Category Archives: truth for its own sake

The Prodigal Son and The Prodigal Mind: Our Lord’s Parable for Educators

Posted on March 29, 2019 by

Our Lord’s parable about the man who had two sons, upon the younger of whom tradition has bestowed the sobriquet ‘prodigal,’  provides an excellent lesson for parents everywhere who are concerned about the education of their children. I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambrose, Augustine, Catena Aurea, college, education, liberal education, soul, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Case for Bribery

Posted on March 18, 2019 by

How appalling! I am absolutely shocked! Simply dumbfounded! How could anyone do something so wicked? I mean, can you imagine bribing an admission officer at a prestigious college or university? Who would ever dream of such a thing? How could … Continue reading →

Posted in aeschylus, catholic education, classical education, college, Socrates, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Do Children Know How to Educate Themselves?

Posted on January 12, 2019 by

Whatever one may say about our twenty-eighth president’s views about The United States’ role as promoter of democracy and capitalism and interventionism throughout the world, I think we have to give him whole-hearted applause for his views on authentic liberal … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, education, liberal education, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Most Important Virtues That No One Talks About.

Posted on June 29, 2018 by

Sometimes I wonder if the stories that we have all heard concerning saints who did not appear to be intellectually gifted might mislead many people into thinking that sanctity does not require any special focus on the development of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, catholic education, liberal education, truth for its own sake, virtue | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Five Good Reasons to Avoid Being Educated

Posted on October 28, 2017 by

Sometimes in life we need to face difficult truths.  If we have been on the wrong side of an issue, we need to be open to change, and open to declaring an “about-face.” Even if it hurts! And so, after … Continue reading →

Posted in catholic education, classical education, college, education, liberal education, Newman, Socrates, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

In Education, The End Depends On The Beginning.

Posted on October 17, 2017 by

Incidentally, I haven’t read much of the Roman poet Manlius who “flourished” in the first century AD. But his famous line “Finisque ab origine pendet” from the fourth book of his Astronomicon appears to have been adopted by Phillips Exeter Academy as … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, catholic education, classical education, education, liberal education, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Purpose of Classical Education – An Unintended Dialogue

Posted on December 23, 2015 by

Every so often we need to remind ourselves of the point of a classical education. As readers of these pages know, the phrase classical education is just a clever way to cloak our real meaning which is Liberal Education. But present fashions dictate … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, discussion, Liberal Arts, Newman, Shakespeare, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Catholic Liberal Education And Respect For Life

Posted on March 14, 2015 by

Over the past several days I have been stewing over a proposition that seems perfectly obvious to me but which, I am afraid, will be offensive to the vast majority of good and well-intentioned  people who choose to send their children … Continue reading →

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On small beginnings: Wisely and Slow Part V

Posted on February 1, 2015 by

Classical education has something to do with wisdom. It has something to do with becoming wise. The classical scholars among you will undoubtedly recognize two litotes in that clever opener. Of course classical education has something to do with wisdom. … Continue reading →

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Two Reasons Why Things Are Difficult to Understand: Wisely and Slow Part IV

Posted on January 25, 2015 by

As has been thoroughly set forth and expounded here in a beautiful succinct and brilliant paper on this very subject, there are seven times when we need to go wisely and slow in our path towards wisdom, that is in … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, discussion, Heraclitus, Philosophy of Nature, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment