The Humanist Project of Werner Jaeger in Paideia

Abstract

This article contextualizes and discusses the humanist project formulated by Werner Jaeger (1888-1961), one of the most important German philologists of the 20th century, in his most iconic work, Paideia. The Ideals of Greek Culture, which appeared between 1933-1944. Relevant information is first provided on the importance of the work from a historical and scientific (philological) point of view. Then Jaeger’s central proposal is questioned—that of the construction of a historical-philosophical concept that runs through the history of the Greeks and permeates all subsequent European culture, namely, paideia. This term synthesizes the meaning of the “being of man” in history in the form of a new humanism. Some of the most important works that have been published in this regard are analyzed, most of which have accurately questioned the philosophy of Jaegerian history, but also have set aside the consideration of far-reaching problems regarding the idea of the “human,” the education, the “European,” or, finally, their reception in Mexico by intellectuals such as Alfonso Reyes or Octavio Paz. This work seeks to shed light on the different theoretical lines and traditions that come together in Paideia, elements necessary both to judge the work in its complexity and to renew current debates on the idea of humanity or humanism.