Classical Education: A Remedy for the Progressing Degradation of Western Culture. International Conference in Warsaw

Ordo Iuris

• An international conference titled “Reclaiming Classical Education” took place at the Stańczyk Club in Warsaw. It was organized by the Ordo Iuris Educational Center, together with Hungary’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC).

• Experts from Poland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, France, the USA, Canada, Australia, Slovakia, and Turkey participated in the event.

• The goal of the conference was to present various perspectives on classical education and promote this educational model as the best remedy for the crisis currently facing schools and universities.

The “Reclaiming Classical Education” Conference took place on June 2 in the Warsaw Stańczyk Club The event was a joint initiative of the Educational Center of the Ordo Iuris Institute and Hungary’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium. The conference was a continuation of discussions initiated in Brussels at the beginning of 2024, aimed at revitalizing interest in this form of education.

The participants of the Warsaw conference included, among others, Nicholas Tate – a historian, former director general of institutions overseeing curriculum programs in England, and an advisor to several education ministers in the UK; János Setényi – the Director of the Learning Institute at Mathias Corvinus Collegium; Dr. Artur Górecki – a historian, educator, a former special representative of the Minister of Education and Science and the Director of the Department of General Education and Core Curricula at the Polish Ministry of Education and Science, currently the director of the Ordo Iuris Educational Center, as well as a lawyer, as well as Advocate Jerzy Kwaśniewski, the president of Ordo Iuris.

Jerzy Kwaśniewski, in his speech at the opening of the conference, emphasized that this is an extremely important event, as the discussion about the shape of education concerns the future of our nations and entire civilization. He also admitted that recently the Polish liberal government has been fighting against everything associated with classical culture in Polish schools, but the result of the presidential election restores hope for the return of classical education to schools.

Milán Constantinovits, the Director of Professional and Educational Affairs at MCC, stated in his speech that the diversity of knowledge and experience gathered at the conference of experts shows that we are united and share a common goal, which is the survival of classical education.

In his opening statement János Setényi from MCC referred to the practical aspects of reintroducing classical education into the education system. He invoked the principles that conservative circles should follow in their efforts to bring classical culture back to schools.

Dr. Artur Górecki from Ordo Iuris stated that we are currently witnessing an unprecedented degradation of Western Latin culture, characterized by a severing of ties with its own roots. He also defined the concept of classical education as a program and process of teaching and upbringing aimed at the full development of human nature.

Nicholas Tate spoke in his speech about the relationships between education and the nation-state from a British perspective. He also referred to the concept of “oikophobia,” which seems to be reinforced by the current education system.

The first panel of the conference was dedicated to the concept of classical education and the need to restore it in schools. The panel participants were: Thibaud Gibelin (historian and political scientist, MCC), Alka Sehgal Cuthbert (director of Don't Divide Us, MCC), Szabolcs Nagypál (Head of the Center for Law and Society, MCC), and Artur Górecki from Ordo Iuris.

In the second panel, the issue of the manifestations of postmodernism in today's education system was addressed. Participants in the discussion included: Richard Fodor (MCC), Cornelis Schilt (Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Lux Mundi Foundation), Joanna Williams (Visiting Fellow at MCC, essayist and author, among others, of How Woke Won and Women vs. Feminism), Nicholas Tate, Alex Standish (University College London), and Dr. Artur Górecki from Ordo Iuris.

Joanna Williams, editor of the book ”Reclaiming Classical Education,” highlighted in her speech the problems and challenges of the current education system, as well as the need to present classical education as an attractive alternative to the prevailing model. 

Liliana Śmiech, the General Director for International Affairs at Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, also spoke about education during the Polish People's Republic, as a tool of the communist regime to shape loyal citizens. We are dealing with a similar, though more subtle manifestation of such a view on education even today, she emphasized.

The next panel was dedicated to the challenges and opportunities of implementing classical education in schools, and its participants included: Dennis Hayes (University of Derby, UK), Stuart Waiton (Abertay University, UK), Mike Gonzales (The Heritage Foundation, USA), János Setényi (MCC), Suay Acikalin (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Turkey), and Liliana Śmiech.

The last panel discussion focused on local and international initiatives aimed at promoting classical education in society. The panel included: Jonathan Butcher (The Heritage Foundation), Martin Luteran (Anton Neuwirth College in Slovakia), Dr. Paweł Milcarek – a philosopher and an editor of the weekly Christanitas, Paige McPherson (Canada’s Fraser Institute) and Glenn Fahey (Australia's Center for Independent Studies).

“This event was an opportunity to present various perspectives on how classical education can be understood. Everyone agreed on one thing: Classical education is the only realistic alternative to the liberal-left madness of the ideologically-driven, top-down model of education,” said Dr. Artur Górecki, the Director of the Ordo Iuris Educational Center.

Photo: Tomasz Daniluk/Ordo Iuris