Responding to the Call
This course, the first in our Foundations of Study series, comprises five lessons that outline how one can develop good habits of the intellectual life. Each lesson includes a brief lecture, readings, and a suggested exercise or practice. Through these lessons, the nature of intellectual life as a vocation and the habits by which one pursues that vocation are discussed.
The first of the five lessons in this course explains the meaning of an “intellectual life” understood as a “vocation”, including a lecture focused on three essential habits: interior silence and reflection, determination and concentration, and humility.
The second lesson guides the student in creating a studious disposition in terms of place, time, and community—in short, the constitution of orderliness—for pursuing the vocation of an intellectual life.
The third lesson tackles the question of how to read texts philosophically, that is, how to approach the great works, their supplements, and how to incorporate their lessons into our lives, so that we might reap the greatest benefits from having these works in our hands.
The fourth focuses upon pursuing growth in knowledge, specifically through developing the habits of asking good questions and questioning well—aiming thereby to help us overcome the initial challenges that often confront us on the path towards wisdom.
The fifth and final lesson provides advice on how to reinforce the good habits of thinking we all need: most especially how to take and use notes and organize the products of our thinking.
This asynchronous course is available to all enrolled members.
This course is meant to be completed in 2-6 weeks of study, either independently or with a group. The materials are available 24/7.
