Studying Politics without Politicizing: A Response to Rob Jackson

The world of classical education is relatively small, and when influential figures within our community speak out, their voices tend to carry. Rob Jackson's recent comments in The New Yorker about Hillsdale College draw a false distinction between the work of Hillsdale College in classical education and the work of Great Hearts. Based on his statements, it appears that he believes the work of Hillsdale is narrowly political, while considering the work of Great Hearts to be more academic and serious by comparison.

I have considered Dr. Jackson a friend for many years. I attended his meetings to form a national institution for classical learning, and I have warmly recommended Great Hearts schools to families inquiring about classical education, as well as Hillsdale College students interested in teaching after graduation. He has attended our annual summer conference twice as an honored guest. During at least one of those conferences, I explicitly stated that teachers in K-12 schools must never allow the political issues of the day to distract from the serious work of teaching and liberal education. In other words, an education in politics is not a politicized education. Therefore, I am surprised to read his quote in the recent New Yorker article and disappointed to have read his criticism of Hillsdale.

Hillsdale College teaches that the formative years of K-12 instruction are meant for a robust and serious study of the liberal arts. This course of study encompasses literature, history, art, music, philosophy, Latin, mathematics, and the sciences. Of course, there are also courses in history and government, which is not uncommon in K-12 education, although it may be relatively rare among classical schools. What is certainly unique is the depth with which we approach these subjects.

So, what does one study in a Hillsdale education in politics? In high school, students learn about the concept of a regime and its impact on the potential for human happiness for all who live within it. The character of the regime affects the character of its citizens. There are different types of regimes, and because, as Aristotle says, "man is a political animal," to be a human being means to also be a citizen. It is critically important for our own happiness that we live in a good regime. 

To be a liberally-educated person, one must recognize that man is not an island. It is not enough to live a life, even a learned life, isolated from one's political community because one cannot fully transcend the circumstances in which one lives. In fact, one cannot fully live a learned life without the serious study of politics. This was the insight of Socrates and his great successors Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero.

Thinkers throughout the classical canon understood this. For example, how can one fully appreciate the works of Sophocles and Shakespeare, Homer and Virgil, Dante and Milton, Twain and Melville, or Dostoevsky and Tolstoy without having studied the nature of man and his relationship to the community? An education in politics through the study of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and others is necessary for a liberal education, and that is a separate endeavor from the narrow or partisan study of politics.

We live in polarizing times, and the very possibility of liberal education is threatened. Hillsdale's approach to this threat is to teach. While I believe that Dr. Jackson's comments misrepresent Hillsdale and the true nature of classical education, I know he means well, and I still consider him a friend. I welcome Mr. Jackson and any of his colleagues to Hillsdale College's conferences again in the future. This is an important conversation to have.