Developing Classical Thinkers

In this episode, Winston Brady talks with Brian Balfour about economics, schools of economic thought, and the role that a right understanding of economics plays in a free society. For context, Brian Balfour is Senior Vice President of Research for the John Locke Foundation, where he oversees the organization’s research and analysis on a variety of issues. He specializes in fiscal policy issues and...

In this panel discussion, Bob Luddy (founder of Thales Academy), Josh Herring (Dean of Students), and Ethan Delves (Class of 2021) discuss the importance of Classical education, the value of reading a lot of books, and the Thales experience. Ethan Delves has been at Thales Academy since kindergarten and we are all very proud of his accomplishments. Congratulations, Ethan!

Ashley Bahor and Josh Herring interview five members of the Thales Academy Rolesville Class of 2021. Morgan Taylor, Joojoo Rahim, Sophia Bany, Grayson Sakell, and Gabriel Walker discuss their time at Thales Academy, ways the unique classical education has benefited them, and where they are going next. Check it out!

In this episode, Winston Brady and Josh Herring talk about all things debate: debate tips, debate skills, debate strategy, plans for new debate tournaments and debate electives at Thales Academy, as well as an upcoming look at Josh Herring's new podcast and YouTube show, The Optimistic Curmudgeon, coming in August of 2021.

Winston Brady speaks with Andrew Kern, President of the CiRCE Institute. In this episode, Winston and Andrew talk about virtue and the role of a Great Books education in cultivating virtue and the role Classical education has in helping students to form good character and cultivate good habits, as well as the incredible importance of teaching students how to pay attention and resolve discord in an...

In this brief episode, we take a look at the Socratic Method. We look at how Benjamin Franklin used the Socratic Method in his own life, how Socrates asked questions of his interlocutors to encourage them to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty, and how the Socratic Method is used in the Classical classroom to help teach students how to think, not what to think.

On today’s episode, Winston Brady speaks with Dr. Wilfred McClay, an intellectual historian and the author of the recent textbook on American history, “Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story.” Dr. McClay is currently the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma but will soon be joining the faculty at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, M...

In today's episode, Josh Herring, Matt Ogle, and Travis Copeland discuss three poems by Wendell Berry: 'What We Need is Here,' 'The Peace of Wild Things,' and 'A Small Porch in the Woods.' Wendell Berry is a novelist, poet, essayist who lives and farms in Henry County, Kentucky. He studied English literature at both the University of Kentucky and New York University before returning to his hometow...

On today's episode, Winston speaks with Connor Boyack, the founder of the Libertas Institute, a Utah-based non-profit thinktank. He is also the author of the Tuttle Twins books, a children’s book series that introduces young readers to economic, political, and civic principles. On the show they discuss the creative process behind the books and the key thinkers and ideas of Austrian economics. More...

In today’s episode, we look at the value of studying history as a subject in and of itself. Today, many people criticize history as an academic enterprise on several fronts: one, whether or not history is useful to study at all and two, if we study history, we tend to focus on certain monumental figures to the neglect of other voices within the historical narrative. To that end, what people, place...

Thales founder Bob Luddy offers our listeners lessons for our students in regards to good character, personal integrity, and virtuous leadership, oriented on "Lessons from Youth," "Lessons in Business," and "Lessons for the Future."

In today's episode, Winston Brady speaks with Sheel Chandra, graduate of the class of 2018 and a current student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about his experiences at Thales and what it means to be "Classically educated."

In today’s episode, we look at the life of the abolitionist leader, author, and noted orator Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). Born into slavery on a plantation in Tuckahoe, Maryland, Frederick Douglass endured great suffering and hardship during his childhood and adolescent years. Despite the often harsh treatment he endured from his masters, and the lengths they went to keep Frederick illiterate a...

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Andrew Pudewa, the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW, for short). IEW's mission "is to equip teachers and teaching parents with methods and materials which will aid them in training their students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers," and Andrew shares those tips and insights with our listeners t...

In this episode, Will Begley, Josh Herring, and Travis Copeland discuss the poetry of Richard Wilbur. They focus on the poems "A Wood" and "4C," which are available for you to read here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mJYY27pCAbK4SFqCpbs1w5mOvuI0dcd-hvhUto03pDk/edit?ts=601c197c Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) was an American poet and literary translator who is often associated with a movement know...

Josh Herring, Dean of Student for Thales Academy Rolesville, went on The Open Door podcast; as part of their discussion, Mario Ramos-Reyes asked Josh what it means for Thales Academy to be a classical school. His answer is given in this episode of Developing Classical Thinkers. If you're interested in the Open Door Podcast, you can check them out at https://www.spreaker.com/user/wcatradio/wcat-rad...

In this episode, Josh Herring, Winston Brady, and Matt Ogle discuss the idea of a “No Excuses” Discipline Policy as taken from the book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers." "Battle Hymn" was written by the faculty at the Michaela School, a “free school” (similar to charter schools in the U.S.) in Britain. Josh, Winston, and Matt focused on one essay, “No Excuses Discipline Changes Lives” by Michae...

In many ways, the Classical education movement began with “The Lost Tools of Learning,” a lecture delivered by Dorothy Sayers at a Vacation Course in Education at Oxford in 1947. In this episode, we’ll take a look at the life of Dorothy Sayers, walk through “The Lost Tools of Learning,” examine some objections to her argument raised by Classical educators, and end with how Thales implements some o...

On this episode, Winston Brady interviews Dr. Anika T. Prather about the value of a Classical education and the role Classical texts played in shaping the minds of leaders in the African-American community, notably Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., among others. Dr. Anika T. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education. She...

This is our third (and final) interview with Dr. Don Devine. In the interview, Devine and Winston Brady, Dean of Academics at Thales Academy, talk about current trends in education, the importance of reading the very best books, and Devine's experience working in the Reagan administration. Don Devine is a well-respected professor and civil servant with a long career in academia and public service....

In the second of three interviews with Dr. Don Devine, Josh Herring, Dean of Students at Thales Academy, discusses the role of education in promoting civic virtue and the importance of local, public associations.  Don Devine is a well-respected professor, civil servant, and author with a long career in academia and public service. Devine is also a passionate supporter of  Classical education, and...

In this episode, Bob Luddy, the founder and Chairman of the Board of Thales Academy, interviews Don Devine about his new book, "The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order," as well as the habits of visionary leaders and the significance of Classical education. Don Devine is a well-respected professor, civil servant, and author with a long career in academia and public service. Devine is...

How might a Classical education prepare students for the challenges of the modern world? How might the values and virtues of a Classical education help shape the minds and characters of students for the better? To help explore the link between a Classical education and strong, confident leaders and thinkers, this episode looks at the education of George Washington, how moral exemplars from Classic...

What is the value of a Classical education in the modern world? How does reading Plato, Aristotle, and Shakespeare help prepare anyone for a career in engineering or finance or some other field only tangential related to a Classical education. To find out, we spoke with Savannah Josey, a 2019-graduate of Thales Academy, Apex and a current Business Fellow at Elon University in Burlington, North Car...

Since this is technically season three of Developing Classical Thinkers, we created this very brief episode to reflect on the past two seasons of our podcast and to look forward to the kinds of episodes we will produce this upcoming year.