The eight lectures compiled here were given in St. Petersburg at the turn of the 20th century by a man of the East who was an expert on the Classical West. Combining vigorous advocacy for classical education with a comprehensive overview of its relevance to the modern world, Our Debt to Antiquity is a brisk defense of high intellectual aspiration. The author uses numerous examples from Latin and Greek to unlock the riches of Antiquity, which are primarily useful in helping expand our ‘ways of seeing’ and attaining the mental freedom to change our minds. Dismissing the fashions and moods of men, his theme is the hidden causes by which individuals and groups are able to learn and evolve. He sweeps away all appeals to modern trends without ever becoming precious or reactionary. Anyone who has ever argued for an unpopular cause will recognise the the skill and delicacy with which Tadeusz Zielinski works.