The Classical Mind

In this summer episode of The Classical Mind , hosts Dr. Junius Johnson and Father Wesley Walker welcome back three-time guest Heidi White , co-host of the Close Reads podcast and author of The Divided Soul . Together, the trio dives deep into William Shakespeare’s beloved masterpiece, A Midsummer Night’s Dream , analyzing its intricate narrative layers through the compelling lens of duty versus d...

Welcome to another episode of The Classical Mind , the podcast where we explore the great books of the Western tradition! In this episode, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson are thrilled to welcome a special guest, Dr. Grace Hamman. Dr. Hamman holds a PhD from Duke University, focuses on late medieval poetry and contemplative writing, and hosts the Old Books with Grace podcast. Toge...

In this concluding chapter of our journey through Dante’s Commedia , Dr. Junius Johnson and Fr. Wesley Walker are joined by Dr. Jonathan Juilfs to explore the radiant heights of Paradiso . The conversation centers on the idea that the third canticle is not a boring landscape of static perfection, but rather the very “point” of the entire project grounded in the medieval understanding of capacity a...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson welcome back Heidi White to explore the middle canticle of Dante’s Divine Comedy , the Purgatorio . Is Purgatory “cosmic extra innings” or a “cosmic decontamination chamber” for the saved? How do Inferno and Purgatorio differ? Give a listen as Heidi, Junius, and Wesley discuss the moral and structural architecture of...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , Dr. Junius Johnson sits down with Buck Holler from the CiRCE Institute to discuss "Tapestry," a new writing and grammar curriculum designed to bridge the gap between early elementary studies and the advanced persuasive essays found in The Lost Tools of Writing . Holler explains that for twenty-five centuries, the study of grammar and literature were consider...

Round 1: Voting will be open from Monday (3/16) until Monday (3/23) ***Vote Now!*** Round 2: Voting will be open from Monday (3/23) until Saturday (3/30) Round 3: The first semi-final round will be Monday (3/30) until Wednesday (4/1); the second semi-final round will be Thursday (4/2) until Saturday (4/4) Round 4 (the final): Voting will be open from Monday (4/6) until Monday (4/13) In this specia...

In this episode, Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson are joined by Dante scholar Catherine Illingworth to navigate the harrowing depths of Dante’s Inferno . The conversation centers on the profound medieval understanding of sin not merely as a broken rule, but as a fundamental distortion of love and human nature. The hosts and their guest explore how the damned souls, such as Francesca and...

This bonus episode of The Classical Mind serves as “front matter” to prepare listeners for a three-month reading marathon of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy . Join Wesley and Junius as they explain that the work is a “comedy” not because of humor, but because of its trajectory: it begins in the darkness of Inferno and ends with the “blessed life” and vision of God in Paradiso . The discussion expl...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson explore George MacDonald’s 1895 fantasy novel, Lilith . The discussion navigates the tension between MacDonald’s occasionally “fumbling” literary style and the profound, “mythopoeic” power of his spiritual vision. The episode also touches on MacDonald’s universalist leanings and his belief that even “evil that is good...

In this episode of The Classical Mind, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson dive deep into the fascinating, complex topic of Medieval Exegesis—”specifically how the medievals read the scriptures.” Moving beyond single book analysis, this discussion traces the history of Christian exegesis from the Patristic era (Paul, Origen) to the evolution of the foundational Four Senses of Scriptu...

In this special year-end bonus episode, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson take a break from their usual Great Books discussion to share their personal Top 5 favorite books read this year—works that fell (mostly) outside of the main Classical Mind reading list. The Classical Mind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free o...

In this episode of The Classical Mind, Junius and Wesley dive deep into Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor — a haunting naval novella exploring innocence, evil, law, mutiny, and biblical symbolism aboard a British warship during the Napoleonic era. Melville’s final, posthumously published work blends gripping maritime drama with profound moral and theological questions. We unpack what Makes Bill...

