Assessing Odysseus' Moral Complexity

For the first time since 2023, Ascend is reposting an episode--our introduction to the Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen (6.25.2024) in anticipation of our NEW 12-WEEK STUDY of the Odyssey starting next week!

We start BOOK ONE OF THE ODYSSEY next week!

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In this special introduction to Homer’s Odyssey, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by three distinguished guests: Dr. Patrick Deneen (Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame and author of Why Liberalism Failed), Dr. Chad Pecknold (Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America), and Dr. Richard Meloche (then President of the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture).

The conversation explores why the Great Books matter, why Homer’s Odyssey remains foundational to Western thought and theological formation, and key introductory themes in the epic (with a few light spoilers). Topics include the dynamic nature of the canon, Odysseus’s journey home as a meditation on human nature (neither beast nor god), the tension between fate and choice, temptations of forgetfulness or false immortality, and how a Catholic lens reveals anticipations of Christian truths like restlessness for our true home. The guests share personal stories of how they encountered the Great Books and reflect on the role of narrative in education and spiritual formation.

It’s a rich, accessible discussion that sets the stage for deeper dives into the Odyssey while connecting ancient pagan wisdom to Christian theology.

In this episode the panel discusses:

• The importance of the Great Books canon and why it remains vital

• Personal journeys into the classics (and how providence often leads us there)

• Key themes in the Odyssey: homecoming, beast-like forgetfulness vs. god-like immortality, fate and free choice, father-son relationships, and Odysseus’s very human flaws

• Reading pagan texts through a Catholic lens—seeing anticipations of Christian truth (restlessness for the City of God, the need for virtue and community)

• The role of great stories in theological and liberal education

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome and guest introductions

08:15 – How each guest discovered the Great Books

22:40 – Why read Homer? The foundational role of the Odyssey

40:00 – Major themes and introductory overview of the Odyssey (light spoilers)

1:05:00 – Odysseus as neither beast nor god – the need for the city

1:25:30 – Theological reading of pagan literature

1:45:00 – The dynamic canon and reading with Christian eyes

2:05:00 – Final thoughts and what’s next for Ascend

Join us as we read the Odyssey over the next 12 weeks!