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Beauty in the Word
What is a good education? What is it for? To answer these questions, Stratford Caldecott shines a fresh light on the three arts of language, in a marvelous recasting of the Trivium whereby Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric are explored as Remembering, Thinking, and Communicating. These are the foundational steps every student must take towards conversion of heart and mind, so that a Catholic Faith can be lived out in unabashed pursuit of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. Beauty in the Word is a unique contribution to bringing these bountiful aspects of the Real back to the center of learning, where they rightfully belong. If your concern is for the true meaning of education for your children, here is the place to begin.
178 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2012
About the author
Stratford Caldecott
34 books66 followersStratford Caldecott MA (Oxon.), STD, was a Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative, editor of the Humanum Review (online book review journal of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute), and co-editor of Second Spring and the UK/Ireland edition of Magnificat.
He had served as senior editor at Routledge, HarperCollins, T&T Clark, Sophia Institute Press, and as a commissioning editor for the Catholic Truth Society in London. He served on the editorial boards of Communio, The Chesterton Review, and Oasis.
Dr. Caldecott was the G.K. Chesterton Research Fellow at St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford.
He received an honorary doctorate in Theology from the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C.
He blogged at:
http://thechristianmysteries.blogspot...
http://beauty-in-education.blogspot.com/
He had served as senior editor at Routledge, HarperCollins, T&T Clark, Sophia Institute Press, and as a commissioning editor for the Catholic Truth Society in London. He served on the editorial boards of Communio, The Chesterton Review, and Oasis.
Dr. Caldecott was the G.K. Chesterton Research Fellow at St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford.
He received an honorary doctorate in Theology from the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C.
He blogged at:
http://thechristianmysteries.blogspot...
http://beauty-in-education.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 21, 2023
This book is pure philosophy and a wonderful correction to the ages and stages model of classical education.
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February 17, 2020I cannot give this book any stars. Not because I'm upset to have read it in any way. Not because I don't think it's a valuable read for one in my "profession."
But mostly because it was mostly beyond me.
Oh, there were parts that I enthusiastically agreed with, that I understood quite well, but there were also parts where the underpinnings of philosophical and/or theological thought undid me thoroughly.
It took me a long time to read - I was often intimidated by the Roman Catholic-ness of the work. Not being in that faith tradition, it's often foreign and like jumping across slippery rocks to understand the implications that Caldecott was indicating. As a Reformed Protestant, his particular concern that liturgy trump scripture I found difficult to reconcile.
This is a book to come back to, I suppose. I appreciate those who have wrestled with Caldecott's ideas ahead of me (like Cindy Rollins) and translated many of them (particularly Remembrance). I cannot rate it because I struggled with it so much over so long a time - 2+ years? and it's a short book. I'm glad I've read it. I'm almost more glad I've finished it. The deficiencies are all mine and I do recommend wrestling with it. I plan to do so again. Someday.
But mostly because it was mostly beyond me.
Oh, there were parts that I enthusiastically agreed with, that I understood quite well, but there were also parts where the underpinnings of philosophical and/or theological thought undid me thoroughly.
It took me a long time to read - I was often intimidated by the Roman Catholic-ness of the work. Not being in that faith tradition, it's often foreign and like jumping across slippery rocks to understand the implications that Caldecott was indicating. As a Reformed Protestant, his particular concern that liturgy trump scripture I found difficult to reconcile.
This is a book to come back to, I suppose. I appreciate those who have wrestled with Caldecott's ideas ahead of me (like Cindy Rollins) and translated many of them (particularly Remembrance). I cannot rate it because I struggled with it so much over so long a time - 2+ years? and it's a short book. I'm glad I've read it. I'm almost more glad I've finished it. The deficiencies are all mine and I do recommend wrestling with it. I plan to do so again. Someday.
April 13, 2013
There are moments of 2 stars but more of 4 stars over all. I liked the recasting of the trivium as Remembering, Thinking, Speaking.
There are many other great moments, quotes and insights that make it so worthwhile.
The downsides are more to do with the explicit Roman Catholicism, downgrade of Scripture, acceptance of evolutionary science, and openness to other religions arriving at the truth.
There are many other great moments, quotes and insights that make it so worthwhile.
The downsides are more to do with the explicit Roman Catholicism, downgrade of Scripture, acceptance of evolutionary science, and openness to other religions arriving at the truth.
May 31, 2013
Stratford Caldecott has yet again proved to amaze me (again because I've already read his book, Beauty for Truth's Sake). His previous book focuses on the Quadrivium of the Seven Liberal Arts. This book focuses on the Trivium of the Seven Liberal Arts. The book is amazing because he reimagines--or, to use his words, "creatively reinterprets (Caldecott, 133)"--the Trivium in terms we're not used to thinking about it.
