Imelda Chłodna-Błach
From Paideia to High Culture
A Philosophical-Anthropological Approach
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This publication was financially supported by the John Paul II Catholic
University of Lublin.
Cover Illustration : Clio, Muse of History.
Source: Bertel Thorvaldsen, CC0, via Thorvaldsen Museum
ISSN 2510-5353
ISBN 978-3-631-81161-0 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-82678-2 (E-PDF)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-82679-9 (EPUB)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-82680-5 (MOBI)
DOI 10.3726/b17161
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About the author
Imelda Chłodna-Błach, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Chair of Philosophy of Culture and Rhetoric of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL). Her scientific interests focus upon philosophy of culture and civilization and philosophy of education. She teaches philosophy, rhetoric, and cultural studies.
About the book
The purpose of this book is to show the philosophical and anthropological foundation of the dispute about culture, especially in the perspective of the opposition between high and low culture. By analysing the most important achievements of Western philosophical reflection, from the Greeks and Romans through medieval scholasticism to Christian personalism, the author defends the concept of high culture and reveals its metaphysical significance for the human condition. The book also brings out the meaning of the concept of culture, shedding new light upon the long-disputed philosophical questions: who is the creator and subject of culture, what is culture in its essence, and what is its superior purpose?
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Contents
Chapter 1 Classical culture – towards perfection
1. From valour to magnanimity – the way of the Greeks
1.1. THE OLD NOBILITY MODEL OF EDUCATION
1.2. DEMOCRACY – THE POPULARISATION OF THE IDEAL
1.3. PAIDÉIA DURING THE TIME OF THE ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY
1.3.1 Plato – from an ideal to an idea
1.3.1. The Sophists – paidéia for everyone
1.4. KALOKAGATHÍA AS THE CROWNING OF ALL VIRTUES
1.4.1. Plato – the philosopher as a model
1.4.2. Aristotle – towards the moral beauty
1.5. MEGALOPSYCHÍA (MAGNANIMITY) – THE CROWNING CULTURE
2. From paidéa to humanitas – the way of the Romans
2.1. CULTURE AS ANIMI CULTURA – TOWARDS HUMANITAS
2.2. THE MEETING OF CHRISTIANITY WITH THE GREEK PAIDÉIA AND THE ROMAN HUMANITAS
2.2.1. Does a Christian need paidéa?
2.2.2. The significance and the limits of humanitas
Chapter 2 The Christian Culture – from magnanimity to holiness
1. Greek aporias – a human or a person?
2. Christianity – a new concept of man
