Ep. 128 – The Paradox of Liberal Education: Freedom Through Discipline
Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education
How can the liberal arts, which demand intellectual discipline, rigorous study, and adherence to established methods, lead us to genuine freedom? In this episode of the Magnus Podcast, Professor Steven Cortright, founding Senior Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Institute, explores the history, nature, and purpose of liberal education. Drawing upon Cicero, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and others, he examines the relationship between art and science, the development of the trivium and quadrivium, and the ways in which intellectual discipline prepares the mind for the pursuit of truth and wisdom. This presentation draws heavily from two of Professor Cortright's essays, Art and Science, Means and Ends and Trivium–Quadrivium, Arts–Sciences, from his four-part series, Fifteen Minutes on Liberal Education, published by the Albertus Magnus Institute. Discover why the liberal arts are called liberal, what distinguishes them from other forms of learning, and how they cultivate genuine intellectual freedom. Learn more about the Albertus Magnus Institute and our tuition-free Fellowship at www.magnusinstitute.org.
About Podcast
Welcome to the Magnus Podcast where John Johnson and Larissa Bianco hope to connect contemporary thinkers to conversations from the catacombs in the classical, Christian tradition before us.
The Magnus Podcast is a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. Dedicated to the promotion of another sort of learning, the Albertus Magnus Institute seeks to invite all into the truth, ”Omnes ad Veritatem.”