A conversation with Andrew Abela and Robert Luddy on the nature of virtue ethics, human flourishing, and the small, incremental but invaluable steps we should take each day for personal improvement and growth.

Andrew Abela is the founding dean of the Busch School of Business and Ordinary Professor of Marketing at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, and a Ph.D. in Marketing and Ethics from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Kathleen, have six children, three of whom (so far) have graduated from Catholic U.

Robert "Bob" Luddy is the Founder and Chairman of Thales Academy, Thales College, Franklin Academy, and St. Thomas More Academy, and is the Founder and President of CaptiveAire Systems, North America's leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment and a quickly growing manufacturer of commercial and industrial HVAC systems.

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Tiffany Whitaker about her experience teaching elementary school at the Thales Academy Wake Forest campus.

Tiffany Whitaker is a Franklinton, North Carolina resident, East Carolina University alumnus, and seventh-year teacher at Thales Academy. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with a reading concentration and has had teaching experience in third and second grade. Ms. Whitaker teaches second grade at the Thales Academy Wake Forest campus. 

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Check out job postings across our network at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers

In this lecture, Kellie Scripter addresses the virtue of justice in the context of a content-rich classical education. A classical education provides students with opportunities to understand virtues like justice by encouraging them to develop intellectual discipline, exercise their moral imagination, and thus establish the patterns by which they can strive to pursue a just life.

Mrs. Scripter received a B.A. in History and French from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in American History from Binghamton University. She teaches History and Humane Letters.

Kellie Scripter delivered this presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 14, 2025. The Conference of Miletus was a series of short, informative lectures given by members of the Thales Academy leadership team on ideas relating to classical education. 

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers.

Winston Brady, director of Thales Press, addresses the virtue of temperance and why students should cultivate this important virtue.

Temperance is the virtue of self-control and moderation, a habit people can achieve by bringing their appetites into harmony with their reason.

Winston Brady delivered this presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 14, 2025. The Conference of Miletus was a series of short, informative lectures given by members of the Thales Academy leadership team on ideas relating to classical education.

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact....

Anthony Esolen, distinguished professor of the humanities at Thales College, addresses the virtue of prudence.  

Dr. Anthony Esolen received his A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Renaissance English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Esolen has been a professor of literature and humanities for 35 years and is the author or translator of more than 30 books, which include a range of English translations, analyses of culture, literary and Biblical criticisms, meditations on modern education, meditations on the Christian life, and original poetry. Dr. Esolen serves as a Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Thales College.

Dr. Esolen delivered this presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 14, 2025. The Conference of Miletus is a series of short, informative lectures given by members of the Thales Academy leadership team on ideas relating to classical education.

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers.

Robert Luddy, founder of Thales Academy, addresses the virtue of courage and how important it is for students to face their fears, overcome adversity, and take small, practical steps to cultivate this cardinal virtue.

Robert "Bob" Luddy is the Founder and Chairman of Thales Academy, Thales College, Franklin Academy, and St. Thomas More Academy, and is the Founder and President of CaptiveAire Systems, North America's leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment and a quickly growing manufacturer of commercial and industrial HVAC systems.

Bob Luddy delivered this presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 14, 2025. The Conference of Miletus was a series of short, informative lectures given by members of the Thales Academy leadership team on ideas relating to classical education.

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about the needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers.

Eric Wearne is a Visiting Associate Professor with the Education Economics Center at Kennesaw State University. In line with his work on the intersection of statistics, school choice, and classical education, Professor Wearne conducted a survey of parents with children in a wide variety of classical schools.

In this survey, Professor Wearne examined what parents want in a classical school and the benefits they see from their children being classically educated. Professor Wearne served previously as Provost at Holy Spirit College, Associate Professor of Education at Georgia Gwinnett College, and Deputy Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement in Atlanta.

Dr. Wearne’s research work focuses on education policy, school choice, and the history of American education. Find out more about his work at https://sites.google.com/view/eric-wearne/home

A special episode on the history behind the celebrations of the Fourth of July, plus some of the most significant people in American history who have been born on, or departed from this Earth on, the 4th of July. 

On March 13-15, several Thales faculty members participated in the 2025 annual meeting of the Ciceronian Society in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This lecture comes from Winston Brady, director of Thales Press. 

In this address, Winston examined the relationship between limits and liberty, for the purpose of understanding what it means to be human, with insights drawn from C.S. Lewis and The Abolition of Man, particularly about the "conditioners" Lewis describes at the end of this groundbreaking book on education. 

