Magnus Podcast

Earlier this spring, we hosted a lovely webinar on one of the most playful of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, The Nun's Priest's Tale of Chanticleer and the Fox. Now we're releasing it as a podcast so you too can enjoy it! Listen as Dr. Shannon Valenzuela of UD guides us through this delightful introduction to the poet's quirky (and sometimes shocking) combination of the modes of "ernest and game." Combining barnyard antics with a serious exploration of the purpose of storytelling and approaches to reading, this animal fable is a perfect springtime medley of high spirits and seriousness. 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 also an award-winning screenwriter and a novelist, and she is the writer, director, and narrator of the limited televis

How does man know? What are the roles of signs in knowing? What does “meaning” mean? What does man want to know? What are the objects to knowing? In this episode, Dr. Brian Kemple of the Lyceum Institute discusses these questions and opens the door to many, many more. Come join us down this rabbit hole of discovery. Dr. Brian Kemple holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas, in Houston TX.  He has written two scholarly books (Ens Primum Cognitum in Thomas Aquinas and the Tradition and The Intersection of Semiotics and Phenomenology: Peirce and Heidegger in Dialogue), two public-oriented books (an Introduction to Philosophical Principles and Linguistic Signification: A Classical and Semiotic Course in Grammar & Composition), a number of scholarly articles and a few public-oriented ones, as well. Check out the Lyceum Institute.  Join the Fellowship today!

“We can’t teach the humanities unless the students have been humanized." In this episode, Dr. Jared Staudt discusses the text, Newman’s Idea of A University, and begs the question, ”What does it mean to explore reality?” He challenges educators and teachers to not become complacent, classical educators, but to seek the beautiful alongside their students and provide them with an education that grounds them in both tradition and reality.  Dr. Jared Staudt is teaching a course in the Magnus Fellowship this summer on Newman's Idea of a University, the book that is the fruit of Newman's difficult venture as an Englishman creating a University in Ireland. Learn more, join the Fellowship, and register for the free 8 week course.  Check out his recently published book.      

Across the sea, Charles III has just been coronated King of England and much ado was made in his and his country’s honor.  On our homeland, America is, as always, in the throes of her own democratic controversies.  Now on the podcast, we asked Dr’s Pavlos Papadopoulos and Joseph Pearce to discuss this question: Democracy or Monarchy: Is one the better form of government? You will want to listen to this conversation.  Just announced: Dr. Papadopoulos will be teaching a course for us this summer on Plato’s Republic! Learn more! More from Dr. Pearce here. Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review!

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Zena Hitz; tutor at St. John’s College, author of Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life, and Co-founder and President of the Catherine Project. Listen as she discusses what it means to live the good life. Learn more about St. John's College & check out their own podcast, Continuing the Conversation

“The gates of hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But to return, and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labor lies.” - from The Aeneid of Virgil The Magnus Podcast returns with Dr. Matthew Bianco of the CiRCE Institute. Listen to this enlightening discussion on Plato and the allegory of the cave, and wonder and the demise of a vacuous society.  Dr. Matthew Bianco is the Chief Operations Officer for the CiRCE Institute, where he also serves as a head mentor in the CiRCE apprenticeship program. He is married to his altogether lovely high school sweetheart, Patricia. Dr. Matt Bianco has a PhD in Humanities from Faulkner University's Great Books Honors College. He is the author of Letters to My Sons: A Humane Vision for Human Relationships. Learn more about CiRCE! Join the Fellowship now! It’s free and always will be. 

We now bring you Spy Wednesday Bonus Episode 2, continuing in the theme of Holy Week. This is an excerpt from our own John Johnson’s course in the Magnus Fellowship: In the end was the word: Eschatology, Mimesis, and the Beloved Disciple.  Remember that all donors giving just $25/month have access to the recordings for the rest of this course, and all the rest of the courses in the Magnus Fellowship. Join the Magnus Fellowship today; it's free and always will be.   

