Smiling Through the Cultural Catastrophe: Toward the Revival of Higher Education
According to Hart (English, Dartmouth Coll.), the interaction  between Athens and Jerusalem, between philosophical-scientific  ideas and scriptural-moral thought, has made Western  civilization unique. Similarly, the literature of Western  civilization from the Iliad and Exodus, to the Divine Comedy and  Hamlet, and on to Crime and Punishment and The Great Gatsby has  continued this "dialectical tension," the melding of these two  seemingly opposite premises. Hart believes that it is imperative  that college students continue to study Western civilization and  its literature but asserts that more and more institutions of  higher learning have pushed such courses aside, favoring the  more politically correct concept of multiculturalism. Hart's  ideas aren't necessarily new, but his call to arms is justified.  Studying the dichotomy between Athens and Jerusalem forces us to  examine not only other cultures but also our own prejudices. The  tension created between intellect and faith, Hart rightfully  suggests, aids freedom and democracy. Primarily for academic and  larger public libraries. Terry Christner, Hutchinson P.L., KSCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.