The Ciceronian Society exists to equip and encourage Christian scholars to serve the church as a center of cultural and civic renewal. Find out more about their mission and work at https://ciceroniansociety.org/

Author David Bahnsen joins Developing Classical Thinkers to talk about the importance of work for our health and happiness, with insights drawn from his book, "Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life."

In "Full Time," Bahnsen argues that the time has come to stop tip-toeing around the issues that matter and to encourage students to look at a theology of work in its fullness to discover our meaning and purpose, a significant and successful life being one rooted in full-time productivity and cultivation of God’s created world.

Check out https://www.fulltimebook.com/ to find out more about "Full Time" and David Bahsen's work.

David L. Bahnsen is the founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a national private wealth management firm with offices nationwide, managing over $7 billion in client assets. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox News, and Fox Business and regularly contributes to National Review. He hosts the popular weekly podcast Capital Record and writes daily investment commentary and weekly macro commentary at The Dividend Cafe website. 

This week, we have a special episode in honor of Memorial Day, a holiday that honors those who have given their lives in service to our country and in preserving our freedom.

In this episode, we look at the beginnings of Memorial Day, why we celebrate the holiday and how long we have done so. Then, we draw out the significance of the day by looking at the life and education of Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you to everyone who serves or has served in our military for your time, support, and sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy each day.

In American history, tariffs have been one of the most controversial and divisive economic issues. Today, tariffs are back in the news as President Trump has levied massive import fees on various goods coming into the United States from around the world--but what is a tariff? How are these fees calculated? And who is really benefiting from these fees coming into America's ports?

We are honored to welcome Dr. Roberto Salinas León to Developing Classical Thinkers to talk about tariffs, the disruption they cause, and the value that free trade brings to consumers.

Roberto Salinas León is President of the Mexico Business Forum, where he works on assorted projects of policy analysis, media, investment advisory, and economic consultancy. He is currently the Director of the Center for Latin America of Atlas Network. He holds a B.A. in Political Economy, History and Philosophy from Hillsdale College, Michigan; and an M.A. and Ph. D. in Philosophy, Purdue University, Indiana. Dr. León serves as a debate fellow for the Calvin Coolidge Foundation.

A Socratic seminar is not a lecture where the teacher imparts information to students, nor is it some sort of a debate. Instead, it is a meaningful dialogue with teachers and students and the authors of the great ideas they are examining together. Join veteran educators Chelsea Wagenaar, Chris and Kellie Scripter, and Winston Brady and hear their best practices for leading engaging, rigorous, and joyful seminars for students.

Dr. Chelsea Wagenaar received a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Texas. She teaches Literature and Trivium.

Chris Scripter received a B.A. in History and Religion from Hillsdale College and an M.A. in European History at the State University of New York. Mr. Scripter teaches History. Chris Scripter received a B.A. in History and Religion from Hillsdale College and an M.A. in European History at the State University of New York. Mr. Scripter teaches History.

Kellie Scripter received a B.A. in History and French from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in American History from Binghamton University. She teaches History and Humane Letters.

Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Check out: https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers

In this episode, Winston Brady and Marc Fusco discuss the joys of teaching middle school and studying astronomy.

Mr. Fusco currently teaches Junior High History and Trivium at Thales Academy Raleigh, where he shares his love of classical education, literature, and history with his students, and he also is an Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach at Thales Academy Rolesville JH/HS. He enjoys playing music, playing soccer, building rockets, studying history, and learning.

After graduate school, Mr. Fusco worked as a Management Consultant and business owner 15+ years, and most recently, worked at NASA for 10 years before coming to Thales Academy. In the episode, Winston asks Marc about star nurseries, spiral arms, and galactic clusters, among many other topics. 

Mr. Fusco received a B.A. and an M.A. in Medieval and Renaissance Literature and History from Arizona State University, an M.S. in Space Science from the University of North Dakota, attended Cambridge University in the UK, and was a doctoral fellow in Medieval and Renaissance Literature at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He teaches History at Thales Academy Raleigh and is an Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach at Thales Academy Rolesville JH/HS.

At the root of classical education is a noble challenge championed by master teachers throughout the Western heritage: teaching is the process of soul-craft—by which educators cultivate virtue within other human beings so that they might live good lives.

This challenge inherently elevates the role of teachers beyond mere transmitters of knowledge to shapers of innate potential— people with the power and influence to build up or undermine the lives and willpower of students.

