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 Until 1977, these manuscripts were unpublished until his son, Christopher Tolkien, edited them posthumously.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

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.  

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

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 e

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.