Online Great Books Podcast

This week, Scott and Karl pick up another book by a recurring guest on the show, Walker Percy. Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book is more of a mock self-help book, designed not to help but to provoke.  Part satire part deadly serious, Percy's goal is to explore ideas of the self and expose the social ills which plague society as a result of "humanity's epic identity crisis."  However, the duo disagrees on how one deals with this problem of introspection. Scott asks, "Do you think it's possible for the mindful person to be introspective and avoid the problem of existentialism?" If you like to both chuckle and think hard, consider picking yourself up a copy, too. Don't forget to tune in next week for Part Two of Scott and Karl's discussion.  This podcast is brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com, a community dedicated to developing classically educated men and women using the Great Books of Western Civilization. 

Scott and Karl finish discussing the Rule of Saint Benedict, written over 1,500 years ago. Benedict's careful and comprehensive Rules outline a monastic day of work, prayer, and contemplation.  Karl says, "If you're going to do work and prayer, which is the Benedictine motto, this is a really great way to keep people working hard for lifetimes and have a life that they don't hate." The benefits that the Benedictine way of life can have on your day-to-day routine are hard to ignore. Prayer for Benedict was marked by regularity and fidelity, not mood or convenience. The spiritual life was something to be worked at, not merely hoped for. Scott says, "My days will be more regimented after reading this." The duo also chews on how this structure, however simple and pure, is really civilization-building. Scott adds, "You can point to Benedict when the trains run on time. There's a thread somehow between those two things." The Rule of Saint Benedict survives as a masterpiece of spiritual wisdom which is as meaningful today as it was when it was written in the sixth century. Tune in for Part Two of the duo's discussion on the Benedictine way of life, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl begin discussing the Rule of Saint Benedict, written by the father of Western monasticism. These rules have been used by the Benedictines for 15 centuries and act as a guide for religious communities or anyone wishing to live more simply.  Karl says, “It’s civilization stuff, it’s not papal stuff. Western civilization, probably all civilization, is monastic.” While the book was written for monks living collectively under the authority of an abbot, you'll find aspects of leadership, management, and community in these rules that could be useful in many different realms.  Tune in for Part One of the duo's discussion, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Volume One of Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative. The duo agrees, if there was anyone to write about the real Civil War, Shelby Foote was the man to do it.  Overflowing with color, life, and character, Foote is able to bring a novelist's narrative power to this great epic. In Karl's words, "this book is filled with perfect sentences."  Both as a historian and a novelist, this trilogy firmly places Foote in the ranks of the masters. Tune in for Part Two of Scott and Karl's conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week, Scott and Karl are discussing Volume One of Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative which is largely considered one of the great historical narratives of our century.  In Karl's words, this is the American Iliad. Originally published in 1958, Foote spent 20 years writing this classic narrative of the American Civil War which includes three compelling volumes: Fort Sumter to Perryville, Fredericksburg to Meridian, and Red River to Appomattox.  Foote describes himself as a novelist, not a historian. He is able to portray the characters in the conflict with honesty, celebrating the heroes on both sides. Karl says, "It takes a big soul to be able to see the humanity in all sides. This book does it."  Scott presents the case for why this book should be in the Western Canon. Do you agree? Tune in for Part One of the conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Edward Feser’s Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction.  The duo picks up where they left off last week, exploring Feser's arguments against scientism and the issues that arise when the scientific method implies moral truths or the limits of reality. Karl says, "It becomes a problem when the scientific method quits being a tool and becomes a metaphysics... things leap out of their proper spot."  Scott adds, "There are things about humans that are not explicable by scientism. Those things end up being entirely denied."  Tune in to learn more about Feser's contemporary introduction to scientism and what can happen to the human experience if it is reduced to the quantifiable. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.

Scott and Karl explore Edward Feser's Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction.  Published in 2014, Professor Feser provides an overview of scholastic metaphysics in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas, relying heavily on an appeal to reason.  Scott says, "The scholastics are the best at steel manning. They will investigate, and explore, and expand upon any possible objection to their case and refute them one by one."  Karl adds, "Think of it as a classroom of really smart people...it's a very charitable way to think." Scott and Karl discuss the style and approach of the scholastics, guided by the Aristotelian theory of actuality and potentiality.  Scott concludes, "The reliance on reason that the scholastics have is more rigorous, more generous, and more modern than most modern philosophy and even science." The duo also begins discussing the professor's arguments against scientism. Producer Brett provides us with a definition of scientism being an excessive belief in scientific knowledge both in its explanatory power and its ability to guide action.  Tune in to learn more about the illusion of scientism and the defense for scholasticism. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Lysander Spooner's 1870 essay No Treason No. 6: "The Constitution of No Authority."  While the duo believes Spooner is metaphysically wrong about the nature of government, this essay will leave you with a lasting impression. Karl asks, "How can you compel someone to stay in an organization which he freely joined? It turns out, government isn't contractual. It is based in violence."   While it may be a hard pill to swallow, be sure to tune in for Part Two of Scott and Karl's discussion. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.  

This week, Scott and Karl read Lysander Spooner's 1870 essay No Treason No. 6: "The Constitution of No Authority."  Spooner was an American anarchist, abolitionist, and legal theorist of the nineteenth century. He is known for competing with the U.S. Post Office with his American Letter Mail Company, later forced out of business by the United States government. Scott says, "The violent revolutionary approach to political change doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with anarchism. Anarchism, in the Spooner form, doesn't mean a free-for-all. It means organic laws and no overarching ruler."  In this essay, Spooner examines the potential validity and lasting authority of the U.S. Constitution as a binding contract between men. Karl asks the listeners, "Have you given consent to the Constitution? In what way did you give that consent? Is it because you haven't moved away?" Tune in for Part One of the duo's discussion. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.  

Scott and Karl finish their discussion of Martin Heidegger's ten-page lecture "What is Metaphysics?". A friend of the void, Heidegger's writing style isn’t for everyone. Karl points out, “Part of the problem with any of these early 20th-century continental philosophers is that you can get seduced by them. Every now and then you have to step back and say, ‘Yes he’s really smart but is he saying anything right?’ ” While Karl answers yes, Scott might disagree.  The duo continues to discuss Heidegger’s concept of nothingness and how human nature impinges itself on metaphysics. Scott says, “They are not metaphysical problems. They are people problems.” Tune in for Part Two of Scott and Karl's conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.