Non scholae, sed vitae discimus: what does it mean?
If you knew Latin, you would know. But why study Latin and the Classical Humanities? We'll answer this question with Cicero's own words:
Nescire autem quid ante quam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum. Quid enim est aetas hominis, nisi ea memoria rerum veterum cum superiorum aetate contexitur? "Not knowing what happened before you were born is to be stuck in childhood forever. What does a person's life amount to without the historical consciousness that weaves one's life into the life of earlier generations?" Cicero, Orator XXXIV.
Latin is in our culture, in our language, in our history, in our institutions, in our music, in our sciences, in our religions. Its influence remains as strong as ever, in all fields of human intellectual achievement. If you study English, French, Italian, Spanish, or German, the benefits of studying also Latin are tangible.
If you are interested in literature, law, history, myths, art, find out where it all begun. Studying and knowing Latin gives us the ability to better interpret and understand the world around us, because nos sumus tempora: quales sumus, talia sunt tempora (Augustine). If you learn Latin, you will be standing on the shoulders of giants.
For more information, please contact, Dr. Jared Hammad at hammad@chapman.edu or (714) 997-6843.