Who'd like to talk about Socrates and his friends? Yet more Socratic seminars

I'm reposting and updating this as I'm preparing yet another series of online seminars, my fourth, for all comers, on the early dialogues: explorations of moral concepts designed to draw non-specialists into philosophy, which lie at the root of the whole western philosophical tradition, and which rank as among the greatest works of European culture.

It has been a lot of fun for me and I think for the participants, of whom there must have been about twenty so far. The advance reading is limited, the seminars are one-hour long, students and the 'unwaged' pay 50%, and you can fit them in wherever you are in the world. I lead seminars of between two and five people (not counting me).

Socrates is in green up on the left, in profile.

In early January I offered to lead some online seminars on early Socratic dialogues, as a small personal response to the lockdown, and (almost to my surprise) this has actually happened. 

These dialogues are uniquely suited to stimulating discussion among people who don't necessarily already have philosophical training: indeed, it seems very probable that this is the point of them. They introduce us to the thought-world of ancient Athens, and to the methods of philosophy: careful argumentation, exposing hidden assumptions and logical fallacies, all in the context of the personal dynamics of the dialogue format, which adds another layer of interest to these works.

Nothing comes without a background, but the background here is more manageable than that of pretty well any other texts which come to mind. For these, I've been putting together a single page of information about the cultural and historical background to each dialogue, and not asking students to do any other reading apart from the text itself. The dialogues themselves are pretty short (though they vary). So these hour-long seminars don't require a huge amount of preparation.

Having done eight dialogues, including the shorter ones, I am, however, now getting to the point that somewhat longer and more complex texts remain, among those regarded as 'Socratic' dialogues. My selection for the next four seminars, therefore, makes sense for those who have done one or other of Series 1 or 2. For those coming to this fresh, I shall be returning to the first two series, which serve as a good introduction to the genre.

So those interested can choose between these two options:

For those coming to it fresh:

2: Apology (on Socrates' mission), the Crito (on political obligation), Charmides (on temperance), and Hippias Minor (on voluntary wrongdoing).

For those who've done either or both of the Series 1 or 2, the slightly more advanced Series 4:

4: Protagoras (virtue and its teachability) and Gorgias (oratory and justice), each divided into two parts.

I expect to start these in the week beginning 3rd May: those interested will take part in a Doodle poll to choose mutually convenient times. I've already had participants from Seattle, Chile, and South Africa!

If you are looking at this and wondering if it's going to make any sense to you, go and read  Apology and ask yourself if you'd like to talk about it with others.

More details, including prices, here.

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Cupich vs. Aquila

My latest on Life Site News.

Following an article in America by Archbishop Aquila of Denver, in which he reiterated the Church’s teaching on the importance of approaching Holy Communion with the right dispositions, a bishop—it seems it was Cardinal Cupich—wrote a curious admonition to Aquila, which Aquila quoted in responding to it in a second article:

“I respectfully note that to claim that we can do anything to diminish the Eucharist, or its effects, is contrary to the church’s longstanding teaching. Catholic sacramental theology is based on the premise that the sacraments are the work of Christ, which is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation at Trent (DS 1608) that the sacraments act ex opere operato, or, as St. Thomas wrote in the Summa, III, 68,8: ‘The sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.’ Owing to the nature of God, Christ and his works can never be diminished by any act on our part.”

Here, Cupich points out that an unworthy recipient of Holy Communion genuinely receives the Body of Christ, and erroneously infers that he also receives the grace which should accompany that. But God does not force His grace on us. As the ancient chant composed by St Thomas Aquinas for the feast of Corpus Christi expressed it: “Sumunt boni, sumunt mali, sorte tamen inaequáli, vitae vel intéritus”: “The good take, the bad take, yet with unequal destiny, of life, or of ruin”.

Read the whole thing there.

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Fraser Nelson attacks Home Education

My latest on Life Site News.

The year-long lockdown had a disastrous effect on the education of many of those children who were relying on conventional schools, which did not always rise to the challenge of teaching remotely. Many parents, again, found it difficult, at short notice, to create an environment in which their children could learn effectively, whether through lack of technology, physical space, or for other reasons. These children were still enrolled in schools, and it was the school system which failed them. Children being home-educated, by contrast, found their education disrupted the least of anyone’s.

What happened in 2020 illustrates the robustness of home education. Being tailored to the needs and circumstances of the family and the child, it can deal with the disruption caused by things like illnesses or the family moving house far more easily than a bricks-and-mortar institution. Similarly, providing tuition for a child who wants to study a relatively obscure subject may not be easy for a home-educating family, but in most schools is would be out of the question. All things considered, it’s not going to be home-educated children who are still suffering educationally two or more years from now.

