Socrates claimed in 400BC that a man lives a happier life if he’s just, even if he is thrown starving into prison for the rest of his life than if he is unjust and he is celebrated and honored all of his days and is never caught for his crimes. Could that possibly be correct? If not, why not and what difference should the question make to us now?
What moves the human heart? Shakespeare’s characters throw us into the depths of lust, envy, greed, pride, ambition. What do those characters have to say about the way that we act or that we behave or that we believe? And if so, what difference would it make to read about them in Shakespeare and why Shakespeare whose Elizabethan English is very difficult for us who speak modern English to understand? Thomas Hobbes wrote in 1651 a book called Leviathan, one of the two or three most influential works in the history of thinking about government and politics in western society. He was writing from the midst of a raging civil war and he argued that unless we gave all the power, unless we surrendered all ultimate control to a legitimate king that we would all rob and kill each other. Was he right about that? Is that the way things actually work and is the question relevant to us today when we no longer believe in kings?
Hello. My name is Jeff Brenzel and I'm the dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale University. I'm also the master of something called Timothy Dwight College, which essentially means that I live with 400 of the very undergraduates that I picked myself and yes, it is unusual for an admissions dean to live 24/7 with the outcomes of his own decisions. I also lecture from time to time in the philosophy department at Yale and my work in philosophy centers around ethics and also the history of the ideas that we’ve had about something we like to call human nature. Speaking of human nature, one of my personal heroes, Aristotle, claimed that by nature everyone seeks to know, everyone desires to know. For the purposes of this talk I'm going to assume that you are already an intellectually curious person and that you’re not only chasing after knowledge as hard as you can. You’re also trying to build up the skill sets and acquire the kind of capacities and abilities that you’re going to need to become a better learner overall.
Also I'm going to assume that you’re not only trying to increase your stock of knowledge, but that you’re seeking to grow in wisdom as well and wisdom is something distinct from knowledge and I'm going to come back to that a little later.
If these things are in fact true about you then here is my advice in a nutshell. Make a choice in college to read some old books, even a substantial number of old books. My argument will be that reading the right old books in the right way is better than reading only new books, much less using only new ways of learning that have nothing to do with books at all. So yes, I'm a throwback. I have a somewhat unpopular view of what you should do with your college education. What I'm going to try to persuade you is that my advice...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/strange-b...

[@bigthink]

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[@jonathanjollimore7156]

It teaches you to be a better thinker and being a better thinker is more important then raw knowledge. I don't care how many fact you can remember if you have no clue how to apply then in a practical way in the real world

[@ericanderson7346]

The sound effects in these videos are lame, distracting, and annoying.

[@carolineleiden]

@@ericanderson7346 Yes, lets bring in every Tom Dick and Harry from all over the world who wants a free house and a free pass here on our expense. It's the civilized thing to do. We' ll be bankrupt in one generation.

[@kamisduaempat9423]

BigThink editor, i hope you can add Indonesian subtitle

[@robertm.vaccato1334]

Education system has nothing to do with intelligence! If anything it makes people stupid and gives them a false sense of security! Standardized testing is a joke just like the education system is! It's completely biased and inaccurate. Intelligence is genetic and no matter how much people study your intelligence will never change! Most people just parrot information that's a huge problem. Because you need to understand information not parrot it! Most people with degrees are parrots with zero problem solving skills? So if that's what you want to be then go to college!

[@artistradio]

"You don't build muscles by wrestling weaklings" You don't build mental muscle by arguing with random people on social media either. ;-)

[@thegamer4802842042131]

Brown Wolf so true

[@benmathewson1826]

Yes you do. Your mum is fat. 😛

[@jordanchristman144]

@@benmathewson1826 got em!

[@nickwhite7891]

To assume everyone you're debating with is beneath you is a great way to stunt your own growth.

[@KT-dj4iy]

@@nickwhite7891 except when they're the people in the comment threads of KZbin, Facebook, etc. We are all complete and utter morons and arguing with us not only doesn't build new mental muscle, it rots any such muscle you already have.

[@CptDangernoodle]

Mentioned in the video: 5th Century B.C. The Theban Plays (Oedipus Rex) - Sophocles 4th Century B.C. Dialogues of Socrates 380 B.C. Republic - Plato 350 B.C. Nicomachean Ethics - Aristotle 426. City of God - St. Augustine of Hippo 1274. Summa Theologica - St. Thomas Aquinas 1315. The Divine Comedy (Inferno) - Dante 1606. King Lear - Shakespeare 1651. Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes 1667. Paradise Lost - John Milton 1798. An Essay On The Principle Of Population - Thomas Malthus 1869. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 1813. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson.

[@EyeLean5280]

***** To this list, I would definitely add Euripides to balance out Sophocles as the latter traded in idealism while the former was a master of naturalism.