Grammar he likens to mythos, remembering, truth, the Father, and that which is given. Dialectic he likens to logos, thinking, Goodness, the Son, and that which is received. Rhetoric he likens to ethos, speaking, the Beautiful, the Spirit, and that which is shared. Some of these likenings are easier to imagine, others take some work. He paints a beautiful picture, however, to make the task easier.
He is a Catholic, and that comes out more in this text than the previous, but that's okay. He's not afraid to speak about things in terms of his Catholic thinking. So he warns us not to educate children to be too literal with the Bible, he wants liturgy (a shout-out to James K.A. Smith?) and catechesis to be a foundational element in that education, and objective truth to be assumed in it.
The book is thought-provoking on many levels, and will ask you to reimagine your own thoughts about the Trivium, especially if your familiarity with it comes primarily from Dorothy Sayers' important essay. I do not think you will be disappointed should you make the time to read this book.
Grammar he likens to mythos, remembering, truth, the Father, and that which is given. Dialectic he likens to logos, thinking, Goodness, the Son, and that which is received. Rhetoric he likens to ethos, speaking, the Beautiful, the Spirit, and that which is shared. Some of these likenings are easier to imagine, others take some work. He paints a beautiful picture, however, to make the task easier.
He is a Catholic, and that comes out more in this text than the previous, but that's okay. He's not afraid to speak about things in terms of his Catholic thinking. So he warns us not to educate children to be too literal with the Bible, he wants liturgy (a shout-out to James K.A. Smith?) and catechesis to be a foundational element in that education, and objective truth to be assumed in it.
The book is thought-provoking on many levels, and will ask you to reimagine your own thoughts about the Trivium, especially if your familiarity with it comes primarily from Dorothy Sayers' important essay. I do not think you will be disappointed should you make the time to read this book.
June 24, 2019
Probably my least favorite book I've read on classical education. There were some parts that I really enjoyed, but mostly it was just okay... which is a shame because I really really really wanted to like it. I'm sure some other people and personalities would like this much better than my favorite "classical ed book" (The Well-Trained Mind), so to each his own I guess.
April 23, 2024
Not an easy read but thought provoking and worthwhile if you are interested in educational philosophy and pedagogy. The author comes from a Roman Catholicism perspective, so some parts were more about understanding and hearing different views than I personally hold. Some great sections if you are up for wading into deep waters and can handle interacting with a different tradition.
December 17, 2014
As someone in the homeschooling trenches, I love a book that can help guide my vision while also giving me specifics on how to accomplish that vision. This book does that. It gave me new insights into the Trivium and the importance of directing my children's hearts toward God. Caldecott gives his own spin to Grammar, Dialectic and Rhetoric in a beautifully written way. The book incorporates a lot of wisdom.
However much of the practical advice he gives (such as making sure children read and are read the books and stories that are the foundation of our culture, obtain access to nature, practice art, etc.) is already incorporated into the days of most homeschoolers I know. Although the advice is nothing new, it's good to be reminded of the value of such activities.
Also, Caldecott is Catholic and is primarily addressing Catholic educators, which I am not. But, as the author himself says, "We need not fear to recognize beauty in another person's beliefs." I am more bothered by his declaring the Bible to be subordinate to liturgy and his espousals of John Paul II's views on evolution.
However much of the practical advice he gives (such as making sure children read and are read the books and stories that are the foundation of our culture, obtain access to nature, practice art, etc.) is already incorporated into the days of most homeschoolers I know. Although the advice is nothing new, it's good to be reminded of the value of such activities.
Also, Caldecott is Catholic and is primarily addressing Catholic educators, which I am not. But, as the author himself says, "We need not fear to recognize beauty in another person's beliefs." I am more bothered by his declaring the Bible to be subordinate to liturgy and his espousals of John Paul II's views on evolution.
March 8, 2021
I didn’t quite know what to expect going into this book. People I greatly admire and respect love this book. Others I know have greatly struggled to understand it. The biggest criticism I came across was from Protestants disagreeing with the favorable liturgical viewpoint of the book. Being Orthodox Christian (very close to Catholicism in many ways), I thought it would at least be worth a try.
I am very glad I took the time to read this book and I walked away with many deep nuggets to ponder over for years to come. Some parts felt very inapplicable to me because the author was speaking more to those setting up a Catholic school than to a homeschooling parent. Some parts were much too smart for me and I hope to understand them sometime in the future. My commonplace book is full of quotes and I have definitely been challenged in how I approach and execute our homeschool.
