New Gem | No More Learning

We see noisy little
fellows measuring themselves with the Romans
as though they were like them: they burrow in
the remains of the Greek poets, as if these
were corpora for their dissection — and as villa
as their own well - educated corpora might be.

Word:

dissection

Question:

Why do some people try to measure themselves against the Romans and study the Greek poets as if they were objects for dissection?

Answer (optional):

The passage is not answering the previously asked question about people trying to measure themselves against the Romans and studying Greek poets as if they were objects for dissection. Instead, it is discussing the topic of historical education and how it affects modern personality. The passage suggests that modern philosophy and historical education are often bound by politics, official institutions, and cowardice, leading to a mere phantasmagoria of learning. The author argues that only strong personalities can endure history, and the weak are extinguished by it. The passage also discusses the tendency of historical neuters to regard history as neutral and objective, leading to an unhealthy prejudice in favor of objectivity over subjectivity.