Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education
Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc.
100 episodes
1 month ago
Welcome to Magnus Podcast - a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. Imagine an academy deeply rooted and committed to the classical liberal arts, stocked to the brim with well-known, world-class faculty, and universally accessible. Now imagine it being completely affordable, even free. This was the vision of St. Albert the Great, father of classical education: an education that is at once freeing and free. A true and human liberation has always been the promise of an education in the liberal arts. Indeed, for the better part of the last 3,000 years, it was no mystery where one could learn how to cast off the shackles of the world and what to study to achieve that liberated state. In no uncertain terms, the classical liberal arts undoubtedly served as the intellectual foundation of Western Civilization. However, we are no longer a society of free men. The tradition of the liberal arts was left behind in favor of a more “practical” alternative. Many were promised a “liberating” education, and ironically received a soft enslavement. Graduates today are unemployable and inextricably saddled with debt, for an education they were told was “necessary for employment.” Worse still, society has abandoned the time-honored methods for discovering truth; “civil” discourse has been discarded and “arguments” only seek to divide, leaving our true sense of wonder unsatisfied. We propose a paradigm shift in education – or more appropriately, a resurrection of the universal and timeless tradition of the classical liberal arts. We want to provide an affordable academic forum for students to engage in guided conversations in a shared pursuit of truth itself. The truth, which alone is liberating, and must once again be liberated - drawing all men to itself: OMNES AD VERITATEM.
All content for Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education is the property of Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Welcome to Magnus Podcast - a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. Imagine an academy deeply rooted and committed to the classical liberal arts, stocked to the brim with well-known, world-class faculty, and universally accessible. Now imagine it being completely affordable, even free. This was the vision of St. Albert the Great, father of classical education: an education that is at once freeing and free. A true and human liberation has always been the promise of an education in the liberal arts. Indeed, for the better part of the last 3,000 years, it was no mystery where one could learn how to cast off the shackles of the world and what to study to achieve that liberated state. In no uncertain terms, the classical liberal arts undoubtedly served as the intellectual foundation of Western Civilization. However, we are no longer a society of free men. The tradition of the liberal arts was left behind in favor of a more “practical” alternative. Many were promised a “liberating” education, and ironically received a soft enslavement. Graduates today are unemployable and inextricably saddled with debt, for an education they were told was “necessary for employment.” Worse still, society has abandoned the time-honored methods for discovering truth; “civil” discourse has been discarded and “arguments” only seek to divide, leaving our true sense of wonder unsatisfied. We propose a paradigm shift in education – or more appropriately, a resurrection of the universal and timeless tradition of the classical liberal arts. We want to provide an affordable academic forum for students to engage in guided conversations in a shared pursuit of truth itself. The truth, which alone is liberating, and must once again be liberated - drawing all men to itself: OMNES AD VERITATEM.
Dr. Travis Cooper recently facilitated this lively discussion on Shakespeares classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
If you weren’t there live, here is your chance to listen!
John Johnson joins Father Peter Hannah to discuss why all the cool people are studying Latin, as well as the Novus Order vs traditional Latin mass; Father Peter reminds us how latin is a time honored way to return our culture to the traditions we have discarded. They also discuss his experience in the Magnus Fellowship teaching the Latin course that broke the internet.
Happy 4th of July!
Celebrate our country’s independence with this extra special discussion with Dr. Richard Ferrier, tutor at Thomas Aquinas College. John Johnson and Dr. Ferrier discuss the complex question of, “Is history a liberal art?”
John is back to discuss AI and the digital world, this time with AI thought leader and entrepreneur, Drago Dimitrov. They discuss how binary AI fits into our symbolic world and continue to tackle the difficult question, “How should Catholic Christians and liberal artists respond to this instrumental
Ryan Khurana is an AI technologist, strategist, and thought leader who joins John to discuss AI and the digital world. They compare the personhood, creativity, and relationships gifted to man to the counterfeit personhood of AI.
Season 5 opens with the recording of our recent webinar where we discussed our Cohort Program and the value of liberal education with Dr. Joseph Hattrup, Dr. David Arias, and AMI’s Larissa Bianco.
Magnusinstitute.org/institute to learn more!
How do we know that what we know is true? What does it mean to participate in the truth? What is the object of the will?
Dr. Thaddeus Kozinki joins John to discuss Plato’s divided Line and the levels of being and knowledge. ]
Don’t be a tool..just use one. Join John Johnson and Austin Klise, the founder of Klise Consulting as they discuss techne and technology and the implications therein.
