Atheism Is Irrational (argued C.S. Lewis)
The humanities matter in a world dominated by scientific thought and technological advances because without the humanities we can’t think about science and technology properly
philosophy
The Pains of Life-Long Learning
When can the steady, plodding, often frustrating, and rarely instantly gratifying pursuit of philosophy get a word in edgewise? Where can its spark alight in hearts besotted with flame retardant pleasures?
A Doorway to Plato
A review of David Diener’s “Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator”
The Pleasures of Philosophy
In an unpublished essay, “Philosophy as a Hobby,” written in 1936, philosopher Gordon H. Clark describes the philosopher as one, “who attempts to understand the relationships between any two human interests.” Aristotle, for example, “summed up in systematic form the guiding principles of a closing era,” when he defined, “the State as the partnership which …
Obvious Does Not Mean Basic
This afternoon, I will be participating in a Podcast on Hamlet in which I hope to invite people to read Shakespeare’s play and to look for what is obvious. Meanwhile, I’m reading the Iliad for the Apprenticeship and have been thinking quite a bit about how to read and to teach it. My teaching mantra …
A Symposium with Aristotle
It is said that one day the Caliph Mamun saw a bald-headed man with a long beard and broad forehead sitting on his private couch. In awe and with a trembling voice the Caliph inquired: “Who are you?” The man replied, “I am Aristotle.” – 9th century Islamic legend For most of the evening, I …
What is an idea?
It isn’t a substance; that’s an idea embodied. It isn’t a sentence; that’s an idea verbalized. It isn’t knowable, but it’s already known. Without it, every attempt to know anything ends in frustration and even despair, if the learner tries long enough to know without it. If you think you know it, then you don’t …
What is the Difference between Classical and Conventional Education?
The heart of the difference between classical and conventional education is not in curriculum or teaching methods, though those are affected. The heart of the issue is in goals and beliefs. Our practices often entangle us so much that we can’t get back to the things that matter most. The biggest difference is theological. Conventional …
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