Online Great Books Podcast

Scott and Karl Schudt discuss what an Online Great Books seminar is like -- the experience, what it should be, and what it is not. Many people interested in reading the great books balk at the seminar aspect of OGB out of fear that they won't have anything useful to contribute, that they may not be smart or educated enough to participate, or perhaps because of the vulnerability of speaking in front of a group. Scott and Karl explain why the seminar experience is for anyone, why your voice and opinion matters and should be heard, and what to expect when you sign up for your first seminar.   Use the discount OGBPODCAST to save 25% on enrollment at Online Great Books.

Scott and Online Great Books member John Syc, a therapist and LCSW from Hamden, CT, discuss the concept of authenticity in speech and discussion, and the various ways people sabotage their participation in discussions. Not only do people rob themselves of value with inauthentic speech, they also do disservice to the group. The Socratic model relies upon honest engagement in conversation, and learning to become vulnerable in voicing one's thoughts and opinions is an important aspect of discovery and learning.   Authenticity could be described as speaking your mind in a genuine manner, that is, expressing your thoughts in spite of the potential reactions of others. To dispense with PC culture, as it were. The seminars at Online Great Books are intended to provide a space for exploring and testing your values and ideas through discussion. Therefore participation in the discussion -- more importantly, genuine participation in the discussion -- is critical. The seminars rely on the idea of "learning through doing" and the seminar leaders explicitly act as guides rather than teachers. They serve as mediators and perhaps mentors, with the goal of helping you discover and hone your own ideas, no theirs.   Nevertheless, there are many inauthentic ways people participate in discussions. Perhaps the most common example is the devil's advocate, the person who takes a contrary stance. While the devil's advocate is an important role, one which both seminar leaders and participants will sometimes assume to challenge and hone the ideas of another, it is tempting to hide behind the position to avoid voicing a strong opinion of your own. Other people playing the devil's advocate may do so merely out of disagreeableness or combativeness, rather than a genuine attempt to challenge others for their growth. They misrepresent themselves, and thus alienate themselves from the group, having deprived the group of forming a real connection to them.   The silent participant is another offender. Saying nothing at all is better than saying something which might offend, the thinking goes. Or perhaps anxiety or self-esteem prevents them from voicing an opinion that may be challenged, attacked, or ignored. Either way they rob themselves of the value of the discussion, to explore their values and understand why they believe what they believe. Furthermore, they deprive the group of its lifeblood, discussion, and undermine the very thing they thought they would preserve by not speaking up in the first place.   That's not to say that silence can sometimes be authentic. Occasionally, you may not have anything to say, or may not have taken anything of value from the text, in which case playing the role of observer accurately represents your experience. If this is you, Scott encourages you to speak up and say that. Likely there are other group members who feel the same way, and stating your experience can spark conversation that explores why the group had the experience, and what that reveals about the text in question.   You can find out more about John and his therapy practice at: https://www.johnsyc.com   Use the discount OGBPODCAST to save 25% on enrollment at Online Great Books.

Online Great Books seminar leader and former advertising executive Malachy Walsh joins the podcast again to discuss everyone's least favorite school subject -- composition. Many people dread writing, either because of grammar, a tenuous grasp of dialect, or simply because they are not sure what they have to say. Malachy has developed a writing course for OGB to help people write fluently and confidently, and, most importantly, with a purpose.   Malachy's writing education began in Catholic primary school, but was really informed by his experience in advertising. Early in his career he trained as one of the first "account planners" in North America, and faced the challenge of writing coherently about his clients goals and objectives.    In Malachy's course, students don't spend much time on writing per se. Instead they spend time learning to better formulate their thoughts using the Socratic method of asking questions. To Malachy, effective writing involves planting a question in the reader's mind which begs to be answered. Without the question, writing has no purpose. Indeed, Malachy's method assigns a job to the piece of writing. There are three basic types of "jobs" for writing: Conveying knowledge or information, answering the questions: who, what, why, where, and how? Persuasion, or explaining the value of things. Answering the question: what do people currently think, feel, or do, and what do I want them to think, feel, or do? Ceremonial or evocative, for creating emotional effect. This writing deals with drama and questions of conflict.  