[@MaisieDaisyUpsadaisy]

LowryderKid I would add Marcus Aurelius, Machiavelli and Clausewitz.

[@burntgod7165]

Bible. Dostoyevsky. It's all subjective.

[@burntgod7165]

@LokiRudder How so? Everyone's list is different. The epitome of subjectivity.

[@thomervin7450]

@Universalis Ted lol. No they're not. Either way, if you're going the classical education route you're not necessarily reading these books for entertainment value, you're reading them to learn from them.

[@elias1579]

I have no education, I’m a high school drop out. Yet I continue to study epistemology and now interested in the trivium. I hope this thirst is not in vain.

[@mudrakumar]

Hey...how are you studying trivium? Please give some insight.

[@rexdalit3504]

Hi Elias. Admit it, your thirst for knowledge is almost *certainly* "in vain", but this is no reason at all to stop.

[@flecha213]

Of course it isn't. Life enrichment can't be quantified, it can be felt through experience

[@zenwarrior3603]

Knowledge is never a waste. Read on!

[@mikedaniels3009]

You're possibly a self-made millionaire, while all college "lecturers" are pussies & losers who hide in there & behind their man-made paper trails because they can't hack it in the real world.

[@ArcaneWorkshop]

Engaged from start to finish, excellent speaker.

[@NodakBro]

I totally agree, it led me to r/ClassicalEducation to start my own reading plan!

[@mihirbendre5049]

I agree

[@fuckyoutubengoogle2]

I watched the whole thing too. So fucking lame.

[@Ek70R]

what an amazing speaker, I am totally inspired by this guy.

[@alexdiaz1492]

Agreeeed

[@beth8775]

The more time you spend reading great works, the more discerning you will be about what else you want to read. You will come to expect quality.

[@NodakBro]

r/classicaleducation

[@jamesfrancese6091]

Although, falling into line with canonical readings is not exactly a way of developing one’s own intellectual or aesthetical originality either. A commitment to the Great Books is something of a stultifying task, producing exquisitely cultured and predictable people who see much to admire in each other. In short, those who look to tradition will be comforted by it. That’s what it’s there for! Jeffery Brenzel knows this, and hints at the issue at 11:15. And who’s to say there’s not plenty to enjoy?

[@khadimndiaye7730]

@@jamesfrancese6091 what books, would you say, step out of line of „predictability“? I would argue that most, if not all books have the classics as the cornerstone, and, unless you don’t read at all, it becomes difficult to walk another path…

[@zr0ll99]

@@jamesfrancese6091, It's crazy how stupid you are

[@zr0ll99]

@@khadimndiaye7730, He is probably the kind of guy who read only self-help books

[@clemdane]

I wish I were 18 again and could start over with a classical education. Well, I can stsrt over at my age, too.

[@EyeLean5280]

Clemdane Of course you can :)

[@maxdominate2481]

Buy and read 'The Great Books of Western Civilization' and you'll have what you seek.

[@valerierawlins1298]

It's what I am doing, and I am having a lovely time discovering new things, while stretching my mind. My grandchildren are also benefitting from this.

[@maxdominate2481]

Glad to learn that you are working through the 'Great Books of Western Civilization". I would also recommend the nine paperback volumes of "A History of Philosphy" by Frederick Copleston. Absolutely amazing as you work through the philosophers represented in the GBWC.

[@valerierawlins1298]

@@maxdominate2481 will you recommend Will Durant?? I have enjoyed reading, but I want to have a greater and wider understanding. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@lifecloud2]

Someone giving a lecture was once asked, "Why does a dog love to stick his head out of the window of a moving car where he's hit by bugs and debris that get in his eyes and on his tongue? Why does he wag his tail the entire time and can't wait to do this again?" The answer was simple: "Because it's worth it." I just loved that.

[@charlie4696]

I'm currently 31 years old and having a hard time to choose what I want to do with myself for the next 40+ years (hopefully), while there's some people that have already found their passion and have all their college education on their area, there're people like me who are still looking for their spark. Watching this, I have renew hope. I find it very insightful and inspirational. Time to read some books and stop wrestling with weaklings. The view! Thanks!

[@myhatmygandhi6217]

"Learn as though you'll live tomorrow, but live as though you'll die forever"

[@Conn30Mtenor]

Have you tried focusing on what you're good at?

[@apricotcomputers3943]

don't worry about the next 40 years.. worry about your relationship with Christ

[@liammurphy2725]

@@apricotcomputers3943 Good grief. Would Christ want anyone to worry about him?

