Thursday, October 7, 2010

Return of the Classical

Although it ultimately simplifies too much, it is still useful to think of the history of Western culture as a pendulem swinging between classical values and romantic values. Right now, we are in sort of a postmodern romantic mode for the most part. Television, movies, music, advertisements, even comic books generally promote a subjectivist individualism ("just listen to your heart!").

But the classical impulse never entirely disappears, even if it has not had much traction lately in the larger culture. This article on recent classical architecture is a case in point. Here and there, artists rediscover the value of classical ideals, with good results. It is possible that classical attitudes will never again become dominant, but they won't entirely die out.

A question about all this: what is the Christian response to embracing the classical vision for the postmodern world? The classical mind is not inherently Christian, but is there something in the classical mind that comports well with certain elements of the Christian faith? Christians thoughout the ages, both Catholic and Protestant, have thought so. But Christians for the most part today do not now see much value in the virtues of the classical orientation.