The natural reaction to this situation for some is to attack the very concept of home-education. The latest is Fraser Nelson. He lets the cat out of the bag when he says that it became worth worrying about only now that it has grown, partly thanks to the epidemic. It is not the failure of home education, in other words, that Nelson is worried about, but its success.

Read the whole thing.

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Socratic seminars continue

I have just concluded the third series of four on-line seminars which I have been leading, on Plato's 'Socratic' or 'early' dialogues, and I'm planning more. The discussions have been stimulating and enjoyable. Email me if you would like to take part - for more details and contact see here.

So what's this all about?

Socrates is in green up on the left, in profile.

In early January I offered to lead some online seminars on early Socratic dialogues, as a small personal response to the lockdown, and (almost to my surprise) this has actually happened. 

These dialogues are uniquely suited to stimulating discussion among people who don't necessarily already have philosophical training: indeed, it seems very probable that this is the point of them. They introduce us to the thought-world of ancient Athens, and to the methods of philosophy: careful argumentation, exposing hidden assumptions and logical fallacies, all in the context of the personal dynamics of the dialogue format, which adds another layer of interest to these works.

Nothing comes without a background, but the background here is more manageable than that of pretty well any other philosophical texts which come to mind. For these, I've been putting together a single page of information about the cultural and historical background to each dialogue, and not asking students to do any other reading apart from the text itself. The dialogues of Series 1 and 2 tend to be pretty short; the later series' ones are a bit longer, but it's still like reading a chapter, rather than a book. So these hour-long seminars shouldn't require a huge amount of preparation.

Having gone through the eight dialogues of Series 1 and 2, which are the shortest and best-suited for beginners, I am now tackling the slightly longer and more complex ones in Series 3 and 4. For those coming to this fresh, I am reprising to the first two series, which serve as a good introduction to the genre.

So those interested can choose, this time around, between these two options. For beginners:

Series 2: Apology (on Socrates' mission), Crito (on political obligation), Charmides (on temperance), and Hippias Minor (on voluntary wrongdoing).

For those who've done either or both of Series 1 and 2:

Series 4: Protagoras (virtue and its teachability) and Gorgias (oratory and justice), each divided into two parts.

I expect to start these in the week beginning 3th May: those interested will take part in a Doodle poll to choose mutually convenient times. I've already had participants from Seattle, Chile, and South Africa!

If you are looking at this and wondering if it's going to make any sense to you, go and read the Apology and ask yourself if you'd like to talk about it with others.

More details, including prices, here.

Support the Latin Mass Society

Cancel culture and abusive institutions

My latest on Life Site News.

A few days ago a star choreographer for Britain’s Royal Ballet died at the age of 35. Liam Scarlett’s career had been taking off, with widely praised ballet productions under his belt and more in the pipeline from all over the world. He was the product of an intensely specialized education, having trained as a ballet dancer from the age of eight, successfully making the transition from performance to choreography.

Then he was accused of sexual harassment, within the Royal Ballet. An independent investigation took place, which concluded that there “were no matters to pursue in relation to alleged contact with students of The Royal Ballet School”.

This was not good enough, however. The Royal Ballet, followed by the other institutions which had commissioned work from him, cut all ties with him and informed him that his work would never be seen again. With his professional life in this tiny, specialized world essentially over, Scarlett killed himself.

I have no special information about Scarlett or this case. Perhaps there were some special features of the case I don’t know about which vindicate the Royal Ballet’s actions. It is part of a pattern of “cancel culture,” however, which cannot be explained away. This is a culture in which individuals accused of wrongdoing are destroyed, in terms of reputation and career, even if the normal mechanisms of oversight and investigation conclude that they are not guilty.

Read the whole thing there.

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Proposed home-schooling 'academy' in Warrington

Expressions of interest from parents and from teachers are invited, ideally before the 1st May, in the possibility of a Regina Caeli Hybrid Academy, to start this September in Warrington. With a full curriculum, taught through 2 days a week on site and 3 days at home, it is half way between ‘normal’ school and homeschooling.

This is being organised in association with the Fraternity of St Peter, who are based in the impressive church of St Mary (Smith Street, Warrington, WA1 2NS).

Regina Caeli is a US-based organisation which supplies teaching materials. A Regina Caeli Hybrid Academy is also being organised in Bedford, an area also served by the FSSP.

For more information, see the FSSP website here.

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