[@apricotcomputers3943]

@@liammurphy2725 no, he's the lord of lord, king of kings

[@surrealistidealist]

One of my life goals is to study all of this in detail. I may never be able to afford to enroll in a college or university for a degree in Classics, but I'm at least going to get all the use I can out of my libraries and book stores! ❤

[@noobieexplorer4697]

Good luck on your journey

[@misha4626]

You’re a amazing.. you can do anything you put your mind to! I wish you the best !!! ❤️

[@surrealistidealist]

@@misha4626 Thank you so much! That means a lot to me! I'm giving it all I've got! 🙏 ❤️

[@jamesbarlow6423]

Don't waste your time listening to these guys. Just read the books. And LIVE

[@Sarah-re7cg]

A great resource is the Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Make sure to get your information from professional and credited sources. There are so many confusing and flat out wrong hot takes.

[@willsabol8391]

If only this stuff was presented this way from the beginning, I may have actually read all those books in high school.

[@liammurphy2725]

Sadly we all need some basic level of attainment regarding experience, that precludes children being seen as suitable recipients of this knowledge. But if their teacher has seen the philosophical light then the kids are in good hands.

[@feedermonkey7233]

It's not too late!

[@willd.8040]

Totally agree. I feel cheated, to be honest. I don't know how I am the same human being now at age 45, that I was when I was 16 or 17. But I still have time hopefully, and I'm going to choose one of the classics mentioned here, and order it. A lot of the blame lies with me, but I also feel that our schools also play a big role in not explaining these things the way the host of this video does. Maybe if they had explained it this way, I would have been more willing to read them. Better late than never, I guess.

[@cokecan6169]

@@willd.8040 Good luck sir. I'm 24, out of college and just realizing I wasted a lot of my time. you give me hope it's not too late.

[@SevenFootPelican]

It’s hard in high school, I’ll be honest. It’s just something that comes with age, honestly. One thing leads to the next and you want to read all of the great works somewhere starting in your 20’s

[@guitarfreak1333]

...and now I've read The Republic. Might just have saved my ability to critical thinking. I read on some website, that Jeffrey Benzel is a huge fan of "How to read a book" by Mortimer Adler. I bought it and i can recommend it as a trustworthy companion to the intellectual journey :) I would argue though, that it is useful to be selective in the use of Mortimer Adlers techniques. Time is finite, after all :) With regards to The Republic, i found Allan Bloom's literal translation (the one including an interpretative essay) to be brilliant. Focused, contemporary and readable. Thank you, Jeffrey Brenzel, for convincing me to read the classics.

[@fated8]

Just now reading Karen Swallow Prior's On Reading Well. I'm guessing if you haven't read it you likely would.

[@jamesfrancese6091]

@John Steven I’m sorry you’re having a hard time keeping up

[@liammurphy2725]

I guess I suffer the same as many of us, who fail to find great authors because they write in another culture. London England here. Never heard of Mortimer Adler before viewing this. Will I have to read that book before I read that book?

[@liammurphy2725]

@@fated8 As a lifelong reader I found invaluable a book entitled 'Elements of Style" co-authors Strunk and White. It's about writing well and has been most useful to me. It was written a good few decades ago and is as relevant today as it's ever been.

[@albertplumer]

Yada yada yada. Proles As myself should be warned ,since we are Cannon fodder , did the wealthy go to battle looking into a rearview mirror? The rich in western countries begrudge even the taxes required to pay for it. Memory of this still exists decades after. But eat well as you can. All do die .birth,life,death ; that's all a good life is.

[@MikeClohset]

So glad I found this on minds and best teacher I've seen in a very long time. His influence on me is instead of being depressed everyday for watching press on TV will get uplifting by reading those books. Even at age 55, still can learn and improve my train of thought.

[@liammurphy2725]

So your 59 now buddy. How goes the train these days?

[@stndsure7275]

Every College student and 99% of those over 40 should watch this - we live in trivial culture in a distracted age. As if there is not enough choice - there is also an incredible list of translated Indo-Tibetan and Sino-Japanese texts now available.

[@TheSpecialJ11]

It truly is an amazing but peculiar time to be alive. Never have we had more access to the heights of human aspirations, never have we had as many paths to be led astray on.

[@liammurphy2725]

@@TheSpecialJ11 Follow the Stoics.

[@alaakela]

It's 2024. Thank you. This was fantastic. I have wanted to read the classics but didn't know where to start. Your lecture was an essential first step toward my goal. Thank you.

[@PaulMacklinAmazing]

Brilliant!!! I’m discovering literature for the first time at 67 years old. This is gold.

[@Oleander410]

Kids, if you're seeing this and want to go to college (or if you're interested in doing graduate work on these books), check out the curriculum at St. John's College. They're still doing education the old-school way.

[@CandidDate]

Could that be because they're an old-school?