In this episode, Junius and Wesley take on the latest film adaptation of Frankenstein , asking what makes a great adaptation of a classic work — and whether this one succeeds. From Mary Shelley’s 19th-century vision of creation and responsibility to modern cinematic retellings, they explore how filmmakers interpret, distort, and occasionally deepen the original novel’s moral and theological questi...

In this episode, Father Wesley and Dr. Junius dive deep into St. Anselm’s Proslogion , the short yet monumental work that introduced one of the most enduring and debated arguments in the history of philosophy and theology: the ontological argument for God’s existence. The hosts explore Anselm’s background as monk, abbot, and Archbishop of Canterbury, highlighting his tumultuous life amid royal and...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , we take on Shakespeare’s most provocative comedy, The Taming of the Shrew . Junius and Wesley dig into the play’s strange structure—from the unclosed frame of Christopher Sly to the unsettling symmetry between performance and identity. What does it mean that the “prologue” is itself a play? And how does that affect the way we read Katherina’s transformation—...

Let’s go back to the 19th century and talk about one of the scariest novels we’ve ever read on the Classical Mind (but maybe not for the reasons you might think) with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein . On this episode, Junius and Wesley discuss the different editions of this book before getting into some of its underlying philosophy like the responsibilities a creator has to their creatures and vice-ve...

The Classical Mind has officially reached 2,000 subscribers! To celebrate, Junius and Wesley unveil the Season 4 reading list! The method of selection is a little different this year to accommodate Wesley’s upcoming PhD studies. Stick around after the reading list is unveiled for a discussion about the purpose of literature, how reading helps us grow, a discussion on the dilemma of re-reading vs....

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we take on Virgil’s Aeneid. We explore Aeneas’ journey as both refugee and empire-builder, tracing his flight from Troy, his doomed romance with Dido, his descent into the underworld, and the brutal war that led to the founding of Rome. Along the way, we wrestle with the epic’s central tensions: fate and providence, duty (pietas) and rage (furor), divine will...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , we take a deep dive into J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan . We explore how Peter Pan has been portrayed in various adaptations, and how these adaptations differ from the novel. We discuss J.M. Barrie’s fascinating and complicated biography, offering insight into the personal experiences that influenced his writing. We also unpack the rich symbolism of Neverland, anal...

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we dive into a curated selection of The Federalist Papers , the seminal series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to argue for the Constitution. Rather than tackling all 85 essays, we focus on a thematic collection (#s 1, 9-10, 15, 30, 39, 51, 62-63, 68, and 78) that highlights the philosophical and structural pillars of the...

In this special crossover episode of The Sacramentalists Podcast and The Classical Mind Podcast, we dive deep into St. Bonaventure’s The Journey of the Mind to God—a spiritual and philosophical masterpiece that maps the soul’s ascent to divine union. Together, we explore Bonaventure’s vision of contemplation, the role of intellect and love in knowing God, and the ways in which his thought is deepl...

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we dive into Walker Percy’s Love in the Ruins, a satirical yet deeply philosophical novel that explores the fragmentation of American culture, the tension between faith and modernity, and the collapse of both personal and national identity. Joining us for this discussion is Jesse Hake, Director of ClassicalU.com at Classical Academic Press. Together, we unpac...

In this episode of The Classical Mind , Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson dive into Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto , the first Gothic novel and a cornerstone of literary history. They examine its groundbreaking blend of medieval romance, supernatural terror, and family drama, asking questions like: Is this a Christianized version of Oedipus Rex ? How does the novel's atmosphere shap...

Join hosts Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson in this engaging episode of The Classical Mind as they dive into Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' contraversial work, The Communist Manifesto . Discover the historical context of the 1848 publication, the philosophy of historical materialism, and Marx’s critique of capitalism. Explore key themes like class struggle, the proletarian revolution, and...

Join the Classical Mind podcast for a captivating exploration of Plato's Phaedo, featuring insightful commentary from Dr. John Mark Reynolds. This episode delves into the profound dialogue where Socrates, facing his own mortality, engages in a compelling argument for the immortality of the soul. Dr. Reynolds illuminates the text with his expertise, unraveling: * Socrates' final hours and his unwav...