Life Under Compulsion: Noise
The child’s language is melodious. The words hide and protect themselves in the melody – the words that have come shyly out of the...
On Not Knowing Nothing: Mastery and Expertise
I belong to a guild. As such, I'm recognized by its practitioners as a peer, a fellow, even, like them, a master. By this...
The Locale and Grace of Teaching
I’ve not yet decided if I’ve succumbed to despair (a sin) or prudence, but I no longer participate in any of the forums at...
Whither the Public Library?
Despite constant speculation about public libraries’ “relevan in the digital age,” and serious budget cuts caused by the recent recession, the American public library...
Catholic Education Today: Scientiam Viarum Tuarum Nolumus
About a month ago I happened upon a copy of The Concord, student newspaper of Bellarmine University. In particular my eye was caught by...
What Does the Boss Really Do? Business Education and the Liberal...
An address given to the Ciceronian Society at Mount St. Mary's University, March 3.
At the start of each semester, I ask my MBA students,...
An Ancient Legacy of Form: Guardini on Mastery and Nearness
Our dwelling place is the state not of nature but of culture.
The Wonder of Liberal Education
Having had a day off last week in honor of the past presidents, I am loathe to disagree with former presidents (in this case,...
Life Under Compulsion: The Itch
Thee let old men, Thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens,
With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the...
Faith, Wonder, and the Method
In Summa Theologica 2-2.1.4, Aquinas argues that every action can be understood in two ways: according to its order of intention–the goal one has...