[@Templar112299]

Or Hillsdale

[@georgewenberg3265]

Good point. SJC's curriculum was changed ca early 1950's and based on the U of Chicago's Great Books. It's often called the Great Books school with a hands-on approach to learning the great ideas of the "Western world" and now "Eastern" studies have been added. -Class of '90 SF

[@samaraisnt]

Depends on what year you went there, curriculum changes year over year now, let alone over decades!

[@vapeangel2953]

The best decision I have ever made in my life was reading the 7 novels written by Jane Austen. Never have I understood myself as a young woman so well, I wish I could relive the first time I’ve read each one of those novels

[@ObsoleteTutorials]

Well now I must read these 7 novels. I do hope also to understand myself as a young woman as a man.

[@zhangvict1]

The Apology, Crito, Meno, Symposium, Republic, Nicomacean Ethics, Antigone, Odeipus Rex, The Illiad, Genesis, Exodus, The Inferno, Confessions, City of God, Arabian Nights, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Leviathan, Les Miserables, War and Peace, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, The Borthers Karmazkov, Anarchy, State and Utopia, The Glass Bead Game, The Stranger, Ulysses and everything else I cannot think of that is amazing

[@TheGodlessGuitarist]

I remember reading Thomas Paine's 'The Age of Reason' and being absolutely capitivated by it. Not so much for the arguments he was making but because of the language of the day and the sense that I was reading the words off the page as he wrote them. It was like someone in the 1700s was talking directly into my head through a wormhole.

[@contemplativeidiot1]

The rights of man did the same for me.

[@elysium619]

Such a well stated, compelling argument! And true! I took a year long survey course at university called Classic Literature, from ancient Greece to modern times. Everything Brenzel states is spot on. In spades. It was truly a profound experience in so many ways, so many lessons, insights and takeaways that informed and strengthened my hand. Takeaways which I referenced throughout my life. It's nothing short of tragic that universities have been, for some time, gutting liberal arts studies in favor of STEM to the effect of essentially turning universities into sites for vocational training.

[@CptDangernoodle]

Here are some other literary works that could be added to this list: The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2000 B.C.), an ancient Mesopotamian poem that is considered to be one of the earliest surviving works of literature. The Bhagavad Gita (c. 400-200 B.C.), a Hindu religious text that is an important part of Indian literature. The Book of Psalms (c. 1000-400 B.C.), a collection of religious poems from the Hebrew Bible. The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387), a collection of stories by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Don Quixote (1605-1615), a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes that is considered to be one of the greatest works of fiction ever written. Moby-Dick (1851), a novel by the American author Herman Melville that is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novels. Ulysses (1922), a novel by the Irish author James Joyce that is considered to be one of the most important works of modernist literature. One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), a novel by the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. These works were chosen because they are considered to be classics of literature, and they are widely regarded as being important, influential, and enduring works of art. They are also notable for their literary achievements, and many of them are considered to be masterpieces of their respective genres.

[@andrewdorie4010]

It’s a good thing you mentioned these obscure works. People tend to overlook them.

[@CptDangernoodle]

@@andrewdorie4010 Haha sarcasm noted.

[@daheikkinen]

I went to Hillsdale College. They have a rigorous Great Books program. It was a great educational experience overall. They have a lot of courses available online for free.

[@QFbGrEdut]

I love this man's style. He goes straight to the point and that's something I value a lot. Thank you a lot for sharing this content!

[@liammurphy2725]

I agree with you 100%. Not a wasted or useless word anywhere. Brilliant and engaging speaker.

[@HuwenArnone]

Writing down references... everything changes when someone takes the time to even explain the chronology of thought and great thinkers/writers/philosophers. Thank you, Jeffrey.

[@laerthe648]

Thanks, Mr. Brenzel. Amazing lecture on the Classics. I started to get interested in classic education by myself after tumbling with Dante on a library and now I am discovering a new world by reading classic poetry and philosophy. The arguments and book tips in this video are really great.

[@danchiappe]

I think it is essential to include Homer’s “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” on any list of essential reads. Few books have been more influential and it is impossible not to run into allusions to these books in many of the works that followed.

[@TeaParty1776]

I read both in 7th grade, immensely enjoyed them and knew that they were importantly different than Shakespeare and Silas Marner because they presented life as good and heroic. But the teacher was as dumb as a doorknob, with no wide perspective on art and life. We were required to memorize isolated facts with no organizing principles. Years later I read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead and The Romantic Manifesto, her philosophy of art. My 7th grade self was right.

[@leeroberts4850]

@@TeaParty1776 know if you read it anything and ran row and you thought that you were right when you were smarter than an adult before you hit puberty then you never actually learned how to be an intellectual you're still an idiot with confirmation bias

[@TeaParty1776]

@@leeroberts4850 You evade judging my idea as true or false. Look out at reality, not inward. Focus your mind. The passive mind is the Devil's playground.