I am very glad I took the time to read this book and I walked away with many deep nuggets to ponder over for years to come. Some parts felt very inapplicable to me because the author was speaking more to those setting up a Catholic school than to a homeschooling parent. Some parts were much too smart for me and I hope to understand them sometime in the future. My commonplace book is full of quotes and I have definitely been challenged in how I approach and execute our homeschool.
January 14, 2020
3.5 stars.
I found much to mull over in this book, and some insightful ideas. However, I felt a lot of what Caldecott was trying to convey was not made accessible enough. Many of the points he expounded upon merely distracted me from the central purpose of the book - education - so that I didn't dwell on his points as relates to education specifically. I was also unconvinced by some of his connections and suggestions, and felt the book wanting of more practical suggestions for the implementation of his ideas.
I found much to mull over in this book, and some insightful ideas. However, I felt a lot of what Caldecott was trying to convey was not made accessible enough. Many of the points he expounded upon merely distracted me from the central purpose of the book - education - so that I didn't dwell on his points as relates to education specifically. I was also unconvinced by some of his connections and suggestions, and felt the book wanting of more practical suggestions for the implementation of his ideas.
Read
March 5, 2023This was very dense. I listened to it and would benefit from reading it on paper to digest the ideas.
April 21, 2019
So beautiful, and I basically underlined the whole book. It discusses the personalist philosophy that should be the foundation of education, specifically Catholic education, while leaving open the application for further development. Very interesting!
January 24, 2023
Anthony Esolen writes in the intro: “I am tempted to conclude that there are only two things wrong with our schools: what they don’t teach our children, and what they do… But as Stratford Caldecott so beautifully shows in his much-needed work, we suffer the consequences of a more fundamental error still. We do not know what or how to teach children because we do not know what a child is, because we do not know what a man is – and Him from whom and for whom man is… What a difference it will make to us if we keep in mind that a human being is made, not for processing of data, but for wisdom; not for utilitarian satisfaction of appetite, but for love; not for the domination of nature, but for participation in it; not for the autonomy of an isolated self, but for communion.”
As the subtitle implies, Caldecott challenges Catholic educators to return to the basics, i.e., the trivium of classical education (Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric). But since, to him, it is not education if it doesn’t touch the heart, his version of the trivium It is a kinder, gentler version – more in keeping with the teachings of Charlotte Mason than with trying to maintain rigid categories of learning.
I have to admit, some of the philosophical parts of this book were over my head, but I appreciated Caldecott’s commitment to teaching the “whole person” (heart and mind) and his emphasis on absolute truth. “Moral limits and absolutes are not the bars of a cage, but the walls and floors of the house of Being, the home of the human heart. Without them we would find ourselves back in the howling wilderness with nowhere to go…. The kind of education we want is one that fits us to know the truth.”
One of the lovely threads throughout the book is the power of stories to fire the moral imagination.
As the subtitle implies, Caldecott challenges Catholic educators to return to the basics, i.e., the trivium of classical education (Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric). But since, to him, it is not education if it doesn’t touch the heart, his version of the trivium It is a kinder, gentler version – more in keeping with the teachings of Charlotte Mason than with trying to maintain rigid categories of learning.
I have to admit, some of the philosophical parts of this book were over my head, but I appreciated Caldecott’s commitment to teaching the “whole person” (heart and mind) and his emphasis on absolute truth. “Moral limits and absolutes are not the bars of a cage, but the walls and floors of the house of Being, the home of the human heart. Without them we would find ourselves back in the howling wilderness with nowhere to go…. The kind of education we want is one that fits us to know the truth.”
One of the lovely threads throughout the book is the power of stories to fire the moral imagination.
May 23, 2018
I was really looking for authority and clarity in Caldecott but I have to say that I am disappointed. Yes, Caldecott brilliantly points out Simone Weil’s insight that the final end of education is to prepare people to to give loving attention to God in prayer. I could not agree more. He rightly points out that education needs the collaboration of two people, as Newman said in The Idea of a University, not individuals. He also says: Classical Education, the traditional Christian method, can be reduced into remembering, thinking and communicating. Does he mean to moderate the influence of books like Climbing Parnassus that would base education solely on Greek and Latin works with no modern works or of punitive systems? I think so, but he is not clear enough for the general public. Does he mean to say that biology is unimportant when he praised the use of imagination in Jesuit memory palaces? I doubt that. I rather think he means it to be a more organic process not just drill. Yet, he is not clear enough. (See what Aquinas said about the connection between facts and prudence.) Also, because he seems to spend most of his time speaking to the classical brick/mortar schools, he does not go in-depth enough into the problems of parents choosing secular or Waldorf education. After all, few Catholic schools are directed by people trying to get kids to contact spirits, even if the kids are using Waldorf techniques like drawing without lines and singing without tone. Yet if as he admits homeschoolers are becoming a cultural force, I wonder why he does not address himself more to parents. His caveats to unschooling are really not well connected and specific at all. (You can’t teach someone to draw without drawing something.) As I watch a myriad of my friends losing sight of the true focus of education, demanding more rigor or technology or freedom from things, I keep hoping authoritative sources will appear. Educational pundits are missing the boat by not educating the parents first.