Brett McKay of Art of Manliness fame joins Online Great Books owner Scott Hambrick to discuss Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, a narrative poem best known by the titles of its three constituent parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.   Dante's tale blends Christian theology and human reason, exploring the nature of sin and redemption. Virgil, the pre-Christian author of  The Aeneid, serves as Dante's (the character) guide through the Hell and Purgatory as well as a symbol of human reason. Meanwhile, Dante's childhood crush and self-described "perfect woman" Beatrice guides him through Heaven. Along the way Dante the author paints a picture of Hell that informs modern depictions to this day: fire, brimstone, lurid and gory punishments.

You've heard her in the OGB staff seminar discussions, now she's joined the podcast to tell Scott her encounters with the Great Books. Marsha Enright developed a strong interest in education and the problems with modern public education at a young age. As a young woman she studied objectivism with followers of Ayn Rand in New York City in the 70's, occasionally discussing questions with Rand herself (who was in her 70's at the time). Later as a mother, dissatisfied with the schooling options available to her children, Marsha sought out Montessori schools in Chicago where she met a gifted and influential teacher. Together they founded their own Montessori academy in Beverly Hills/Morgan Park in southwest Chicago..   Since then, Marsha has furthered her lifelong interest in education by joining Online Great Books as a seminar leader. She has also developed an introductory reading course for new students at OGB aimed at helping them grapple with the abstractions of the sometimes difficult or obtuse texts on the reading list. Unfortunately many adults had traumatic experiences reading difficult and important texts in the classroom -- like Shakespeare in high school -- which puts them off reading for life. They feel that they aren't prepared, or that they aren't smart enough, for the kind of reading that OGB asks of its participants. So Marsha has developed a program to help readers learn to engage with more difficult texts, work through antiquated language (Marsha describes English as "a crazy car crash of languages"), and build a foundation of ideas that they can use to understand the complex concepts presented in works like Plato's Republic or Aristotle's Ethics. Throughout her endeavors, a passion for knowledge and guiding others to self-improvement shines bright.   Marsha is a regular in the roundtable discussions on the Great Books, so tune in to the recent episodes on Plato's Republic (#12-14) to hear more from her!   You can find Marsha online at: The Fountainhead Institute The Great Connections Leap Year -- for graduating high school students wishing to explore the world before committing to college, trade school, or other paths. Marsha also contributed an essay exploring what education would look like in a freer society to Kirsten Lombard's book Common Ground on Common Core

The Online Great Books crew wraps up their exploration of Plato's Republic in the third and final roundtable with Scott, Karl, Marsha, Malachy, and John. They grapple with the question of whether The Republic is a practical manual for government or really a thought experiment, performed out of a deep love for wisdom and reason.

Scott Hambrick and the OGB seminar leaders tackle the first five books of Plato's Republic, wrestling with Socrates' central question "what is justice?" and arguing whether Plato intended the Republic as a manual for government or political satire. Malachy Walsh leads the discussion.

In today’s episode Scott chats with fellow Great Books educator Adam Rose. Mr. Rose is a University of Chicago alum and, since 1993, an instructor for the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults offered by the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. The Basic Program is a four-year, non-credit course for adults, first established by Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler in 1946. The mission of the Basic Program is, first and foremost, to assist adults in their ongoing personal and civic self-development by facilitating critical, collaborative, first-hand engagement with great works of the mind. This is accomplished by reading the Great Books and discussing in seminars using the Socratic method.   In addition to his work with the Basic Program, Adam lectures on a number of topics related to the Great Books. He is a prolific writer as well, and a selection of his writings, lectures, and more can be found on his website: https://www.adamrose.com/home/about/

Our dear Reader-in-Chief, Scott Hambrick, appeared on the Canon Ball Podcast (an Agora Podcast Network show) to talk about Edmund Burke, Voltaire, and discuss their influence on thoughts about the French Revolution.    From the Canon Ball Podcast episode description: Daniel from the Canon Ball is joined by Scott Hambrick from www.onlinegreatbooks.com for an intimate chat about Burke's thoughts on the French Revolution and Voltaire's reflections on the English!   Many thanks to Daniel for featuring us on the Canon Ball Podcast, and giving us permission to repost here!  

Scott and the seminar leaders at Online Great Books discuss Book I of Plato's Republic. The central question posed by Socrates -- what is justice? -- is the focal point of Book I. Socrates discusses with three companions the nature of justice. Cephalus offers a definition of justice of that which owed. Polemarchus says justice is "the art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies." Thrasymachus proclaims "justice is nothing else than the interest of the stronger."