[@TeaParty1776]

@@leeroberts4850 My ideas are factually true. Your ideas are...oh, wait, you have no ideas.

[@TeaParty1776]

@@leeroberts4850 Thanks for confirming my bias.

[@heatherfryling3453]

This is precisely why I've always worked to read and understand as many classics as I can.

[@ze_chooch]

This always pumps me up before I read a classic. Like the speech given at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields by Theoden, King of Rohan.

[@kylereasterson5934]

ok

[@TheGearPeddler]

You should do some reading and less posting.

[@fmafan123456789]

it was a shitpost dude lol. Have you guys not read LOTR? Chill.

[@johndough6225]

Everyone who responded negatively to this comment needs to get laid.

[@julianblake8385]

Arise, Arise, Readers of Théoden! BTW, all the negative comments are just resentful hunts (H=C) who have never read TLOTR.

[@alisonarmstrong8421]

Thank you! Your sane attitude and well organized information are more than ever of value now in 2021, 9+ years after your talk. I told a granddaughter that this is 2 years of college in 57 minutes...if only we will do the reading...

[@noticias6111]

The part where he says how you kind of have to be picky given the amount of ground possible to cover in a lifetime makes me thankful for channels like Wisecrack.

[@EmperorOab]

Thug Notes all the way!

[@user-so6fh1bu9f]

Outstanding presentation. Thank you from a 74 years old. I have been reading them (all 54) for over 50 years.

[@kricketbx]

I appreciated my "ways of knowing" philosophy course, but while reading some of the works-I became so anxious and a bit confused... Although the professor is great at explaining much of the elements-you really helped me to comprehend it all even more. Thank you-from the Bronx!

[@ThinkBigAnimation]

I love how this video brought all its points together in the end

[@amazingheroart]

You’re a wonderful presenter. Wish I was a Yale student with you as my professor. Im a Disney Artist, always looking for inspiration while I paint, and this is so well done. Thank you

[@2Oldcoots]

This is the most informative video I have ever watched on KZbin. Thank you Dr. Brenzel!!! I have taken notes from the entire presentation and will read some of these classics.

[@kjekelle96]

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Eliot In other words, the journey will prepare you to appreciate the destination. “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” - Bruce Lee

[@hanscastorp66]

These "old" books don't make you smarter, they make you more open-minded. How mich do we need them!

[@martini1179]

I really loved this lecture, especially the part talking about the five values of reading classic works, as well as the discussion of the five attributes that define what a classic work is. It really does help to elucidate the inherent importance of works that are considered classics. This lecture will go a long way towards encouraging me to seek classic works and to read them.

[@bradchristy5002]

Exceptional “find” for me and my search into the classics. You encapsulated everything into your presentation to clear the trees so that I may ultimately see the forest! Thank you so much

[@jairosouza7994]

This lesson made me so much more motivated to seek for knowledge. I am a bit stuck in life these days. I have free time and a whole new world to explore but I am not using it properly as I wanted when I was busy, rushing to delivery work on time, rushing to not disappoint my boss and do not get fired. PS I left my job 3 years ago to go in endless voyage around the world in a seek for knowledge and adventure.

[@muanamuluba6684]

I really enjoyed watching this great video on Classical Education. I have read some of those books.

[@liammurphy2725]

5 months since my first view of this most engaging presentation. Very happy to see this again. Thank you to Big Think and The KZbin algorithm.

[@maxdominate2481]

Most of the books you'll need to follow Mr. Brenzel's advise have been collected for you already: 'The Great Books of Western Civilization'

[@ziziroberts8041]

I didn't know Greece was in the West.

[@starwbh1]

This was very inspirational! All of the academic reading I've had to do for classes had dried up my interest in reading. However, this reminded me of why I used to love to read the classics.

[@Ldj8395jebr4]

I was inspired until I read the comments section; now I just feel despair. Thanks Prof. for the motivating lecture! Especially the points on theology...

[@drdavid62]

Great lecture! So happy I discovered this series from Big Think! Thank you Dr Brenzel for an enlightening affirmation of the incredibly valuable and often uplifting source of wisdom the Classics can be! This reminds me a bit of the ‘Great Courses’ series now available through Wi-Fi streaming services (for a modest subscription fee). Thank you Big Think as well for a great production!/

[@julieann1522]

Thank you for the talk Prof Brenzel. I really enjoyed listening to it.

[@nanjappa42]

Very absorbing talk. I have been actually following these ideas for over 50 years. I do not read newspapers, or watch TV or go to movies. I have not read a new novel in the last 40 years. I have found that the old true Classics make us better, wiser. As a student of Indian thought and philosophy, I find in Socrates and Plato kindred spirits. A true Classical work addresses universal human issues, there is neither East nor West. Socrates dealt with philosophy as a way of life, not a mere system of abstract thought. He lived his philosophy. This accords well with our own philosophy. Reading a classic has a therapeutic effect- it heals us in unseen ways. This is a matter of personal experience. I am happy about and thankful for this talk.