June 19, 2020
"The central idea of the present book is very simple. It is that education is not primarily about the question of information. It is not even about the acquisition of information. It is not even about the acquisition of ‘skills’ in the conventional sense, to equip us for particular roles in society. It is about how we become more human (and therefore more free, in the truest sense of that word). This is a broader and a deeper question, but no less practical. Too often we have not been educating our humanity. We have been educating ourselves for doing rather than for being (11).
The task before us is not only to renew the foundations of education, but to rediscover our own relationship to Being (the secret of childhood), and our place in a cosmos that is beautiful in the Word (11-12)."
I found this book inspiring, instructive, and beautiful throughout. Caldecott delightfully reimagines the classic Trivium, launching from the firm foundations of theology, philosophy, and anthropology. At every stage of the Trivium he includes the importance of music and poetry, imagination and curiosity, truth, goodness, and beauty, Father, Son, and Spirit.
The task before us is not only to renew the foundations of education, but to rediscover our own relationship to Being (the secret of childhood), and our place in a cosmos that is beautiful in the Word (11-12)."
I found this book inspiring, instructive, and beautiful throughout. Caldecott delightfully reimagines the classic Trivium, launching from the firm foundations of theology, philosophy, and anthropology. At every stage of the Trivium he includes the importance of music and poetry, imagination and curiosity, truth, goodness, and beauty, Father, Son, and Spirit.
April 15, 2022
Názov tejto knihy by sa dal, podľa môjho názoru, použiť rovnako aj na popis a hodnotenie tejto knihy. Je to naozaj krása v slove. Každopádne, Caldecott v tejto knihe pojednáva o vzdelávaní, respektíve o konkrétnej filozofii vzdelávania, postavenej na klasickom vzdelávaní a kresťanských princípoch lásky, rešpektu a zodpovednosti. Najprv predstavuje základnú myšlienku vzdelávania, ktorou má byť láska k študentovi. Láska, ktorá si želá to najlepšie pre druhého. Predstavuje tiež jednotlivé štádiá klasického vzdelávania, ktoré stojí na tradíci Trivia a Kvadrívia a popisuje, čo konkrétne sa v štádiu Gramatiky, Dialektiky a Rétoriky má učiť. Následne popisuje Múdrosť, ktorá to všetko zastrešuje a ponúka konkrétne návody, čo robiť, ak by človek chcel viesť takúto školu, prípadne vzdelávať tak svoje deti doma. Caldecott ponúka konzistentný pohľad na vzdelávanie, kde každý prvok súvisí s iným prvkom a nemožno ich ignorovať. Je to knižka, ku ktorej by som sa chcel ešte dlho vracať, čerpať z nej inšpiráciu, tešiť sa z jej jazyka, premýšľať o jej myšlienkach. Odporúčam každému, kto sa zaujíma o vzdelávanie.
December 9, 2018
For a book that's supposed to be about the Trivium, it isn't about the Trivium all that much. Half of it felt more like a defense of Roman Catholicism than a book on classical education. And while there were some things that I liked about the book, I came away unsure of what its main points are since it was really all over the place. I liked Caldecott's book on the Quadrivium, but if you're looking to understand the Trivium, Littlejohn's Wisdom and Eloquence or Clark's The Liberal Art's Tradition are both better options.
Rating: 2 Stars (Inconsistent).
Rating: 2 Stars (Inconsistent).
April 9, 2019
I’d rate this a 3.5, but rounded up on account of the many profound passages that I enjoyed. It’s quite possible that familiarizing myself with these concepts over the past 4 years has contributed to my lack of excitement while reading more of the same information on education; it was great for refreshing!
June 6, 2018
This is a highly philosophical text, though it does try to recast the ages and stages model of classical education into something more practical and integrated--remembering, thinking, and communicating--as well as more noble--the education of the heart. It is not intended to be a curriculum model, however, but rather a philosophical framework, specifically for Catholic education; and it does assume some familiarity with philosophy and classical education on the part of the reader. If one can slog through the highly theoretical bits and read with discernment the emphasis on Catholic dogma, the acceptance of evolutionary science (pp. 78-79, 102), the subordination of scripture to liturgy (p. 102), and the relativistic conception to faith (p. 117; though perhaps he is merely more Clementine than Tertullian in his approach), they will glean a bit of truth, beauty, and goodness from its pages.
