The term "classical" is often misunderstood.  Is classical music called classical because it is the oldest kind of music?  No, for music was unthinkably ancient before classical music was developed.  Is it so named because it is the best kind of music?  No, for people may disagree about which music is best and yet agree about which music is classical.  Because it is obsolete?  No, for a classical tradition can remain vibrantly alive, continuing to develop and give birth to new work.

The proper meaning of the term "classical" is none of these.  Rather it signifies, "Here is the body of work which sets the standard for all subsequent achievement."  This holds for classical traditions in all fields, not just music.  A classical tradition of thought, for instance, might not pose all the important questions, might not answer all those that they do pose, and might not give the right answers, but it sets the standard for what sort of things count as good questions and good answers.  So even if one rejects a classical tradition, one is most unwise to ignore it.