Ars longa, vita brevis. Three conclusions after conducting 4,000 lessons in classical education
Ars longa, vita brevis. Three conclusions after conducting 4,000 lessons in classical education

Summary/Abstract: The author’s stated aim is to share the practical conclusions drawn from the experience of teaching lessons in classical education, understood as the liberal arts tradition (especially the trivium). The basic conclusion is to see the paradoxical nature of art itself: since it is the result of a generalised experience, it is impossible to convey knowledge about it outside of experience. Analysing examples from Greek and Roman literature, the author points to the pedagogical genius of the ancients, which consisted, among other things, in a profound understanding of both the power and limitations of verbal communication. Recognising the pedagogical strategies of the Greeks and Romans not only allows us to understand how the didactic paradox in the transmission of liberal arts skills can be overcome, but also provides the key to understanding how the surviving classical textbooks, which are so different from their modern counterparts, should be used. The author gives examples of specific didactic implementations based on textbooks on rhetoric and grammar, in order to point out the difficulties that a contemporary teacher inspired by the idea of classical education may encounter, as well as the benefits that, once these difficulties are overcome, become a common good for the teacher and the student.

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