March 5, 2023
Fall 2022-Spring 2023: Read again with Cindy Rollins' patreon! It was a nice slow page with just a little read each week, with so much to take in.
Finally finished! This book was a truly refreshing look at classical education through a Catholic lens, ending with the amazing promotion of unschooling. Having read this after reading Poetic Knowledge, by James Taylor, I am filled with hope for the education of my children. I will probably read both books again in the coming years, to re-center myself with this beautiful philosophy.
Finally finished! This book was a truly refreshing look at classical education through a Catholic lens, ending with the amazing promotion of unschooling. Having read this after reading Poetic Knowledge, by James Taylor, I am filled with hope for the education of my children. I will probably read both books again in the coming years, to re-center myself with this beautiful philosophy.
April 22, 2016
The overt Roman Catholic perspective may be off-putting to some Protestant readers, as will the author's perspective on evolution. However, do not let these things deter you. This is one of the most beautiful, well-written, and thoughtful books on classical education I've ever read Anyone involved in a Christian, Classical school or homeschooling in a classical method ought to read it and think deeply on it.
October 12, 2013
Caldecott is a powerful voice, leading the resurgence of classical education in Catholic schools. A must-read for any parent/teacher interested in giving children an education that sets them free to become fully alive human persons... rather than today's standard trade-school mentality of producing valuable cogs in the state's economic wheel of consumerism.
June 21, 2016
The best book on Catholic education that I've read thus far.
February 8, 2021
Caldecott, Stratford. Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education. Tacoma, WA: Angelico Press, 2012.
Stratford Caldecott has never found a speculation too bold. That might be a criticism of his earlier work, Beauty for Truth’s Sake. This volume covers similar material but is more practical for the educator. He sees Trinitarian parallels in the Trivium/Quadrivium, and this is sometimes distracting. Nonetheless, his incisive comments on education today cannot be ignored.
Taking his cue from Dorothy Sayers, he structures the architecture of education, perhaps even of the mind, around the “parrot, pert, poet” model. For him it is “Be, Think, Speak,” respectively Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric. I think it is sound in its basic outline; I wouldn’t make it carry too much freight, though.
As he argues, “In order ‘to be’ we must remember the origin and end, the grammar of our existence...In discovering the Father we become thinkers” (and presumably speakers, paralleling Logos and Holy Spirit, Caldecott 15).
He has a good survey of child-based models of education. While it is easy (and necessary) to make fun of John Dewey, there are aspects wherein a child cannot be taught the same way as an adult can. It is good to develop memory and rhythm (e.g., song) in a child’s early stage. This isn’t simply because songs and rhythms are good mnemonic devices. Rather, as Anthony Esolen points out in the foreword, “We wish to form their souls by memory” (Esolen 5). Someone might respond that this is forcing a belief-system on a child, rather than simply teaching the “how-to” of thinking. Well, yes it is. Esolen observes that one really can’t separate the what from the how of thinking.
He argues that a personalist approach to education, one that sees the student, not as an individual, but as embedded in a network of relationships, “starts from the premise that a human person should be educated for relationship, attention, empathy, and imagination” (Caldecott 34).
Grammar
Grammar is connected with the Greek art of remembering (36). What is the link between language and memory? Caldecott summarizes the Platonic-Augustinian approach that our defining an essence is guided by an intuition of being (38). What does this mean? Caldecott summarizes the argument of The Meno, which is appropriate when we talk about memory, but he never connects the two.
Good section on naming: when we name something, we try to connect the Ideas that are in God to our universe (41). This gives man a mediatorial role in the cosmos. And if the power of naming is related to the power of seeing, then we see a seeing into the reality of essences. The invoking of these essences is interpretation (43).
He has a very good point on banning computers in the early stages of education. This goes back to Plato’s critique of writing. Ignoring the irony for the moment, technological advances come at the cost of memory. A child learning on a computer will not (usually) develop the proper memory skills.
While he promotes the study of grammar in the schools, pace the US Dept of Education, that’s not his goal. He wants to “loosen grammar from the narrow confines of sentence construction to show that birth of language is bound up with memory and poetry” (56). I agree to an extent. However, given that grammar is part of the primary stage, it’s hard to see how the above sentence, which is highly technical, integrates within it. If what he means, however, is that grammar instruction should capitalize on the musical and mnemonic development of a child, well and good.
Quotes: “Grammar is the cradle of all philosophy, and in a manner of speaking, the first nurse of the whole study of letters” (John of Salisbury, Metalogicon, 37).
