Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) wrote a spirited argument in favor of poesie (poetry, stories, fables, dialogues) as the greatest teacher of the virtues in his Defence of Poesie. The work also has much to say about classical education and its proper end. Here are a few quotes to whet you appetite for the rest of this great book:
On the goal of education:
"the finall end [of education] is, to lead and draw us to as high a perfection, as our degenerate soules made worse by their clay-lodgings, can be capable of."
"...with the end of well doing, and not of well knowing onely. Even as the saddler's next ende is to make a good saddle, but his further ende, to serve a nobler facultie, which is horsmanship, so the horseman's to souldiery: and the souldier not only to have the skill, but to performe the practise of a souldier. So that the ending end of all earthly learning, being verteous action."
"I affirm, that no learning is so good as that which teacheth and moveth to vertue, and that none can both teach and move thereto so much as Poetry, then is the conclusion manifest that incke and paper cannot be to a more profitable purpose employed."
On Aesop's Fables:
"Whereof Esops Tales give good proofe, whose prettie Allegories stealing under the formall Tales of beastes, makes many more beastly than beasts: begin to hear the sound of vertue from those dumbe speakers."
No comments:
Post a Comment