Hirsch wrote a thesis in which he explained that within every culture, there are myths, narratives, terms, heros and beliefs that must be taught to children in order for them to be successful participants in the culture. He called this minimum level of "cultural literacy" core knowledge.
This has blossomed into a remarkable collection of literature and expertise that is worth the time required to read it and understand it. Personally I like it a lot! Perhaps out of a bias which greatly respects the knowledge and philosophy of mean and women both recently and long since dead.