Criticisms
I suspect at some times Caldecott’s real goal is not education, but essays on Catholic personalism. His take on personalism is quite interesting but is often far afield. I agree that we should treat children as persons, not individuals. A person is embedded in a network of relationships. I really don’t see the need for an extended meditation on 20th century ressourcement (32ff).
Like some otherwise conservative Catholics, Caldecott strangely concedes too much ground to evolution. At one point in the book he makes the very good argument that one can’t safely maintain “rights/image of God” talk without a strong doctrine of essences and natures. Very true. If evolution is true and we are still evolving, then I might be more of a human than you.
Except that he wants to say evolution is true in some sense (79). The follow up question is what is to prevent us from developing beyond humanity and treating the not as evolved as lesser beings? It will not do to say that the train of evolution (conveniently) stops at humans. Catholics like Pierre Teilhard de Chardin specifically argued that it doesn’t stop. We evolve into some Omega point.
About half of the book is excellent. I suspect, however, that the otherwise fine comments on the Trivium are actually fronts for Catholic personalism.
Stratford Caldecott has never found a speculation too bold. That might be a criticism of his earlier work, Beauty for Truth’s Sake. This volume covers similar material but is more practical for the educator. He sees Trinitarian parallels in the Trivium/Quadrivium, and this is sometimes distracting. Nonetheless, his incisive comments on education today cannot be ignored.
Taking his cue from Dorothy Sayers, he structures the architecture of education, perhaps even of the mind, around the “parrot, pert, poet” model. For him it is “Be, Think, Speak,” respectively Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric. I think it is sound in its basic outline; I wouldn’t make it carry too much freight, though.
As he argues, “In order ‘to be’ we must remember the origin and end, the grammar of our existence...In discovering the Father we become thinkers” (and presumably speakers, paralleling Logos and Holy Spirit, Caldecott 15).
He has a good survey of child-based models of education. While it is easy (and necessary) to make fun of John Dewey, there are aspects wherein a child cannot be taught the same way as an adult can. It is good to develop memory and rhythm (e.g., song) in a child’s early stage. This isn’t simply because songs and rhythms are good mnemonic devices. Rather, as Anthony Esolen points out in the foreword, “We wish to form their souls by memory” (Esolen 5). Someone might respond that this is forcing a belief-system on a child, rather than simply teaching the “how-to” of thinking. Well, yes it is. Esolen observes that one really can’t separate the what from the how of thinking.
He argues that a personalist approach to education, one that sees the student, not as an individual, but as embedded in a network of relationships, “starts from the premise that a human person should be educated for relationship, attention, empathy, and imagination” (Caldecott 34).
Grammar
Grammar is connected with the Greek art of remembering (36). What is the link between language and memory? Caldecott summarizes the Platonic-Augustinian approach that our defining an essence is guided by an intuition of being (38). What does this mean? Caldecott summarizes the argument of The Meno, which is appropriate when we talk about memory, but he never connects the two.
Good section on naming: when we name something, we try to connect the Ideas that are in God to our universe (41). This gives man a mediatorial role in the cosmos. And if the power of naming is related to the power of seeing, then we see a seeing into the reality of essences. The invoking of these essences is interpretation (43).
He has a very good point on banning computers in the early stages of education. This goes back to Plato’s critique of writing. Ignoring the irony for the moment, technological advances come at the cost of memory. A child learning on a computer will not (usually) develop the proper memory skills.
While he promotes the study of grammar in the schools, pace the US Dept of Education, that’s not his goal. He wants to “loosen grammar from the narrow confines of sentence construction to show that birth of language is bound up with memory and poetry” (56). I agree to an extent. However, given that grammar is part of the primary stage, it’s hard to see how the above sentence, which is highly technical, integrates within it. If what he means, however, is that grammar instruction should capitalize on the musical and mnemonic development of a child, well and good.
Quotes: “Grammar is the cradle of all philosophy, and in a manner of speaking, the first nurse of the whole study of letters” (John of Salisbury, Metalogicon, 37).
Criticisms
I suspect at some times Caldecott’s real goal is not education, but essays on Catholic personalism. His take on personalism is quite interesting but is often far afield. I agree that we should treat children as persons, not individuals. A person is embedded in a network of relationships. I really don’t see the need for an extended meditation on 20th century ressourcement (32ff).
Like some otherwise conservative Catholics, Caldecott strangely concedes too much ground to evolution. At one point in the book he makes the very good argument that one can’t safely maintain “rights/image of God” talk without a strong doctrine of essences and natures. Very true. If evolution is true and we are still evolving, then I might be more of a human than you.
Except that he wants to say evolution is true in some sense (79). The follow up question is what is to prevent us from developing beyond humanity and treating the not as evolved as lesser beings? It will not do to say that the train of evolution (conveniently) stops at humans. Catholics like Pierre Teilhard de Chardin specifically argued that it doesn’t stop. We evolve into some Omega point.
