Lost Tools Podcast

Episode 13 The Necessity of Being Familiar with the Great Books of Western Thought Part II

Mr. Bianchet and Mr. Mullins continue their discussion on the necessity of reading and engaging with the Great Books or Classical Literature in the Western Canon. Both consider the notion that there are not only a reflective and propositional elements to master but experiential, non-propositional elements to be engaged with that have a seeming neurological/psychological as well as philosophical effects on a student's psyche. Therefore, making literature a holistic and transformative endeavor, not just an exercise in entertainment and escapism from reality.     CS Lewis echoes this, "In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do." An Experiment in Criticism pg. 141 (1961).    Lewis again hammers this home in his essay, "Myth Becomes Fact",     “Now as myth transcends thought, incarnation transcends myth. The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact, The old myth of the dying god, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens—at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle. I suspect that men have sometimes derived more spiritual sustenance from myths they did not believe than from the religion they professed. To be truly Christian we must both assent to the historical fact and also receive the myth (fact though it has become) with the same imaginative embrace which we accord to all myths. The one is hardly more necessary than the other….Those who do not know that this great myth became fact when the Virgin conceived are, indeed, to be pitied. But Christians also need to be reminded—we may thank Corineus for reminding us—that what became fact was a myth, that it carries with it into the world of fact all the properties of a myth. God is more than a god, not less; Christ is more than Balder, not less...What flows into you from the myth is not truth but reality (truth is always about something, but reality is that about which truth is.)"    So, where will you go? What adventures will you begin? Who will you become in reality but assuming and immersing yourselves in their fictional reality?

Episode 12 The Necessity of Being Familiar with the Great Books of Western Thought

When we usually think about classical education we think about books like The Iliad, The Odyssey, Plato’s Republic, Paradise Lost, Tale of Two Cities, etc. These are books that are influential to nearly all political, informational (media), institutional (universities and commerce), and familial settings in America and Europe. These ideas were fundamental in the creation of Democracies, Republics, and Human Rights. Today's podcast won't get into these particulars but rather into the need of Western citizens to be familiar with these books and their fundamental ideas. They are the backbone of nearly all colloquial mores that used on a daily basis. Therefore, we need to understand not only where these ideas come from but to read the original sources for ourselves so that we can understand our past, see correctly in the present, and aim correctly in the future.  At Veritas, we are dedicated to making sure that each and every student has frequency and proximity with the Great Books that helped shape the Western World. They will be daily engaging with amazing and influential literature with instructors who will help them navigate the linguistic and historical complexities. So, they won't be overwhelmed with the lanugage that they might miss the beauty and truth tucked within their pages.

Episode 11 Rhetoric Part II - Expression and Reception of Ideas

Consider this: The central importance to expressing and receiving ideas well is based on the quality of a person's rhetorical skill. How you speak affects how others perceive you, and how you perceive yourself. Have you thought about language in such a way? Have you examined your speech patterns and diction and how it shades how we are perceived not only as Christians but as fully formed humans?  Think back to moments when you were mesmerized by the movements and words of a great orator, or even an actor, were you not transported and transfixed upon every syllable? Did you not comprehend more fully the substance of his/her talk? The hearing of great oration is pleasing and desirable, and will make us want to engage and hear more great oration! This exercise will begin to affect our speech patterns and elocution, and rewire your linguistic thought patterns as well. Language is one of the most powerful forces in the world. Remember Gen. 1:3, “Then God said let there be light…”, it was from language that illumination/revelation was brought forth into the world.  In the modern day, I feel we may attribute persuasive speech with marketing and schemes, but this is not how the ancients saw it or valued it. It was a virtue to be able to express oneself to “say that they mean and mean what they say.” It is a skill set that even if we initially dismiss it, we are drawn back to and continue to come back to it. For example, a speaker like Jordan Peterson, who gives incredibly complex and elevated talks, is able to hold the attention of his audiences to where they are on the edge of their seats for hours. And they are not diverted by ennui or lack of attention spans. It may be that the best remedy for attention deficiency in the world is more skilled speakers, and more skilled listeners. This is our academic aim at VCA, to help our students become great orators who can speak truth and express complex ideas so well that they can assist others in forgoing unnecessary suffering or unwitting ignorance. So, that they may be an asset to themselves, their families, and any one they may meet.

Episode 10 Rhetoric Part I - Introductions and Foundations

We have arrived at last to the Final Stage of a student's education, The Rhetoric Stage. This will be the culmination of the other two stages put into practice and made excellent. If we go back to our house analogy, it is the beautifying process of the materials and structures. By using the right words, in the right moment, for the right reason will better allow one to convey an idea or thought more correctly. And more precise language with well-reasoned arguments should create environments of flourishing instead of misunderstanding and suffering. This is, or should be, the common aim of all societies.    Rhetoric is considered both an art and a discipline have its educational roots a bit further back than the Medieval period; it goes all the way back into the 4th-5th Century BC!! So, not only will your child receive Grammar and Logical training that is tried and true from the Medievalist, but Rhetorical training that stems before Christ. And if we look at those great orators before Christ there are names like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, etc.     In this episode, Mr. Bianchet and Mr. Mullins delve into the introduction, foundation, and philosophy of Rhetoric. Enjoy!

Episode 9 Logic Part II - How We Teach Logic (Special Guest - Mr. Tomlinson

Mr. Bianchet and Mr. Mullins deviate from Educational Philosophy for a moment and discuss Logic as a discipline with a special guest....Mr. JR Tomlinson! Mr. Tomlinson is a first-year teacher at Veritas that has graciously taken on the Logic program in the 7th and 8th grades (among other classes.) The three of them breakdown how logic is taught and viewed at Veritas.     Mr. Mullins plugs his Apologetic Primer book, Unabashedly Resolute: The Chasm [https://www.amazon.com/Unabashedly-Resolute-Chasm-JW-Mullins/dp/1549735500] (available on Amazon) that is taught at the Upper School, in both the Logic School and Rhetoric School. It is a book that is a guide for anyone to begin to learn the processes and language necessary for proper thinking.     The proper thinking that is being taught and forged in our students is so important for their formation as a student, Christian, and human. Here at Veritas, we take Logic very seriously and have seen such good fruit over the last two years from the students engaging in this arduous process and mental crucible. Students who have a foundation in Logic are going to be prepared for and will flourish in the Rhetoric stage. Classical education is one that builds specifically on the last stage wherein the result is not necessarily a student prepared for college or a specific job, but prepared to be a fully formed human who can flourish in any aspect of adulthood.