Category Archives: truth for its own sake

A Dialogue Concerning Large Discourse

Posted on March 25, 2020 by marklangley

Today we shall content ourselves with purely intellectual discourse. OX: Why? Lion: Because you and I, my dear Ox, both possess the ability for large discourse! And as we all know, reaching way back to the vestiges and remnants of … Continue reading →

Posted in enlightenment, Heraclitus, Hesiod, liberal education, Shakespeare, socratic dialogue, truth for its own sake, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Why I do not want to be the King of Scotland

Posted on February 25, 2020 by marklangley

I’m not so certain that I want to be king of Scotland anymore. After reading The Tragedy of Macbeth with my students, I am having a difficult time shaking off a sense that life is meaningless when worldly ambition is the governing principle. … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, Literature, Shakespeare, Temptation, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

St. John Henry Newman and the Scandal of Catholic Classical Education

Posted on October 16, 2019 by marklangley

Saint John Henry Newman, speaking of the unique status of Western Civilization in the history of the world, emphatically asserts, I think it has a claim to be considered as the representative Society and Civilization of the human race, as … Continue reading →

Posted in education, liberal education, Mozart, Newman, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

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

Posted on March 29, 2019 by marklangley

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 marklangley

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 marklangley

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 marklangley

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 marklangley

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 marklangley

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 marklangley

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