About half of the book is excellent. I suspect, however, that the otherwise fine comments on the Trivium are actually fronts for Catholic personalism.
May 18, 2022
Catholic philosophy of education books tend to be thought provoking, this one is not an exception. It makes use of personalism, a philosophy that "gives priority to the person as distinct from the individual." The individual is a human in society (external), the person is a human's identity (internal). This approach is important because it requires teachers to take into account the collective and the person. As part of this, Catholic personalism values tradition because it purpose "is to serve the personal growth and development of man." Liturgy plays a key role in preserving tradition and man's development. The Protestant James K.A. Smith is nodding vociferously in agreement here. But, while this approach values tradition and liturgy, you do not need to worry about mindless repetition, because that misses the point of both. "True human memory is not mechanical repetition; it is an organic assimilation and appropriation." So, learning isn't some dull, lifeless activity within a Catholic personalism. What teachers should do is "make the content of the curriculum relevant to the everyday life of the pupil, it is essential not to shrink the content to match the pupil’s present experience, but to expand the life of the pupil to match the proposed curriculum."
My primary critique of this book stems from the fact that I am not Catholic, I am protestant. So I think the author takes an overly idealistic view on children and doesn't have a proper view on how to interpret the Bible, this distorts portions of the book making them less helpful than they otherwise would be. There is also a strangely positive view of unschooling that likely stems from the highly idealistic view children.
I'll end with the book quoting G.K. Chesterton.
What modern people want to be made to understand is simply that all argument begins with an assumption; that is, with something that you do not doubt. You can, of course, if you like, doubt the assumption at the beginning of your argument, but in that case you are beginning a different argument with another assumption at the beginning of it. Every argument begins with an infallible dogma, and that infallible dogma can only be disputed by falling back on some other infallible dogma; you can never prove your first statement or it would not be your first.
All arguments are ultimately faith based, whether they are religious or not. I greatly appreciate that the book acknowledges this fact. Many philosophy of education books could be improved if they followed in its tracks and did likewise. Protestant educators would be well-served in reading this book.
My primary critique of this book stems from the fact that I am not Catholic, I am protestant. So I think the author takes an overly idealistic view on children and doesn't have a proper view on how to interpret the Bible, this distorts portions of the book making them less helpful than they otherwise would be. There is also a strangely positive view of unschooling that likely stems from the highly idealistic view children.
I'll end with the book quoting G.K. Chesterton.
What modern people want to be made to understand is simply that all argument begins with an assumption; that is, with something that you do not doubt. You can, of course, if you like, doubt the assumption at the beginning of your argument, but in that case you are beginning a different argument with another assumption at the beginning of it. Every argument begins with an infallible dogma, and that infallible dogma can only be disputed by falling back on some other infallible dogma; you can never prove your first statement or it would not be your first.
All arguments are ultimately faith based, whether they are religious or not. I greatly appreciate that the book acknowledges this fact. Many philosophy of education books could be improved if they followed in its tracks and did likewise. Protestant educators would be well-served in reading this book.
December 27, 2018
This is a book about how knowledge fits together and finds its consummation in the Triune God. In Professor Anthony Esolen's engaging preface he points out that the modern world argues endlessly about the education of children because it doesn't understand what a child is, or what a man is, or Who created them both. In this book Caldecott engages with Catholic theological aesthetics, theological anthropology, the history of educational philosophy, systematic theology, and classical philosophy all while leading the reader toward an integrated vision for the Trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric) and Quadrivium (Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music) in today's world. Stratford Caldecott is a fascinating author with wide-ranging interests and an engaging writing style.
What is, perhaps, the boldest thrust of this book is the continual analogy-making. Grammar is not merely learning Latin verb charts; it is remembering, which is inseparable from both knowing and loving. Dialectic (logic) is not just learning how to argue; it is thinking about what is real by engaging in thankfulness to God. Rhetoric is not just about making stirring speeches; it is communing: the movement of the soul from oneself into another in a mutual act of love and communication.
This book did not seem as brilliantly conceived and seamless as Caldecott's previous work on classical education, "Beauty as Truth," but it still contains many thought-provoking arguments and moments of intense beauty. I find his emphasis on the liturgy (VERY broadly defined) as the goal of all education to be incredible, as is his emphasis on beauty as a kind of joyful binding together of all other transcendental qualities.
Now, what is left is the practical implementation of Caldecott's philosophy.
What is, perhaps, the boldest thrust of this book is the continual analogy-making. Grammar is not merely learning Latin verb charts; it is remembering, which is inseparable from both knowing and loving. Dialectic (logic) is not just learning how to argue; it is thinking about what is real by engaging in thankfulness to God. Rhetoric is not just about making stirring speeches; it is communing: the movement of the soul from oneself into another in a mutual act of love and communication.