[@wibblegorm]

Utterly awesome lecture... I would love to take a college class with Brenzel as my tutor!

[@jaredcardenas2336]

I love the way the man speaks-many pauses and plenty of opportunities to take in his reason and logic.

[@Chatsdable]

An absolutely brilliant presentation and talk. Thank you!

[@user-qb3jg8ep9t]

Thank you, Big Think. This has really activated my almonds.

[@micheallewele3130]

this is Beautiful, well crafted , Genius and what we need, Thank You.

[@losthero0]

Answering specific burning question I've had for years in a comprehensive format. Good man

[@stromsrb]

I really felt overwhelmed around age 16 by the massive amount of material there is out there in classical and contemporary world literature. I'd say that feeling of having such insurmountable volume to soft through made it very challenging to learn like I was going to live forever. But the classics are a thread to follow, to be sure. Definitely agree with expecting more from what I read having become used to reading the best.

[@pygmalioninvenus6057]

I am in my early 30s, an old man to some, a young man to others, and I am just now embarking on a personal and private classical education. I am beginning by studying Homer and the Bible and learning Latin, and I have never been more delighted.

[@kostaftp]

Add some baroque background music to that mix. 👌

[@darkpoetik5375]

never too late to improve your life....

[@lpslancelot05]

Most people don’t truly start living until they get into their 30’s. You’re a young man.

[@willd.8040]

Congratulations. It was around your age when my interest in learning all I could, really started, and at age 45 now, I've learned more on my own than I did in my four years of university. I just wish I had more time to dedicate to learning. I'm even going back to learn advanced algebra and then I will learn calculus. I've taught myself physics, electricity, computer coding, and now my next journey will be to read these classics. I wish you luck, and I hope that you're able to learn and appreciate as much as possible. It's one of the best things a person can do, in my opinion.

[@pygmalioninvenus6057]

@@willd.8040 You sound like a fascinating individual, I'd be happy to keep in touch.

[@rith5]

Questions like what is the best life for a human presuppose there's 1 answer. There may be many equally fantastic ways to live.

[@StavroginNikolai]

Agreed, I'm a programmer and also enjoy astrophysics and similar branches of science, pushing forward doesn't necessitate a disregard for the past, in fact a good understanding of the past makes imagining the future both more accurate and more fun.

[@econbusnlaw9246]

Thanks for this video! This really change my way of thinking. I can't wait to get my hands on the great classics!

[@harmansingh3533]

This video just played randomly but he is such a great speaker that I had to listen to it till end plus it’s so full of knowledge. Thank you so much for making this kind of videos that internet really needs.

[@Ears324]

As much as there is some things I disagree with, that was a sincere delight to watch, thank you, very much!

[@SaturnElena]

this was beautiful, ty, I will start with plato

[@meylina8]

Thank you. This lecture leads to what I hope the answers to a lot of questions in my head. Now onto the journey of discovery.

[@Tipoconsuguitarra]

This channel is just brilliant. To the people who came up with the idea, and put it all together, I thank you!!

[@wibblegorm]

I read Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost while at school and they taught me the value of viewing the world with a sceptical eye. I have those titans of philosophy: Dante and Milton, to thank for making up a a part of who I am today. I definitely plan to read the rest of this list throughout my life!

[@TeaParty1776]

Classically educated, '60s rock singer, Marianne Faithfull, reads from Dante on, I believe, Blazing Away. An actress, too, she reads with profound meaning. "Midway thru life, I found myself lost in a wood."

[@littlehouseinthebigapple5716]

I rarely “thumbs up” any KZbin videos. OMG! I loved this so much! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼I honestly want to watch more content from this guy. Any more vids from him out there?

[@gforce20001]

Definitely one of the best BigThink videos. Plan on implementing some of these books into my journey.

[@patagon6305]

A Highly compelling and envigorating exposition, Jeffrey. Thank you!

[@nehemiacalixte3289]

I'm going to college this year, majoring in civil engineering and planning on minoring in classics!

[@NodakBro]

As a 35 year-old I have to say I’m pretty jealous of your next 4+ years!

[@ObsoleteTutorials]

As a 32 year-old I'd like to say the same. I wasted my college years being so self-conscious.

[@spatterspatter]

No, Thrasymachus doesn't "stalk off." He stays to hear the rest of the talk, and in fact insists later (in Book V, at 450a-b) with the others in the party that Socrates complete his promise to describe the Beautiful City he has been building in speech in response to Thrasymachus' definition of justice. Mr. Brenzel makes the unfortunately common mistake in assuming Thrasymachus leaves. Thrasymachus blushes when Socrates catches him out in a contradiction, and stays quiet for a while, but he's too interested in the discussion to simply leave.

[@georgewenberg3265]

Exactly so, as the representative of Tyranny and advocating justice as the advantage of the stronger, it seems it would be self-negating to just leave.

[@TheAutoban1]

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, The dialogues of Socrates, Aristotle's Ethics, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, The City of God by Saint Augustine, Dante's Inferno, Shakespeare's King Lear, Paradise Lost, and Tolstoy's War and Peace.

[@keylimon]

This was truly amazing and well put together, goodness. Thank you!

[@damillionmalania]

Finding out what's worth reading is a difficult task, and a lot of the concepts hidden in the books mentioned are well worth taking with oneself. I could add a few thoughts about reading the classics, but I will make do with the most important one: Remember that not all those gifted with the mind are as gifted with the pen. Some geniuses are lousy writers. Case in point: I have yet to meet the man or woman who enjoyed reading Hobbes Leviathan, but once you read it and unpack Hobbes ideas you realize they are still relevant and intriguing. In other words: sometimes the reward of reading old classics doesn't lie in the literary prowess of the authors. Endure and often you will be rewarded.

[@danielfrei6213]

+damillionmalania similarly, 20 variants of the quran in translation begs where to begin. but what a great project that would be! discuss the translation style with muslims of all stripes and get a year's learning out of it. as you said... buried treasure.

[@petrovikdejan]

I like the video it's almost perfect. I have only one thing to add as comment - the professor doesn't mention the eastern christian theologians from late antiquity although their work is essential.

[@NS-wo6ze]

Thank you, sir from Oxford. Your words resonate a truth which is timeless and inspiring.

[@nicole-secondaryemail-mort9617]

Ok, I think Prof. Brenzel said some excellent things at the end which I really connected with. Brenzel (@55min): "Here's my final thought and it's a deep paradox of learning. You don't necessarily know what you are looking for until you find it, and it's the effort of *finding* it that actually turns you into a different person..." [ie. what you learn from the journey or process of seeking, investigating, exploring... it's something which is best discovered yourself, as opposed to being taught/told, I guess] "...so when you finally do achieve a radical new perspective - when it's not just a matter of taking in bits of information and knowledge but it's a matter of changing how you put them together... it's a matter of changing who you are as a result... [you are] going to see yourself in a new light." A really valuable talk. THANK YOU so much.

[@mariavq452]

Very didactic lecture. It enlightens and clarifies important ideas. Thank you!

[@leec4185]

One can’t get a quality education at Yale, unlesss you’re satisfied with one side of every story.

[@rlkinnard]

so you think that the students are cowed. that they have no spunk. I don't think so.

[@kd1s]

Part of why I burnt out on my first brush with college was the schooling from high school. We read a lot of the classics - The Canterbury Tales, Lord of the Rings, Brave New World, 1984, the Greek tragedies, etc. Yes, I got a neo-classical education in high school.

[@ennediend2865]

Excellent very clear accent 😊👍 and speed , for non native speakers. Thank you very very much Monsieur Brenzel ! God bless you for the respect...

[@chescarino]

how do the kardashians fit in to all of this

[@robreke]

Essential watching. Reading the classics only after you've watched and studied all of the Kardashian TV shows. It's essential you get those fundamentals down first before tackling the less important classics.

[@EnEvighet7]

They are cancer, simply a distracting for the masses.

[@Maranna95]

Hard to digest, but definitely giving us some different perspectives

[@aysoodaagh3167]

This was inspiring. I'm going to make my friends Watch it (((((:

[@bobdillaber1195]

I just recommend it to my daughter today after viewing it. I'm 81 and she's 54. Never too late.

[@alonsosoto8883]

Good morning Dr Jeffrey great expect sunrise and leasten your speech .Never late to learn. Thank you

[@gothakane]

One of the most inspirational videos on this channel, blew me away!

[@kjekelle96]

"It's the view!"

[@Mursilia]

A year ago i watched this video for the first time. Since then i've had some shaking existencional crysis (that isn't necessarily a bad thing). I thank Big Think for this video. Just one thing bothers me a bit watching it now: Crime & Punishment by Dostoiévski isn't on the list.

[@KevinGoehler]

Where is the list?? :) Thanks.

[@Mursilia]

Kevin Gøhler He mentions it further on the video. If i'm not mistaken it's something like this: Oedipus Rex, The Republic, a book from Aristotle (can't recall the name), City of God, Summa Theologica, Dante's Inferno (The Divine Comedy), Paradise Lost, King Lear, War and Peace (though i'd put Crime and Punishment here as well).

[@daddyleon]

How does "Crime & Punishment by Dostoiévski" bother you?

[@ryoushinchan]

daddyleon Bothers him that he doesn't mention it, not the literary work having an affect on his person.

