Toward a Truly Ecumenical Wisdom

This concluding chapter uses Irving Babbitt’s educational philosophy as a starting point for an intellectually and ethically sound approach to the contemporary humanities. Although Babbitt did not present a defense of the humanities completely appropriate for our day and age, his ecumenical and comparatively broadminded approach can help ground a contemporary rationale that is both novel and satisfying. The chapter argues that contemporary humanists must vouch for the central importance of their subjects in part by expressing the ways in which masterworks of culture (from all intellectual traditions, not just Western ones) help contribute to the creation of better human beings.