Musings of a Christian Humanist

     Reading wisdom literature in any age is wise. Reading wise sayings in a foolish age will mark one quickly as a contrarian, but being wise where folly is as pervasive as oxygen is essential for survival. Of all the gifts that Desiderius Erasmus passed on to western civilization, his collection of adages, useful sayings, ranks among his least known, but most esteemed in his day. While not all adages are wise sayings, there is much wisdom in his labor. Even in Erasmus's day, Niccolo Sagundino, wrote about them, "I can hardly say what a sweet nectar as honey I sip from your delightful Adages, rich source of nectar as they are. What lovely flowers of every mind I gather thence like a honey-bee.... to their perusal I have devoted two hours a day."      The Adages can be enjoyed along with Erasmus's Praise of Folly and Colloquies . The work demonstrates the unique genius of this prince of the Christian humanists. It demonstrates his scholarship and i...

   I was talking with a friend a few days ago, and he asked me what I thought about a particular news story. He was surprised when I responded that I knew a good bit less than him, and he seemed even more surprised as I was describing with what he considered a high level of apathy. Despite my best efforts to persuade him that the most recent "news" event or political scandal about unlawful government actions toward its citizens, current wave of political  or social propaganda, government sideshow, national media silliness, or Presidential diversion was far less engaging and meaningless than the extremely engaging and meaningful Oresteia by Aeschylus. So, I urge you as I urged my friend, make a conscious decision to be a liberated citizen and step away from the noise and the confining distortions of this particular moment, and be free to think about important issues in an equally important manner. I guaranteed him that reading the Great Books will give him a ...

Wise people seek to avoid excess in all areas of life, including education. The history of education is mired with the excesses of "isms." Adler says, "Progressivism has become as preposterous as classicism was arid."  It has substituted information for understanding, and science for wisdom." (67) the trouble with most reforms is that they start out to remove flaws and end by throwing the good away with the bad." (67) The permanent studies, then, are those which cultivate humanity of each student by disciplining his reason, that power in him which distinguishes him from all other animals. Such discipline is accomplished by the Liberal arts, the arts of reading, writing, and reckoning – the three ours. And since wisdom does not change from generation to generation, or even from epoch to epoch  the permanent studies include the funded wisdom of European culture as that reposes and it's great works, it's great books,

     Sometimes having two authors who never conversed on the same topic do so can be most fruitful. I was wondering recently, what would happen if I interviewed Mortimer Adler and James Schall. While this is a completely fictitious interview, the content is what I would ask them and how they might answer based on select Adler and Schall writings.... In a place beyond time and space as we typically measure those sorts of things, I sat down with Dr. Mortimer Adler and Dr. James Schall to discuss learning and what it means to be educated. Woods: gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to meet with me and discuss what I know is dear to all three of us, and that is the real meaning of education. Adler: My pleasure. Schall: Gladly Woods: I have told people for as long as I have been teaching that I owe a great debt to both of you. In your writings I have been encouraged, instructed, and inspired to stay diligent to the life of the mind. Schall: If ...