Join John Johnson and Angel Adams Parham as they have a discussion about race befitting the dignity of a liberal artist.
Angel Adams Parham is Associate Professor of Sociology, senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, and Associate Director for the major in Political and Social Thought at the University of Virginia. Through her research in historical sociology, she engages in inquiry that examines the past in order to better understand how to live well in the present and envision wisely for the future.
Learn more about the Albertus Magnus Institute!
Learn more about Father Owen Carroll
Dr. Ryan Messmore of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education joins John to talk about the foundation of the Catholic Faith, the nature of God, and the doctrine of the Trinity. Listen and hear about the good work of ICLE and the pillars of the Catholic Faith and Christ’s relationship with His creation.
Dr. Tiffany Schubert of Wyoming Catholic College joins Larissa to discuss the idea of the hero. From Virgil’s company of heroes and heroines to Jane Austen’s many female heroines, Dr. Schubert guides us to understand them in light of tragedies and comedies, fate and providence, and epics and novels.
Alex Lessard of Adeodatus joins John Johnson to talk about the ongoing Classical education renewal. Join them in this lively conversation where they discuss issues facing the movement and explore unique solutions and ideas to refine the renewal even more.
Grab a beer and celebrate our 100th episode with us! John Johnson discusses the soul, the city, and the citizen in this Three Beers Episode with Senior Fellow Palvos Papadopoulos and special guest Ryan Hammill of the Ancient Language Institute.
Who is man, what is he building, and why does this matter?
Alan Cornett of Cultural Debris joins John Johnson to discuss mans relationship with architecture and both the worldly and eternal implications therein. Listen as they explore the architecture behind majestic Italian Cathedrals, bold American Art Deco and oppressive modern urbanism.
This episode is the recording of our recent Q & A webinar where we answered questions from participating Fellows and shared our vision for liberal learning. Now we’re sharing it with you. Whether you’re a returning or new listener, we hope you enjoy, and we hope to see you in the Cohort!
Today we bring you the 20th and final episode of season 3. This season we talked about all things liberal arts from music and monarchy to Plato and Socrates to freeing minds and humanizing humans. It only seemed right then, to finish this season with a return to the first guest, Professor Steven Cortright, who opened the show with an episode appropriately titled, “The Liberal Arts”.
He returns now to discuss the current state of higher education and a sneak peak into coming things for AMI.
This conversation between two ‘non- serial’ entrepreneurs, Christof Meyer and AMI’s own John Johnson, will change the way you view entrepreneurship and management, and give you a vision of a rightly ordered, God honoring way to run a business that finds it’s roots in the Liberal Arts tradition.
Learn more about Hildegard College
Author of the Summa Domestica, and The Little Oratory, Leila Lawler joins Larissa to talk about mothering, homeschooling, and raising children faithfully in this modern world. She explains how we can escape the traps of the modern world and provide something beautiful for our children to imitate, creating a balanced and harmonious home
Today, we are offering you another glimpse into the Magnus Fellowship; this time with Senior Fellow, Dr. Helen Freeh’s course, ”Friendship and Freedom in the Lord of the Rings.”
Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education
Welcome to Magnus Podcast - a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. Imagine an academy deeply rooted and committed to the classical liberal arts, stocked to the brim with well-known, world-class faculty, and universally accessible. Now imagine it being completely affordable, even free. This was the vision of St. Albert the Great, father of classical education: an education that is at once freeing and free. A true and human liberation has always been the promise of an education in the liberal arts. Indeed, for the better part of the last 3,000 years, it was no mystery where one could learn how to cast off the shackles of the world and what to study to achieve that liberated state. In no uncertain terms, the classical liberal arts undoubtedly served as the intellectual foundation of Western Civilization. However, we are no longer a society of free men. The tradition of the liberal arts was left behind in favor of a more “practical” alternative. Many were promised a “liberating” education, and ironically received a soft enslavement. Graduates today are unemployable and inextricably saddled with debt, for an education they were told was “necessary for employment.” Worse still, society has abandoned the time-honored methods for discovering truth; “civil” discourse has been discarded and “arguments” only seek to divide, leaving our true sense of wonder unsatisfied. We propose a paradigm shift in education – or more appropriately, a resurrection of the universal and timeless tradition of the classical liberal arts. We want to provide an affordable academic forum for students to engage in guided conversations in a shared pursuit of truth itself. The truth, which alone is liberating, and must once again be liberated - drawing all men to itself: OMNES AD VERITATEM.