In honor of Spy Wednesday, we are bringing you two back to back episodes today, both lectures by your favorite podcast host, the Founder and  Executive Director of our own institute, John Johnson. The first comes from a talk John delivered at a recent convocation of Catholic leaders in New Jersey sponsored by the Diocese of Camden:Tradition and Betrayal: Responding to the Scandal  Enjoy, share, and stay tuned for the second lecture! Remember: 20 % off The Sufferings and Glory of Christ! Magnusinstitute.org for more!

"Wherever he can find any possibility of doubt, he is going to call it downright false." Up now: Descartes and The Search for Certainty with Fr. Owen Carroll.  Enjoy these lectures given by Fr. Owen Carroll to a small group of retired religious in his private retirement home.  Purchase Fr. Carroll’s book, The Sufferings and Glory of Christ: A Meditation on Holy Week to Ascension today and get 20% off now through Ascension! Head to the website to learn more!  

"We see that Abraham is chosen, Abraham this one man with his clan around him... it’s promised to him that in him all nations, that is, all the rest of humanity... will find their blessedness in him." We now bring you Omnes Gentes, with Fr. Owen Carroll.  Enjoy these lectures given by Fr. Owen Carroll to a small group of retired religious in his private retirement home.  Purchase Fr. Carroll’s book, The Sufferings and Glory of Christ: A Meditation on Holy Week to Ascension today and get 20% off now through Ascension! Head to the website to learn more!      

“The Amaryllis has been doing many living acts within itself. Nourishing, growing, flowering itself, in the same way that when I take a sip of water,  am I not very much like the plant nourishing itself?”  We now bring you episode 3, The Amaryllis with Fr. Owen Carroll.    Lecturer Fr. Owen Carroll is one of the foremost experts on Thomas Aquinas and one of the greatest living teachers on the life of Christ. After praying to remain hidden his whole life, he has now entrusted his unpublished work and lectures with us. We are pleased to bring you these lectures given to a small group of retired religious (many, like Fr. Carroll, in their 90s)! We hope you will enjoy and share these lessons that are as charming as they are profound. Subscribe to get them throughout the season.  Purchase Fr. Carroll’s book, The Sufferings and Glory of Christ: A Meditation on Holy Week to Ascension today and get 20% off now through Ascension! Head to the website for more!    

 As Great Lent continues… so do podcasts with Fr. Owen Carroll.  Today’s being “Liturgy, Authority, and Living Scripture.” Lecturer Fr. Owen Carroll is one of the foremost experts on Thomas Aquinas and one of the greatest living teachers on the life of Christ. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux is the last of the patristics, Fr. Carroll is said to be the last medieval schoolman. After praying to remain hidden his whole life, he has now entrusted his unpublished work and lectures with us. We are pleased to bring you these lectures given to a small group of retired religious (many, like Fr. Carroll, in their 90s)! We hope you will enjoy and share these lessons that are as charming as they are profound. Subscribe to get them throughout the season.  Purchase Fr. Carroll’s book, The Sufferings and Glory of Christ: A Meditation on Holy Week to Ascension today and get 20% off now through Ascension! Head to the website for more!  

As the season of Great Lent is upon us, we are offering you a gift that we hope will edify you in this time of preparation. Lecturer Fr. Owen Carroll is one of the foremost experts on Thomas Aquinas and one of the greatest living teachers on the life of Christ. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux is the last of the patristics, Fr. Carroll is said to be the last medieval schoolman. After praying to remain hidden his whole life, he has now entrusted his unpublished work and lectures with us. We are pleased to bring you these lectures given to a small group of retired religious (many, like Fr. Carroll, in their 90s)! We hope you will enjoy and share these lessons that are as charming as they are profound. Look for them throughout this season. The first is called, “The Foundations of the Five Ways.” Purchase Fr. Carroll’s book, The Sufferings and Glory of Christ: A Meditation on Holy Week to Ascension today and get 20% off now through Ascension! Head to the website for more!  

In this final episode of season two, meet Eric, a Student Fellow, friend of the Institute, and successful business man who is here to discuss the value of a "useless" degree and the importance of a Liberal Arts education in any endeavor. Stay tuned for season three, and in the meantime, use this break to catch up on any episodes you may have missed.  You can give to the Great Campaign here: https://magnusinstitute.org/give/

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.