La philologie classique et l’apprentissage de la lecture intelligente

Abstract

This article does not aim to justify the rank of the Sciences of Antiquity at French University in the name of their inner interest, which is obviously linked to the importance of classical culture in the world history. These theoretical sciences are indirectly considered as the indispensable auxiliaries at the service of a practical discipline, the worth of which is much more universal: the classical philology. A two-thousand-year-old tradition has confided the teaching of the expert reading and understanding of texts to this eminently pedagogic discipline, which nowadays still seems more appropriate to develop critical mind and esprit de finesse than any other. Therefore, for this very reason at least, the Sciences of Antiquity are essential because they are the only ones to provide, for this discipline teaching slow reading, materials and methods enabling classical scholars to train primary and secondary school teachers worthy of the name; and enabling these teachers to teach intelligent reading in primary and secondary schools. To make an attempt on the Sciences of Antiquity and classical philology at French University amounts to undermine the whole foundations of the educational system, and to make our children mere cash registers instead of lucid, critical and intelligent citizens.

Keywords

• classical philology
• reading
• education
• Weil Henri
• Egger Émile
• Ritschl Friedrich