The Moral Imagination

Vigen Guroian: Fairy Tales, Classical Learning, and The Moral Imagination

Apr 5, 2023

01:08:23

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Episode notes

Introduction

2min

Tending the Heart of Virtue

3min

The Importance of Children's Stories and Fairy Tales in Shaping Moral Imagination

3min

The Importance of Understanding Pinocchio

3min

The Conundra Patient With Adults

3min

Pinocchio: The Making Good

3min

The Importance of Stories for Children

2min

The Importance of Memories

3min

The Chest of Lewis's Argumentation

3min

10.

The Moral Imagination

2min

11.

The Idiotrous Imagination

2min

12.

The Diabolical Idol

2min

13.

The Ugly Duckling and the Triumph of Beauty

2min

14.

The Ugly Duckling

2min

15.

The Ugly Duckling

4min

16.

The Ugly Duckling and the Moral Imagination

2min

17.

The Little Mermaid

1min

18.

The Mysteries of Life and Children's Literature

2min

19.

The Importance of Joy in Life

2min

20.

The Triumph of Beauty in the Nightingale

2min

21.

The Different Kinds of Pinocchio

2min

22.

Where the Wild Things Are

3min

23.

The Power of Stories

2min

24.

The Relationship of Pinocchio to His Father

2min

25.

The Importance of Friendship in Fables

5min

26.

The Mentor-Mentee Relationship

2min

27.

The Moral Imagination: A Guide to Reading Grimms

4min

In this episode I speak with Professor Vigen Gurioan about the revised and expanded edition of his book Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Imagination. We discuss the power of stories, how they help can us develop self-knowledge, and how fairy tales and classic stories are essential for education and moral formation for children — and for adults. Fairy tales and classic stories can impress upon us profound philosophical and often theological insights about life and death, the good and beautiful, the value of courage and nobility, and importance of self-sacrifice for love. Stories, themes, and thinkers we we discuss include

Hans Christian Anderson
The Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
George McDonald
Pinocchio, honor, honesty, and the responsibility of children to their parents
The Ugly Duckling, courage, and the desire for beauty
The Wind and the Willows, Charlotte’s Web, and friendship of equality and friendship of mentors
Good Wishes and Bad Wishes
Joseph Pieper and Dietrich von Hildebrand on joy as a the superabundant fruit of love and self-gift
Charles Dickens
C.S. Lewis
Edmund Burke
Aristotle on Friendship and more