[@LastariOo]

I agree, I'm surprised Crime & Punishment wasn't mentioned.

[@martinesejour3361]

Thank you so much for your recommendations and insight. I hope I'll be able to see more videos about how you extracted each concept and if you were able to apply them in your life daily.

[@SK-le1gm]

You answered the question with an *ontology.* All questions can be addressed well with an ontology. This is one of the universal concepts of Aristotle. Makes life better to be able to start to answer any question at all properly. Thanks for a fantastic video.

[@delancyj67]

I would add classics from other cultures. The Prince by Machievelli and the Art of War by Sun Tzu are far more practical as operating philisophies than some of the books mentioned.

[@vodkatonyq]

The Prince is already one of the central political texts of WESTERN culture.

[@a1no1x]

I am so sad few people have watched this...

[@marijanamilicevic6741]

+Steven Blancher That's because today a very small number of people the right to education and heavier because fewer people develop mental abilities. So sad for planet and future of humans

[@hughtran5653]

Marijana Milicevic

[@andripdn]

Very great enlighment on youtube. Inspire me to read more classics. Thanks!

[@InfindecimalSlice]

You can download most of them for free, since there is no copyright for many of the translations.

[@annaritarafaschieri7127]

Speaking of women in philosophy: "Hypatia, often called Hypatia of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher in Egypt, then a part of the Byzantine Empire. She was the head of the Neoplatonic school at Alexandria, where she taught philosophy and astronomy. " From Wikipedia. Why doesn't she deserves to be quoted? -. - Especially as an example of intellectually realised women before and until Christianity struck to the core of equality destroying it!

[@MagnumOpusYT]

Anna Rita Rafaschieri Facinating

[@thegamer4802842042131]

Why does this involve Christianity many women are still known for example Jane Austen or Laura ingalls wilder? They were alive during Christianity and are still known for what they did and are known by many people.

[@thegamer4802842042131]

There is so many authors that you can’t quote all of them.

[@knpstrr]

I don't think she wasn't quoted because she is undeserving. Admittedly, I don't know much about her. However, did she contribute some novel ideas to these subjects? Just searching on Wikipedia it states: "Hypatia has been described as a universal genius, but she was probably more of a teacher and commentator than an innovator. No evidence has been found that Hypatia ever published any independent works on philosophy and she does not appear to have made any groundbreaking mathematical discoveries." It would be difficult to recommend reading greats works of a person who didn't create any said works.

[@nickshel]

Your conceptualisation of Christianity is clearly very confused. It may be helpful if you were more specific. Are you referring to Roman Catholic Christianity? The irony here is that the Byzantine Empire was specifically Christian - indeed it was the principle it was founded on by Constantine.

[@BlueMonkeySky]

This is (by far) my most favourite video on KZbin!!!! I LOVE this. ❤️

[@samaro09]

One of the best videos I've seen so far on this channel. To the people who have put the channel up, as well as the lectors, thank you. Your work is terrific.

[@martanoble2320]

VERY engaging lecture 👌 .gnan difficult Subject 1

[@PeterStanton]

Here's the number one problem with a "classic" education as it is conceived of by most people in Europe and North America: It is astoundingly, staggeringly ethnocentric. I think reading some classics is great, but viewing them as the pinnacle of human knowledge is incredibly closed minded.

[@vodkatonyq]

There are many works outside of the west which are included in the western canon: The Analects, Dao de jing, Upanishads, the poetry of Rumi, The Art of War, 1001 Nights, etc.

[@PeterStanton]

@@vodkatonyq "Many" looks like an incredible exaggeration to me. Look at the works mentioned in the video and in everyone's comments. Look at the curricula of colleges and universities. Please show me an example of a "classics" or "great books" program in Europe or North America that includes "many" non-western works. I'd love to see it.

[@MrJuot234]

If the King James Bible was published in 1614, how could John Milton's "Paradise Lost" influenced the bible in 1667?

[@heatherrotz4679]

Yeah, he mentioned a few things that came out long after the bible was changed and claimed they influenced it. Those numbers don't work. Of course, he never claimed to be a math major.

[@graemejmuir]

He was saying that it helped shape peoples ideas about heaven and hell and the devil, A lot of that stuff is not described in great detail in the bible itself.

[@MrJuot234]

Yea I just started reading "Paradise Lost." I can see where it more than likely changed the Protestants church view on hell.

[@fabriceizzo2922]

The Bible has been rewritten and reinterpreted multiple times.

[@MrJuot234]

Fabrice Izzo I am aware of that....

[@thefitnerd9796]

i just now found this video. this was wonderful and has sparked an inspiration to listen to all the videos you all have posted from floating university. thank you

[@saraw7477]

A million thanks for sharing this terrific view that shines brilliantly.