Therefore, one's answers to these questions have very important implications for how one chooses to earn a living. It is difficult to teach a person how to live wisely. We all derive our wisdom from careful reflection on our experience, and this reflection can be made more profound by considering the reflections of others who have had similar experiences. That is to say, we can benefit from the wisdom others have attained. A great books education creates an educational environment conducive to the learning of wisdom.
Classes are small, personal, and largely discussion based.
The small class size and the discussion format encourage each student to be actively involved in consideration of important issues, and they allow the course of the discussion to be tailored to the concerns of the students. The writings of the most influential thinkers of our cultural tradition are studied, which provides many thought-provoking insights into the fundamental questions. A great books education is not for everyone. In order to benefit from such an education, a student has to be highly motivated, mature enough to realize the importance of such a focus, and self-disciplined. David Crabtree, who holds an M.A. in classical Greek and a Ph.D. in history, has been a teacher at McKenzie Study Center since 1982.