This book did not seem as brilliantly conceived and seamless as Caldecott's previous work on classical education, "Beauty as Truth," but it still contains many thought-provoking arguments and moments of intense beauty. I find his emphasis on the liturgy (VERY broadly defined) as the goal of all education to be incredible, as is his emphasis on beauty as a kind of joyful binding together of all other transcendental qualities.
Now, what is left is the practical implementation of Caldecott's philosophy.
May 22, 2017
There are many things to like about this book. It's discussion of education, of the trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric) is well done. It's assessment of our current educational philosophies that have failed our children over many years is spot on. And while it's heavy on a Roman Catholic philosophy of education, that is not what finally mares the book. What does is the allowance and acceptance of the theory of evolution by way of the quoted words of Pope John Paul II (See pages 78-79, 102). While this is greatly disappointing, overall the book can be read with discernment to begin to grasp the necessary components of a truly "liberal arts education," and as educators how we can better train our children in the ways of truth, goodness, beauty, love, and finally in the way of Him who is singularly the way, the truth, and the life of all things.
October 13, 2021
Beauty in the Word takes a long, thoughtful look at education, focusing in on the classical Trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric, which he recasts as remembering, thinking, and communicating). Caldecott raises many good points and has many excellent things to say on the subject.
Despite that, I struggled to connect with the book. There was no "aha!", no glorious moment of kinship with the author, no beautiful passages that I desperately wanted to commonplace. Caldecott's writing just didn't grab me. Instead, it just sort of slid sluggishly past. That said, I know plenty of other people who absolutely adore this book and count it as lifechanging. So if you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler (especially if you enjoy discussions on the philosophy of education), it might be worth a read.
Despite that, I struggled to connect with the book. There was no "aha!", no glorious moment of kinship with the author, no beautiful passages that I desperately wanted to commonplace. Caldecott's writing just didn't grab me. Instead, it just sort of slid sluggishly past. That said, I know plenty of other people who absolutely adore this book and count it as lifechanging. So if you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler (especially if you enjoy discussions on the philosophy of education), it might be worth a read.
April 11, 2019
As I continue to work my way through the massive arsenal of books on the liberal arts tradition/ Classical Christian Education Beauty in the Word is an excellent thought-provoking read.
Stratford writes from a Catholic religious perspective and while I don't line up with his Catholicism he certainly writes a lot of beautiful and challenging truths to reflect on.
This book focuses on understanding what the Trivium (Grammar, Logic/Dialectic, Rhetoric) is. He takes great labors in revealing poetically the way God has designed us to encounter it. The depth that Stratford goes into on tracing the historical, philosophical, theological and overall ontological meaning of the trivium is outstanding.
Stratford writes from a Catholic religious perspective and while I don't line up with his Catholicism he certainly writes a lot of beautiful and challenging truths to reflect on.
This book focuses on understanding what the Trivium (Grammar, Logic/Dialectic, Rhetoric) is. He takes great labors in revealing poetically the way God has designed us to encounter it. The depth that Stratford goes into on tracing the historical, philosophical, theological and overall ontological meaning of the trivium is outstanding.
December 24, 2022
I've commonplaced more after from the first third of this book than most books I ever read. I'm thinking deeply about "the corrosive effects of technology for education" and the connection(s) between memory and self. As a one-time homeschooling mother, I can't help but ask: "how in the world can a child be formed as a human being if we don't teach her who she is?" ...And how can we possibly teach them who they are without memory?
As Cindy Rollins writes in her view, this book is more or less pure philosophy -- and I would be interested more in the "how" of education, particularly in Christian schools. I am also asking myself, how does this type of remembering happen in non-ideal ways (because no educational method is ideal), already? In public schools, in private schools?
As Cindy Rollins writes in her view, this book is more or less pure philosophy -- and I would be interested more in the "how" of education, particularly in Christian schools. I am also asking myself, how does this type of remembering happen in non-ideal ways (because no educational method is ideal), already? In public schools, in private schools?
March 4, 2023
I read this work with Cindy Rollins as my guide, reading short sections per week over the course of several months. There were sections that were profoundly beneficial that pertain to educating the humanness of children within the classical tradition shunning the modern view of classical education (i.e., Doug Wilson’s interpretation of Sayers essay). There were parts I personally found problematic as the author assumes a Catholic reader to be the target audience and also includes a reference to evolution. Some of it was just philosophically over my head. Those issues aside, I can appreciate the book as a whole, admiring the author for paving a road to rescue what has become of classical education.
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