Books That Inspire 2003
 
The Greeks
H.D.F. Kitto


This book by a British classical scholar changed my life. It was assigned reading for a social science course I took as a college sophomore, 44 years ago. At that point in my education, I was being brought to rethink my ill-informed notion that mathematics and the natural sciences are the only areas of inquiry with solid intellectual foundations. Kitto’s book, while not really intended as a history, introduced me to the possibilities of making sense of the human world through historical study. I continue to admire Kitto’s achievement in recalling to life so important a part of the past.
contributor_image
Kenneth Taylor
Professor
History of Science