Live at The Atlantic Festival | Are The Classics Overrated? Debate ft. Freestyle Love Supreme’s FLS+

Socrates is on trial… again.

In fact, a growing chorus of voices is arguing that reverence to the classics is not only flawed, but also enmeshed with long standing power imbalances. Princeton University said its “own department bears witness to the place of Classics in the long arc of systemic racism.” Others claim that such literature has been historically weaponized to justify systems of control, often to the exclusion and oppression of non-white and non-European cultures. At very least, these works should be incorporated within a broader diversity of literature, if not stricken from the required readings altogether. Still others express caution. The study of Plato, Homer, and Aristotle, they contend, engenders just the sort of critical thinking universities are meant to foster. Inspiration, they add, can be found from a variety of sources, and not just from figures who bear physical resemblance to those who are inspired. In fact, celebrated African American authors, such as Toni Morrison, studied the classics, and drew empowerment from them. Furthermore, they argue, underprivileged students indeed benefit from understanding the very literature that influences the society in which they live. In this context, we debate the following question: Are the Classics Overrated?

Intelligence Squared U.S. presented a live debate in partnership with Atlantic LIVE for The Atlantic Festival 2022 with Special Guest FLS+, the minds behind the Broadway hit Freestyle Love Supreme, joining us for opening and closing performances.

Arguing “NO” is Thomas Chatterton Williams, cultural critic and contributor to The Atlantic. He is the author of the 2019 book “Self-Portrait in Black and White,” as well as a visiting professor of the humanities and senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College.

Arguing “YES” is Joy Connolly, scholar of classics and the president of the American Council of Learned Societies. Connolly was formerly a professor of classics and the dean for humanities at New York University.

Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates.

#iq2us #opentodebate #debate #classics #TAF22 #ThomasChattertonWilliams #racism #greek #roman #latin #education #culture #history #FLS #TheAtlantic @TheAtlantic

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