Thesearetroublingdaysforthehumanities.Inresponse,arecentproliferationofworksdefendingthehumanitieshasemerged.But,takentogether,whataretheseworksreallysaying,andhowpersuasivedotheyprove?TheBattleoftheClassicsdemonstratesthecrucialdownsidesofcontemporaryapologeticsforthehumanitiesandpresentsinitsplaceahistoricallyinformedcaseforadifferentapproachtorescuingthehumanisticdisciplinesinhighereducation.Itreopensthepassionatedebatesabouttheclassicsthattookplaceinlatenineteenth-andearlytwentieth-centuryAmericaasaspringboardforcraftinganovelfoundationforthehumanistictradition.EricAdlerdemonstratesthatcurrentdefensesofthehumanitiesrelyonthehumanisticdisciplinesasinculcatorsofcertainpoorlydefinedskillssuchas“criticalthinking.“Itcriticizesthisconventionalapproach,contendingthathumanistscannothopetosavetheirdisciplineswithoutarguinginfavorofparticularhumanitiescontent.Astheuninspireddefensesoftheclassicalhumanitiesinthelatenineteenthcenturyprove,instrumentalapologeticsareboundtofail.Allthesame,thebookshowsthatproponentsoftheGreatBooksfavoracurriculumthatistoointellectuallynarrowforthetwenty-firstcentury.TheBattleoftheClassicsthuslaysoutasubstance-basedapproachtoundergraduateeducationthatwillrevivethehumanities,evenasitsteersclearofoverrelianceontheWesterncanon.Thebookenvisionsaglobalhumanitiesbasedontheexaminationofmasterworksfrommanifoldculturesastheheartofanintellectuallyandmorallysoundeducation.
