There is a growing movement in the academy, where term-papers littered with multi-syllabled words such as diversity and inclusion prove intellect and virtue, to discourage the learning of Aristotle, Cicero, Tacitus, and Plato. The Classics are symbols of too much 'whiteness.' Is this another example of the madness of the progressive 'woke?' Essayists Andrew Sullivan thinks so.
Racial “whiteness” as a concept would, of course, have been all but meaningless to all the ancient writers I grew to love. It’s beyond even an anachronism. How on earth do you reduce the astonishing variety and depth and breadth of texts from an ancient Mediterranean world to a skin color? How do you read Aristotle and conclude that the most salient quality of his genius was that he was “white”?
To read essay, click here.