In this presentation, Mr. Palmer explored the tragic landscape of contemporary American education, explicated the nuances of soul-craft in theory and practice, and revealed why this kind of soul-craft possesses ultimate significance for human flourishing.

Zach Palmer received a B.A. in History from Hillsdale College and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: History from Liberty University. Mr. Palmer teaches American History, Western Civilization, and Civics.

What is the telos of education? In a free society, is it desirable or practical to attempt to design a single system of schooling that is ideal for everyone? Can schools hold a neutral position regarding morality and values, or is education a fundamentally ethical enterprise that inevitably adopts a new moral framework when an old one is removed?

In this presentation, Patrick Halbrook considered these questions in a historical framework as they have been applied to American education in the twenty-first century.

Patrick Halbrook is a teacher, graphic designer, and writer—as well as a passionate advocate for classical Christian education. Over the years he has written for various publications including The Imaginative Conservative, FORMA Journal, The Classical Difference, and Cary Christian School’s blog, The Forum. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal and Biblical Studies from Florida College and a Masters of Art in History from North Carolina State University.

The current education system in the United States is increasingly misaligned with the needs of many Americans. This paper explores the shortcomings of our “federalist” approach to education, emphasizing how federal overreach and bureaucratic stagnation have hindered progress and outcomes.

While federal involvement was intended to promote equity and accountability, it has often devolved into inflexible mandates and uniform policies that erode local autonomy and fail to address the unique needs of communities. These dynamics not only limit the ability of families to govern themselves but also weaken the cultivation of moral character, which is vital for personal and societal growth.

Ray Nothstine is a Future of Freedom Fellow and senior editor and writer for State Policy Network, where he primarily helps to shepherd the American Habits publication. He previously worked as opinion editor at Carolina Journal and as a Second Amendment research fellow at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Nothstine graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div) degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He also holds a B.A. in political science from The University of Mississippi in Oxford. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife and three sons.

In this presentation, Robert Luddy walked through Thales Academy’s mission—to offer the highest quality education at the lowest possible price—and the real, practical steps that educational entrepreneurs can take to establish similar schools and educational institutions.

Robert "Bob" Luddy is the Founder and Chairman of Thales Academy, Thales College, Franklin Academy, and St. Thomas More Academy, and is the Founder and President of CaptiveAire Systems, North America's leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment and a quickly growing manufacturer of commercial and industrial HVAC systems.

If values like respecting proper parental authority and discretion, promoting awareness and admiration for American and Western culture, preparing students for constructive and knowledgeable citizenship, and conveying an accurate sense of American history in world context, once again became priorities, as there were in the past, what would K-12 education look like?

In this presentation, Professor Amy Wax examined the debate on education to go beyond advocacy for school choice and how expanded school choice policies can produce desirable substantive reforms in K-12 educational practice. 

Professor Wax addressed these issues in her keynote address at the Liberty & Literacy Forum. 

Amy Wax’s work addresses issues in social welfare law and policy as well as the relationship of the family, the workplace, and labor markets. By bringing to bear her training in biomedical sciences and appellate practice as well as her interest in economic analysis, Wax has developed a uniquely insightful approach to problems in her areas of expertise. Wax has published widely in law journals, addressing liberal theory and welfare work requirements as well as the economics of federal disability laws. Current works in progress include articles on same-sex marriage, disparate impact theory and group demographics, rational choice and family structure, and the law and neuroscience of deprivation.

Her most recent book is "Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century" (Hoover Institution Press/Rowman & Littlefield, 2009). Wax has received the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course and the Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. As an Assistant to the Solicitor General in the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wax argued 15 cases before the United States Supreme Court.

Winston Brady offers opening remarks at the 2025 Liberty & Literacy Forum in Wake Forest North Carolina. The word "liberal" comes from the Latin "libertas," and within the word "libertas" is the word "liber," meaning “book." The Romans never separated "liberty" from a sound, content-rich education, and neither should we. 

The ways of grammar, logic, and rhetoric taught students how to think and write, while the quadrivium helped students comprehend truth and study everything from simple shapes to the highest heavens. These arts were called liberal arts because, in reality, they liberate students. They free an individual from ignorance and help that person learn how to think.

As a result, it is a civilization-ending tragedy that American students are increasingly incapable of reading simple books and even completing simple math.

To promote sound, content-rich education, Thales Press hosted the Liberty & Literacy Forum on March 21, 2025. These papers addressed literacy, classical wisdom, and virtue and offer positive steps to advance the cause of freedom and human flourishing in our K-12 schools and across the United States today.