Classical education and Darwinism: Tadeusz Zielinski's attempt at reconciliation

Written by a Polish-Russian scholar Tadeusz Zielinski, Our Debt to Antiquity (1903) was a successful attempt to combat the prejudiced view that classical education resists progress. Zielinski argued that Darwinian laws manifest themselves in his discipline in three aspects: (1) in the emergence of Greek and Latin languages as a result of the selection of word-forms and expressions that testify to certain features of national character; (2) in the persistence of classical education across many centuries as the 'fittest' educational system; (3) in the selection of schoolchildren for national elites. Although Zielinski's application of Darwinian laws of selection to human society may appear reactionary to a modern reader, this article argues that in doing so he defends classical education both from the left-wing populists and from attempts at abuse from the right. Moreover, his thoughts prompt modern scholars to reflect on the real presence of Social Darwinism in our present educational system.

Automated summary

Written by Tadeusz Zielinski, Our Debt to Antiquity (1903) is an attempt to combat the prejudice against classical education. Zielinski argues that Darwinian laws of selection manifest themselves in classical education in three aspects, and he defends classical education by applying these laws.