The Statesman: A Classical Education Podcast

Ross Garner, Andrey Sushch, Mark Bixler and Victoria Smith discuss C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet . Victoria begins by providing a summary of the book and Mark poses a question about the nature of fallen and unfallen man. The group discusses how the protagonist, Dr. Ransom, becomes a better man in traveling to Mars or Malacandra by learning to live proportionally to others and nature. Th...

Ross Garner, Michael Conklin, Landon O'Neil, Hannah Jensen, and Tania Medina discuss Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Ross begins by providing context to the chapter, The Grand Inquisitor, and the group discusses its central theme of free will. The views expressed by individuals in this podcast are their own and do not represent John Adams Academy. The music used in this episode...

Ross Garner, Benjamin Asvitt, Faith Sawyer, and Mark Bixler discuss Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Benjamin begins by providing a short synopsis of the next 100 pages of the book after which Mark shares a passage from the book related to human nature. They discuss Dimitri Karamazov's view of man and his buggish nature as well as whether it is morally permissible to wish for someone's...

Ross Garner, Sabrina Dailey, and Victoria Smith discuss Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Sabrina begins by providing a short synopsis of the first 100 pages of the book after which Victoria begins the conversation by quoting a passage from Elder Zosima's teachings on active love. They discuss the power of active love and how it changes their ideals from being selfish to selfless. The vi...

Ross Garner, Aaron Navarro, Nathan Cubano and John Benson discuss John Steinbeck's "Junius Maltby" from The Pastures of Heaven . John begins by providing a short synopsis of the book after which Nathan begins the conversation by quoting a passage near the end of the story when Robbie Maltby discovers his poverty and is ashamed. They discuss the duties of parents to their children to...

Ross Garner, Allison Dickman, Jessica Liaghat, and Jessika Rubick discuss Robert Hutchin's The Great Conversation. Jessica L. begins by providing a short synopsis of the book after which Jessika R. begins the conversation by quoting a passage about the America's strength lying in the character and intelligence of its people. They discuss what it means to be an American and why its importan...

Ross Garner, Michael Conklin, Michael Bacon, Cruz Martinez, Pedro Tafoya, and Shalya Phillips discuss what great books, discussions, and mentors had the greatest impact on them while they were scholars at John Adams Academy, and why they chose to come back to the after graduation to teach. They talk about the learning environment at the Academy as one where the mentors are as engaged in the learni...

Ross Garner, Karin Anderson, Mark Bixler and Victoria and Constance Smith discuss Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Mark begins by providing a short synopsis of the book after which Constances poses a question regarding the hypocrtical religious views of Marie St. Claire in the book. They discuss the nature of religion and the way it can ironically be twisted to justify immorality...

Ross Garner and Josh Christensen discuss William Wordsworth's sonnet "The World Is Too Much With Us." They begin by reading the peom aloud and then consider its meaning. They discuss why we as humans waste our powers in merely getting and spending money, and how we can live more in tune with Nature and harmonize our lives with others. The views expressed by individuals in this podcas...

Ross Garner, Cali Wassom, Ruth Boatwright, Marco Lordge, and Lillian Braatz discuss Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Ruth begins by providing a short synopsis of the book after which Lillian poses a question regarding Elizabeth Bennet's ability to fairly judge the character of others. They discuss the nature of pride and prejudice as vices and why we as humans like to dislike others. The...

Ross Garner, Michael Conklin, Maya Wright and Austin Edlow discuss William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. After a brief summary of the plot by Mr. Conklin, the group discusses the grief of Hamlet at the loss of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and uncle. They consider whether the preciousness of life is directly connected to its mortal and finite nature. They also discuss Hamlet'...

Ross Garner, Michael Conklin, Madylin Webster and Cooper McDaniel discuss Leo Tolstoy's short story  The Death of Ivan Ilyich . To begin, Madylin offers a summary of the book to provide context for the listener. Cooper then starts the discussion by drawing the group's attention to the inappropriate premise with which Ivan Ilyich begins his marriage. Throughout the conversation, they explor...

Ross Garner and Michael Conklin introduce Mentor, formerly The Statesman, the podcast for American classical leadership education affiliated with John Adams Academy. They explain that the purpose of the podcast is not to create an ivory tower book club, but to have down-to-earth discussions of great books for the benefit of average Americans. They share experiences from the classroom and their per...