Posts about literature

Dr. Brian Kemple on “The Lame Shall Enter First”

Executive Director Brian Kemple joined Dcn. Harrison Garlick of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast to discuss a short story of Flannery O’Connor, “The Lame Shall Enter First”. You can find (and follow) Ascend on X.com here, and listen to their podcasts on all these many platforms—or watch on YouTube below.

Macbeth and the Fall of Soul

On Thursday, October 16, from 6-8pm ET, members of the Lyceum Institute will gather to discuss the beginning of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth under the guidance of Dr. Mark McCullough, who is providing us lectures and readings to focus our understanding. There is much that we can learn from this great tragedy—and here we will focus […]

On Comedy

To complement our recent Happy Hour discussion of tragedy, let’s consider the concept of comedy. The Nature and Praxis of Comedy As permits our time and—above all—my supply of shamefully light beer, we shall discuss at our next Happy Hour the nature of comedy and the comedic.[1] To facilitate our chat, I propose we undertake […]

On Tragedy

A Philosophical Happy Hour on the nature and purpose of tragedy in both poetic and real experience. Twenty-three years ago, on nearly this day, many of us bore witness to an undoubtedly tragic event—a relative few with our own eyes, most through the television.  I do not need to elaborate: only to say that I […]

Meet the Columbanus Fellows: Sneha Jain

Today we introduce another of our Columbanus Fellows—dedicated students demonstrating their commitment and desire to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding through a creative retrieval of the classic Western tradition and participation in genuine dialogical inquiry. Sneha Jain is an alumna of The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.S. in Chemical […]

Reading Poetry

A Philosophical Happy Hour on the merits of immersion in the poetic arts. Ποίησις: poiesis, the Greeks named it, the making of something which did not previously exist. The Greek conception extended far beyond the modern notion of “poetry”—but from the most ancient to the latest modern, every successful form of the “poietic” resounds by […]

Meet the Columbanus Fellows: Bea Cuasay

Today we introduce another of our Columbanus Fellows—who are demonstrating their commitment and desire to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding through a creative retrieval of the classic Western tradition and participation in genuine dialogical inquiry. Bea Cuasay is an alumna of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame. She received a B.A. in Philosophy with […]

Art to What End

For this week’s Philosophical Happy Hour, we are discussing the proper attitude towards art. What is art’s end? To how should we comport ourselves with respect to art? A Lyceum Member writes: What is the proper relation that one should have toward art? It is common today for people to speak about art as a […]

The Philosophy of History

What is history—and how do we study it?  The answers to these questions—to be asked at this week’s Philosophical Happy Hour (17 January 2024: details below!)—though they might seem simple, perhaps even elementary, not only prove difficult and controversial but elusive.  And given different answers, the practice of historical inquiry will be greatly changed. History […]

Reclaiming Culture in the Digital Age

The provincial attitude is limited in time but not in space. When the regional man, in his ignorance, often an intensive and creative ignorance, extends his own immediate necessities into the world, and assumes that the present moment is unique, he becomes the provincial man. He cuts himself off from the past, and without benefit […]

Beyond the University

Twelve people: that is how many faculty teach for the Lyceum Institute. In a world of billions, it is a very small number. But as history attests, twelve people can make profound and lasting changes in the world. Our faculty teach philosophy, languages, the Trivium, and more. They guide students in asking questions that matter, preserve the things worth remembering, and demonstrate the order of an intellectual life. In every seminar and every course, they show that education is not just preparation for life, but rather a fuller way of living.

This fall (from October 15 through 31 December), we are seeking to raise $48,000—enough to provide each of our faculty with a modest stipend of $4,000. These stipends are not salaries (which we hope to provide through our Endowment, which you can learn about here), but signs of gratitude and support for the dedication that makes the Lyceum Institute possible. Your gift does not prop up buildings or bureaucracy but sustains our people in the noble task of educating.

By giving today, you share in their work. Your contribution helps build a community where habits of thinking are not only taught, but lived.

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