I think it's a good concept - I remember doing "Junior Great Books" in grade school.

I think I'd rather have an expert too, but it may be practically difficult.

We could have a Lavender Room Book club ;)

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We could have a Lavender Room Book club ;)

Yeah ... but who is gonna supply the crayons?

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

see also www.thegreatideas.org. Also Allan Bloom is a big "great ideas" guy. And yes they do all seem to be staid white guys in cardigans from the 50s...

St.Johns runs a great books liberal arts program which I think is an interesting idea. Not for everyone, but I'd imagine it would provide a rock solid education. It always amazed me to read the likes of Madison or Jefferson and to see the depth of their knowledge, which was rooted in the great books type education - they had an awesome ability to draw on writers of antiquity, biblical allusion, philosophy ... all without google! (whats even more amazing is that they assumed the general public would get these references... I'd say that assumption would be pretty crazy today).

I agree with you that egalitarian discussion groups may fall to the lowest common denominator. Just look at the depths to which this forum has descended. :) Even a moderately laissez-faire teacher can keep the discussion on track and make sure all the major points are covered. But OTOH a lot of good has come of informal coffee-house banter about ideas, I guess it just depends on the people and the setting.

On the subject of great books and "the history of everything", I'm a bit embarrased to admit it but I actually think that a "cliff's notes" type synopsis of the great works is a good idea. Frankly, I just don't have the time to wade through the classics of antiquity - from Homer to Hesiod and through the Greeks and then on to Cicero, Livy, etc. But I think it is important to have a framework in place - a rough sense of the intellectual development of humanity (although great books programs tend to be western-centric). One such "big picture" book I liked was "Ideas of the Great Philosophers" by Bryan Magee. This was a transcript of a series of conversations with modern philosophers about philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein. I think general background knowledge is particularly necessary as one continues to learn because of the organic progress of human thought - particulary in philosophy. Arguably one cant truly understand Kant without knowing about Hume and Hume without knowing about Descartes and so on back to Aristotle and Plato. So the framework has to be in place before adding new material. Or OTOH maybe I'm being too conservative and cautious and maybe random eclecticism can be more productive and fun?

Bottom line is its just nice to keep the old noggin fired up, and I dont think the prime time line up is well suited to this task. (with the exception of the Apprentice.)

Do not hurry. Do not rest. - GOETHE.