The TAC Podcast

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we turn our attention to Sacred Scripture for the first time, beginning with one of the most enigmatic and brooding books of the Bible: Ecclesiastes. Often attributed to King Solomon looking back late in life, the text confronts the reader with a stark, uncompromising examination of human existence: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." From the relentless cycles...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we explore Miguel de Cervantes' masterpiece, Don Quixote. Why does a 17th-century novel feel startlingly modern — even postmodern — in its treatment of identity, self-consciousness, and public perception? We examine how Quixote constructs an identity for the gaze of others, the strange meta-narrative of Part Two, and the parallels between Cervantes' world of chi...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we dive into Niccolò Machiavelli's classic and controversial political treatise, The Prince. Specifically, we unpack his famous assertion in Chapter 15 that a prince must "learn to be able not to be good" when necessity demands it. Is Machiavelli endorsing moral evil as an end, or is he laying out a cold, pragmatic toolbox for political survival? We explore his...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, host John Finley sits down with architect Anthony Grumbine ('00), alumnus of Thomas Aquinas College and the University of Notre Dame's School of Architecture. Anthony discusses how the built environment acts as the backdrop to human life and shapes the soul. From Vitruvian principles of design to the differences between authentic local architecture and commercia...

How do we endure profound suffering, grief, and sudden loss when our world falls apart?   In this episode of "The TAC Podcast," we examine Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius and his masterpiece, "The Consolation of Philosophy." Falsely accused of treason and imprisoned while awaiting execution, the Roman statesman and philosopher was stripped of his wealth, status, and freedom. In the depth of his...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we are joined by Thomas Aquinas College alumnus Father Andrew De Silva—pastor at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in New Jersey and Captain in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.   Father Andrew shares valuable insights from his work with young adults across parish life, high school summer programs, and the military. We dive into why young Catholics are increasingly searc...

What can Aristotle teach us about the study of the natural world more than 2,000 years after he wrote the Physics? Unlike modern physics, Aristotle's study of nature begins not with equations, specialized experiments, or mathematical models, but with our ordinary experience of the world around us. Motion, change, time, causality, matter, and nature itself are realities we encounter constantly, yet...

In this episode of "The TAC Podcast," we explore the "loneliness pandemic," and the fundamental human need for connection, through the lens of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics." Join us as we discuss the different levels of friendship — from utility and pleasure to "complete friendship" based on virtue — and how our modern, technologized world affects our ability to form deep, lasting bonds. Chapte...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we explore the groundbreaking social encyclical from Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, which addresses the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence. Drawing parallels to the Industrial Revolution and the legacy of Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, the discussion centers on how AI impacts human dignity, the necessity of limits, and the importance of maintaining genuine hum...

In this episode of "The TAC Podcast," we explore Pope Leo XIII's landmark 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor). This foundational document of modern Catholic social teaching addressed the dire condition of the working classes during the Industrial Revolution, offering a third way between unbridled capitalism and the rising tide of socialism. We discuss how Leo XIII defends the nat...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, host John Goyette sits down with Mike Ortner, tech entrepreneur, founder of Capterra, and author of The Catholic School Playbook. Together, they explore the essential foundations of an authentic Catholic education and why subjects like Latin and Mathematics are more relevant today than ever. Mike shares his journey from the tech world to philanthropic work in ed...

What does it really mean to have faith? In this episode of The TAC Podcast: Great Books and First Principles, John Finley and Chris Decaen explore Søren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling and one of the most unsettling passages in all of Scripture: God's command that Abraham sacrifice Isaac.  Drawing from Kierkegaard's famous "four vignettes," they examine why Abraham is called the father of faith,...

Does the new film adaptation of The Odyssey live up to Homer's epic, or does it lose the heart of the story? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we compare the original ancient text with the latest cinematic version. We explore what the film gets right, what it completely changes, and whether it's even possible to capture Odysseus's complex ten-year journey on the silver screen. In this video, we...

What separates a masterpiece from mere entertainment? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we move beyond film criticism to explore the "first principles" of cinema.   Drawing on the insights of Aristotle, Aquinas, and contemporary thinkers, we discuss whether film truly "imitates nature" and what it means to make the invisible visible on screen. We dive into the ethics of storytelling, the differe...

What does it mean to teach? Can knowledge truly be transferred from one person to another, or must every student ultimately learn for himself? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, John Finley and Chris Decaen explore St. Thomas Aquinas's On the Teacher (De Magistro), one of the most profound reflections ever written on education, learning, and the life of the mind. Drawing from Aquinas's Disputed Q...

Shakespeare's sonnets have captivated readers for more than 400 years. But what makes them some of the greatest poems ever written? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, John Finley and Chris Decaen take a close look at two of Shakespeare's most celebrated sonnets, Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") and Sonnet 29 ("When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes"), uncovering the rem...

Abraham Lincoln is remembered for some of the greatest speeches in American history. But what made them so powerful? In this episode of Th e TAC Podcast, John Finley and Chris Decaen explore Lincoln's greatest public addresses, including the Cooper Union Address, the Gettysburg Address, and the First and Second Inaugural Addresses, to uncover the principles that made him one of America's greatest...

Why did Abraham Lincoln believe America could not endure half slave and half free? Why did Stephen Douglas insist that the nation should stop debating the morality of slavery altogether? In this episode, TAC tutors John Finley and Chris Decaen examine the final two Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, the famous political contest that helped launch Lincoln onto the national stage just two years before...

For centuries, some of the greatest writers in the Western tradition have wrestled with a troubling question: What does evil actually look like? In this episode, join TAC tutors John Finley and Chris Decaen as they examine four unforgettable portrayals of the devil in literature: Dante's silent and defeated Satan, Milton's charismatic rebel in Paradise Lost, Dostoevsky's unsettling visitor in The...

Is a liberal arts education a "luxury item" for the elite, or a necessary foundation for the human soul? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, host John Finley is joined by alumnus and tech veteran Nathan Haggard to tackle the modern objections to a Great Books education. From the "All-In" podcast's criticisms to Elon Musk's focus on first principles, we examine why the world's most successful techn...

"Who can say what truth is?" In a world of competing ideologies and "brain hacks," is it possible to find solid ground on the most important questions of human existence? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we dive into TAC's "Great Books" approach to education, where students are immersed in diametrically opposed worldviews — from the virtue ethics of Aristotle to the radical critiques of Nietzsc...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we explore one of the most influential and challenging works of modern literature: T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." Written in the aftermath of the First World War, the poem presents a kaleidoscopic vision of a society in decay, mirroring the fragmentation of the Western tradition. We discuss the recurring themes of sterility, the breakdown of relationships betwee...

Is it possible to have a "just war" in an era of nuclear and biological weapons? How does a U.S. Ambassador navigate the "media-induced war" between the Pope and the President? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we sit down with Brian Burch, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and founder of Catholic Vote, following his commencement address at Thomas Aquinas College. We dive deep into the concept of...

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we dive into the dark and radical world of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. We explore Hobbes's view of the human being as a machine, the terrifying reality of the "State of Nature," and why he believes the Sovereign is the only thing standing between us and total chaos. Is Hobbes a realist or a cynic? Join us as we unpack his views on materialism, speech, and the eter...

Are the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass merely American, or do they belong among the great texts of the Western tradition? Dr. Adam Seagrave joins us to explore how the American founding contributes to the perennial questions of justice, freedom, and human dignity. At the center of the conversation is slavery—not only as a historical reality, but as a contradiction within the Am...