Online Great Books Podcast

This week, Scott and Karl are off, so we'll flashback to July 2019, for a very relevant conversation from a very different world. Scott and OGB producer Brett discuss pedagogy and dominant learning theories, as Scott aspires to be a better Starting Strength coach and a more effective interlocutor at Online Great Books. We begin our discussion with an exploration of the common learning theories practiced in public school and higher education, along with a cost/benefit analysis of each: behaviorism, cognitivism, and (social) constructivism. We also touch on connectivism and mindset theory. Originally recorded for School Sucks Podcast.

This week, Scott and Karl finish their discussion of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a heavy fandom collection of mythopoeic stories that form a complete history of Middle Earth.  The duo agrees— don't read this unless you’ve read the big trilogy first. Karl adds, “I think it’s very good. If Tolkien is as big of a part of your life as it is in mine, then you’ve got to read The Silmarillion.” Will Tolkien eventually make the Great Books list? Scott says, "I think that through the fog of time and through bit rot that will destroy a lot of histories, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion will take on a historical aspect." Tune in for Part Two of Scott and Karl's conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.   

This week, Scott and Karl begin their discussion of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a collection of mythopoeic stories that form a complete history of Middle Earth. Until 1977, these manuscripts were unpublished until his son, Christopher Tolkien, edited them posthumously.  Producer Brett warns, "If you don't know what The Silmarillion is, you might be stepping into a rabbit hole... but you'll be better for it."  The Silmarillion is actually Tolkien's first book and also his last. It shows us the ancient history to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, talk, rhyme, and sing about. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his entire life. Tune in for Part One of the duo's conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.   

This week, Scott and Karl finish their discussion of John Dewey's essay, "Challenge to Liberal Thought."  Written in his later life, Dewey expands on his criticisms of the Great Books of Western Civilization enterprise and a liberal arts education.  The duo agrees— this is shoddy work to say the least. At the end of their conversation, Scott says, “This is just not very good. I wonder, how did these people get the traction that they got? Why do our intellectual overlords keep telling us we need to read Dewey?"   Tune in to hear the rest of Scott and Karl's response to Dewey's essay.  Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

In the tradition of intellectual fairness, Scott and Karl read from someone they don’t agree with this week. Toted as the 'King of Progressive Philosophers', John Dewey was an educational reformer active throughout the first half of the 20th century. He left a very significant, progressive mark on the public school system.  His essay "Challenge to Liberal Thought" can be found in The Later Works of John Dewey, Volume 15 which focuses on his writings between the years 1942 to 1948. This particular essay expands on his criticisms of the Great Books of Western Civilization enterprise and a liberal arts education.  Scott says, “This is a utopian, managerial approach to social sciences that’s pretty gross.... If you've never read Dewey, this encapsulates progressives' whole attitude and approach to managing people." Tune in to hear Scott and Karl's response to Dewey's essay, and be sure to tune in next week for Part Two. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their two-part discussion of Robert Maynard Hutchins' 1952 essay "The Great Conversation: Substance of a Liberal Education." The Great Conversation is the ongoing process of the best writers and thinkers of Western Civilization referencing, building on, and refining the work of their predecessors. According to Hutchins, "The tradition of the West is embodied in the Great Conversation that began in the dawn of history and that continues to the present day." Tune in to hear Scott and Karl's hot takes surrounding this essay. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

In 1943, two University of Chicago educators, Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, launched a series of Great Books seminars with prominent Chicagoans. By 1952, Hutchins had penned "The Great Conversation," an essay promoting the Great Books of the Western World published by Encyclopædia Britannica and intended for the masses.  The Great Conversation embodies the tradition of the West that began in the dawn of history and continues to the present day— a tradition Online Great Books strives to keep alive.  Both Alder and Hutchins point out that these books act as a principal instrument of liberal education. “Until lately the West has regarded it as self-evident that the road to education lay through great books,” Hutchins writes.  However, Scott and Karl disagree on Hutchins' metaphysical judgment of the books lodged in his salesmanship. Scott says, "I think they need to be read because there is something divine and special about these books and they are edifying to the individual."  Karl adds, "I think you should read the Great Books, dear listener. I don't think necessarily everyone ought to read the Great Books. More people ought to read them than do, but a lot of people can't read."  Tune in to learn more about the substance of a liberal education. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Joel Salatin's book Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale.  Success with domestic livestock does not require large land bases. Salatin's goal is to raise animals that yield integrity edible food as evidence of his family's Polyface Farm in Virginia. Scott says, "He's an efficiency expert."  Karl continues, "It's like reading Aristotle. Of course that's the way logic is! But you didn't know it until you read it."  Salatin leaves everything on the table— no trade secrets, no locked doors. Whether you’re a new or seasoned homesteader, you’ll find tips and inspiration as Joel coaches you toward success and abundance. This conversation is brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week and next, Scott and Karl explore Joel Salatin's book Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale.  Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm produces pastured beef, pork, chicken, eggs, turkeys, rabbits, lamb, and ducks, servicing roughly 6,000 families and 50 restaurants in the farm’s bioregion. Karl says, "His absolute conviction and his brilliance at systems come through. He figures out a way that it can work." Salatin believes that success with domestic livestock does not require large land bases. Whether you live in an apartment in a big city or on a farm as a seasoned homesteader, you’ll find tips and inspiration as Joel coaches you towards more abundant living. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Walker Percy's 1983 book Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book.  Percy's contribution to the self-help book craze deals with the Western mind's tendency toward heavy abstraction. With that, he invites readers to think about how we communicate with our world. The duo dives into Percy's take on the problem with the self and the way that language works. Karl says, "You can see the cosmos around you but you can also see what it could be... because you have a world that has meaning but it may not be physical."  Does Percy see that ability as a gift or a curse?  Scott warns, "This is a particular kind of book that is not about the blessings of humanness." Tune in for Part Two to hear Scott and Karl's opinion on the matter. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.