Developing Classical Thinkers

Dorothy Sayers presented a paper entitled The Lost Tools of Learning at a summer conference at Oxford in 1947. In the paper, she makes a rather astute observation about “end-of-term reports” which should “combine a deep veneration for truth with a tender respect for the feelings of all concerned.” Ms. Sayers’ description of comments is profound. The task of writing report card comments seems very...

Recently, the Mises Club of the Carolinas hosted their annual meet-up at Sugar Mountain, North Carolina.  Dr. Paul Cwik of the University of Mount Olive delivered this address looking at the significance of the Austrian School of Economics. Dr. Cwik looked at the assumptions of the Austrian School including its emphasis on human action, individual liberty, and the role of prices in determining eco...

The virtue of prudence is one of the four cardinal virtues, and yet, it is often overlooked. Prudence is the virtue of making wise, reasoned decisions, absorbing the collected wisdom of the Western canon and applying that wisdom to the situation at hand. In this talk from the Conference of Miletus, Matthew Ogle, Head of Classical Education at Thales Academy, examines the virtue of prudence and pro...

Where you begin largely determines where you end. The modern, secular world defines human beings as being basically animals, but often dismisses the conclusions of such an idea. If man is basically an animal, then ideas of human dignity and the value of human life are easily subsumed in the reality of “might makes right.” Such a starting place and ending point are not in the best interests of stud...

Today, many educators downplay the value of the Western canon. They discount any wisdom or insights one may glean from being steeped in the tradition we have inherited. In this lecture from the Conference of Miletus, Anthony Esolen presents five reasons why teachers ought to teach the great works of the Western tradition and the impact it can have on students at a classical school. Originally from...

Today, many schools disconnect the teaching of science and the scientific process from ideas of design, natural order, and natural law. As a result, students lose sight of the purpose and limits of the scientific process and lack the habits of intellectual curiosity and academic rigor that lie at the heart of science education in grades kindergarten through twelve grade. In this lecture from the C...

Each year, Thales Academy and Thales Press hosts the Conference of Miletus, a series of short lectures on topics related to classical education and practical teaching tips. This year, the theme of the conference was "First Principles for Classical Educators." In this episode, Winston Brady and Matt Ogle discuss each of these four principles.   A first principle is an assumption beyond which one ma...

In case you didn’t know, summer vacation largely came about for two reasons. The first was to free up children to help with important farm chores as the time for harvesting came close. The second reason was the lack of air conditioning. Since more and more Americans are out of farming, and the invention known as air conditioning has made it possible to live in even the hottest states (North Caroli...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Matthew Young, Site Manager of the CSS Neuse and Governor Richard Caswell Memorial Museum in Kinston, North Carolina, part of a collection of North Carolina Historic Sites. In the episode, they discuss the history behind this Civil War-era ironclad, the battles in which it took place, and how such a massive ship became the focal point of a museum in nearb...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Lauren Spier about the Fort Raleigh historical site, better known as the "Lost Colony." They discuss the history of the site--who founded the colony and how the site became "lost"--as well as suggestions for parking and food options for teachers and parents planning a field trip to visit the site.  The park is located at 1401 National Park Dr, Manteo, NC...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Dr. Gary Hartenburg, director of the Honors College at Houston Christian University and an Associate Professor of Philosophy. In the episode, they discuss the dialogues of Plato, the questioning habits of Socrates, and the very nature of truth, goodness, and reality itself--a can't miss episode, to be sure!  For more information on Dr. Hartenburg's work,...

This week, we are reposting this 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....

In this webinar, Dr. Anthony Esolen examined three seminal works art: Raphael's "The School of Athens" and two paintings from John Singer Sargent's "The Triumph of Religion" with "The Israelites Oppressed" and "The Messianic Era." The beauty we see, hear, or touch has the power to enter our minds and memories more powerfully than do philosophical or political abstractions expressed in words. As te...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Heather Bakogiannias, Brittney Massey, and Katherine Greco-Fortney about their recent trip to the National Symposium for Classical Education held in March of 2024 in Phoenix Arizona.  The National Symposium for Classical Education is hosted by the Great Hearts Institute and this year, focused on the theme of "Renewing the Great Conversation." For these cl...

In November of 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of answering simple questions from users to writing papers, essays, blogs, and other forms of longform communication–sometimes so well that people cannot tell that the difference between a paper written by a student and one written by a machine. Since then, educators have been divided in their response to ChatGPT: do we embrace this n...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations. During the conversation, they discuss her philosophy of education, homeschooling and its relationship to educational freedom, and how to nurture a community of parents and students and orient them to what is good, true, and beautiful.  Leigh Bortins is a nationally acclaimed educator, perhaps best known f...

In today's episode, Winston Brady speaks with Daniel Coupland, author of the new book "Tried & True: A Primer on Sound Pedagogy" published by Hillsdale College Press.  During the conversation, they discuss the parameters of good teaching, the advantages of a seating chart, the need for a small number of fair, rational, and easy-to-enforce rules, and how a great teacher can help create a classr...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Ken Pope, Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships. In the episode, they discuss the history of Communist regimes and Mr. Pope's experience working in countries such as East Germany that suffered under Communist regimes.  The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is an educational, research, and human rights nonprofit org...

In this presentation, Ken Pope, Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships, addresses the deadly history of Communism. Mr. Pope begins with his own experience in the military serving in West Berlin, addresses the life and writing of Karl Marx, then examines the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century from the Soviet Union onwards. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foun...

Professor Adrian Bejan traces his approach to science to growing up during a totalitarian Communist regime in Romania during the 1950s and 60s. Dr. Bejan witnessed the destruction of his parents, their generation, and the values they held dear. During this time, he learned to question in silence the difference between the truths spoken at home and the lies that filled the school and the street. In...

Robert L. Luddy is the founder of CaptiveAire Systems, Thales Academy, and Thales College. He is a lifelong entrepreneur and philanthropist and in this lecture, Mr. Luddy examines skills such as alertness, personal integrity, and a willingness to serve the customers he considers essential to success in any entrepreneurial venture. Bob Luddy is the founder of Thales Academy and the President of Cap...

Famously, our school’s spiritual founder, Thales of Miletus, made his reputation as a wise and noteworthy scientist predicting an eclipse.  The event is recorded in Herodotus’ "The Histories" as the armies of the Lydians and the Medes were fighting for control of Anatolia.  Thales predicted an eclipse would happen on May 28, 585 BC, and when the celestial phenomenon took place, the Lydians and the...

In this panel discussion, Winston Brady interviews Dr. Adrian Bejan of Duke University about his childhood growing up in Romania and the influence that life growing up under a Communist regime has had on his work in thermodynamics and physics. Dr. Bejan is a J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, a notable author, and a leading scientist in the field of t...

To celebrate and explain St. Patrick’s Day, today’s episode features a brief biography of St. Patrick. Roman-British missionary St. Patrick lived from 385 to 461 and is famous for bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. Learn the full story and how Patrick’s life shows the value of being classically educated. The quote from St. Patrick’s Confessio is available from https://www.confessio.ie...

In this webinar, Katie Flaherty presented strategies and classroom resources to bring together History, Art, Archaeology, and Culture into the Foreign Language classroom through a sample Latin curriculum ranging from grades 6-12. Flaherty also discussed additional pedagogical resources for increasing teacher confidence and knowledge on these topics outside the classroom. Mrs. Flaherty received a B...