Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education

Happy third day of Christmas! Continue this joyous feast by listening to the first half of our recent webinar on On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius.  Dr. David Arias, Dr. Matthew Walz and Mr. Dale Ahlquist joined us for an informative and beautiful conversation on the great text.  You can watch the entire webinar on our YoutubeChannel here! Give to the Great Campaign here.

Please take a listen to this 3 minute announcement from the host of the Magnus Podcast and Executive Director of the Institute, John Johnson.    Merry Christmas to our followers, fellows, and donors alike.   Stay tuned for a Christmas episode.   

If beauty awakens the Divine, what does it mean for a culture when it is deficient in beauty? How do we return beauty to its proper place in the quadrivium? How do we restore beauty to a culture void of wonder? In this episode, John and Larissa discuss beauty (and the lack) in education with Dr. Shannon Valenzuela.   Shannon K. Valenzuela, Ph.D., is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Humanities and English at the University of Dallas. She received her B.A. in English and Classics from the University of Dallas, and her Ph.D. in literature from the University of Notre Dame, where she specialized in the medieval period. She is an award-winning screenwriter and a novelist, and she is the writer, director, and narrator of the limited television series The Quest, which is produced by the University of Dallas and distributed by EWTN.    Learn more about The Quest    Please give to the Albertus Magnus Institute. Only with your help can we keep education as free as it is freeing. 

“Our will is always for our own good, but we do not always see what that is; the people is never corrupted, but it is often deceived.” Jean Jacques Rousseau True…or false?  Listen to John interview Dr. Emily B. Finley, author of the newly released book, “The Ideology of Democratism," in which Finley posits that the west has been deceived into a false understanding of democracy that is far removed the true meaning of the word. This enchanting, imaginative “democracy,” has its roots in Enlightenment thinkers, specifically Rousseau and The Social Contract. So what does this mean for America? What does this mean for democracy?  Listen now and learn more. Check out the book here! The Albertus Magnus Institute seeks to make a freeing education accessible to all. Please give to our annual fundraiser: The Great Campaign.  Give more. Learn more.  https://magnusinstitute.org

The Magnus Fellowship continues! Enjoy this glimpse into week one of Senior Fellow, Dr. Hudson's course, “George Bernanos: The Man and His Work.” This is much more than a sneak peak; it’s our longest glimpse yet as Dr. Hudson goes deep into the life of one of the most prominent French novelists of the 20th century.  Find out here how you can watch the rest of this course and access all archived courses- over 40 hours of  exceptional classes with some of the top educators in liberal learning.  Join the Magnus Fellowship for an education that is as free as it is freeing.  Don't forget that we are in the thick of our annual fundraiser- The Great Campaign. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the Magnus Fellowship and the Fellows and courses therein. 

This week we turn three years old!  This episode of the Magnus Podcast honors the Feast Day of our namesake, St. Albert the Great, celebrates our third birthday, and launches the Great Campaign. Please consider joining the Magnus Fellowship and/or giving to the Great Campaign today! With your help, we can continue to liberate the Liberate Arts.  

Revisit The Waste Land with us. Once again, we are offering you a glimpse into the Magnus Fellowship; this time with Senior Fellow, Dr. Freeh’s class, “The Waste Land Revisited: T.S. Eliot’s Diagnosis of Modernity.” Find out how you can catch the rest of this course AND access all archived courses- over 40 hours of exceptional classes with some of the top educators in liberal learning.  Join the Magnus Fellowship for an education that is as free as it is freeing. 

Enjoy this sneak peak into the Fellowship - week one of Senior Fellow, Dr. Esolen’s course, In the Beginning Was the Word: Poetry and Christology in the Gospel of John.   Find out how you can catch the rest of this course AND access all archived courses- over 40 hours of exceptional discussions and lectures with some of the top educators in liberal learning.   Join the Magnus Fellowship for an education that is as free as it is freeing. 

What is metaphysics? Is it philosophy or science? Is it witchcraft or wizardry? Is it inalterable or constantly changing? Why has it been reinterpreted and misunderstood in today’s culture? How do we return metaphysics to its proper place in the order of knowing and learning? Dr. David Arias is a professor of philosophy at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, NE. Prior to coming to Nebraska, Dr. Arias taught philosophy, theology, natural science, mathematics, literature, and various other subjects for eleven years at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA. Dr. Arias has published in both scholarly and popular venues. His main areas of scholarly interest are natural philosophy and metaphysics.He is happily married to Jennaya Arias and together they are the blessed parents of fourteen children. Dr. Arias will be teaching his fourth course for the Magnus Fellowship this coming spring! You can find snippets of his past courses, Metaphysics I, Metaphysics II, and Philosophy of Nature, on earlier episodes of the Magnus Podcast. Donors giving just $25/month have access to ALL archived courses. Subscribe to the emails and/or become a fellow, donor, or both here.  

"Humankind, full of all creative possibilities, is God's work. Humankind alone is called to assist God. Humankind is called to co-create." -Hildegard Von Bingen This week's episode features Dr. Matthew Smith - the founder and president of the new Hildegard College. Named for Hildegard Von Bingen, Hildegard College was founded to create both exceptional thinkers and extraordinary creators; at Hildegard College the desire is that all students become polymaths. Learn now how they're setting out to accomplish this goal. The college is currently accepting applications for its inaugural freshman class. Learn more @ Hildegard.college