Practical Paideia

Lindsey Ralls (Summit Christian Academy)

The more I study the New Testament, the more I recognize how much Jesus values humility. Whether he is directly addressing it (like in Luke 14:11 and James 4:6-7), or making more of an indirect reference (like with the rich young ruler), humility is clearly something Jesus desires in his followers. 

Over the past few months, I keep asking the question, “where is humility in the classical virtues?” Aristotle mentions temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude … but no humility. To me, it feels like a glaring omission and I started asking “why”. It turns out that it was not an oversight (of course it wasn’t…it’s Aristotle we’re talking about) but an intentional decision. Aristotle defined humility as claiming that you are worth less than what you are truly worth. As a result, being humble meant you were insincere and since to him, sincerity is a virtue, then humility could not be one. Now, he didn’t think we should be proud or arrogant, he simply felt that we should be honest about who we are and take the middle ground (which goes back to the virtue of temperance). Aristotle would argue that children, on the other hand, should be humble because they really were less important, and less knowledgeable than the adults around them. This made me laugh.

When I read this, I couldn’t help but be really sad. If only Aristotle had lived a few hundred years later and had been able to meet the One who could have shown him his real worth. I think there are parts of his thinking that are true. Temperance and moderation are important, and there’s value in not being arrogant or self-deprecating. But, what’s missing is the gospel. When we recognize that we have all sinned, and that we have a savior who died for us, humility is a natural biproduct. 

In the classroom (and in today’s culture in general), I think we still see reflections of Aristotle’s thinking. It’s a faux pas to admit that you are not good at something (just listen to anyone’s response to the interview question of “what’s your greatest weakness”). I think we also see the opposite approach often in students, who gravitate towards the other extreme and take the defeatist approach, constantly saying things like, “I’m just horrible at math” or “I can’t get anything right”. As teachers (and as Christians), our job is to recognize these behaviors and point our students to the gospel. When I hear comments like these, (even in my own children) I generally say something like, “no! you’re smart” or “well, not with that attitude”. A better response would be to point them to the gospel; to remind them that yes they are a sinner and they aren’t perfect, but that they are created in the image of God and are incredible valuable in His eyes.