The Cave Escape: Recent Episodes
Ashton Goolsby
Through conversations on books, education, art, science, history, and philosophy we seek answers to the meaning behind creation.
This week we are joined by Abe Goolsby, who gives us his insights on the realm of art. We discuss many different types of art, such as painting, poetry, and music. We seek to know what good art is and what separates good art from bad art. Can one even say that there are better and worse forms of art? This is what we seek to learn.
Last week was the beginning of Lent. Lent is a season in which believers remember the suffering of Christ on our account as we prepare for Easter. The tradition of Lent is not commanded in scripture, but it is a tradition derived from the traditions found in scripture to remind us of the gospel story.
This episode is a discussion of Plato's dialogue Ion, which is a discussion of poetry. Through our conversations we discuss Philosophy, Socratic Discussion, Poetry, and Education.
“Hwæt!” This week we take a closer look at the epic poem of Beowulf. This poem is one of the oldest examples of the English language that survives and it in itself is a masterpiece. Through it we can learn much about the origins of our language and also the culture of the English people c. 1000 A.D. This story also gives us a glimpse at how the gospel, which was newly arrived in Britain, was shaping the hearts and minds of the early English people.
This week we are joined by our good friend Maxwill Shell to talk about liturgy. When we hear the words liturgy, our minds immediately go to worship, but there is so much more to this idea. In our discussion we seek to understand better what liturgy is, its purpose, and how it can help us as we live our lives as Christians.
Robert Louis Stevenson was highly skilled writer. Through his stories he gives insight into human nature and the way people interact with others. One of the best examples of this is in his famous short story, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This story shows the way in which our secret sin affects not only ourselves, but how it also effects those whom we encounter.
In today's episode, we begin a discussion on Covenant Theology. We discuss our own upbringings and the ways we have understood salvation to work as well as current questions or beliefs we currently hold to. The faithful are promised eternal life with Christ, but who are the faithful, and to whom are the promises of Scripture given? These are questions we ask today in an attempt to open further conversation.
Flannery O'Connor was an author in Savannah, Georgia during the 1950s and 1960s. She wrote stories that portrayed the life she witnessed around her in the south. It was not always a pleasant picture, and the stories she wrote were often quite scandalous. However, in her stories she sought to show through the grace and mercy that Christ brings to the world. Her short story "Parker's Back" is an excellent example of her skills as a story teller, and there are many noteworthy truths expressed in it.
The science of Astronomy is not often given much time in school. If it is taught, it is not seen as having much to do with the other sciences, and it doesn't play any importance in our daily lives. Astronomy, however, is one of the earliest sciences, and through studying it we learn to understand our world better. People have studied the stars for thousands of years, and their discoveries influenced the way we study science today.
We’re back this time with a discussion of mathematics. Math was discovered by the ancients by studying the natural world. It was not originally seen as an abstract study, but as a study of the material world. We encounter math every day of our lives, but often we don’t even notice it. Listen as we discuss how a deeper knowledge of math opens our eyes to the wonders of God's creation.
We conclude our conversation on the Nicene Creed with the Holy Spirit and the second coming of Christ. What does the Holy Spirit do? What promises do we have to look forward to at the end of time? How should we then live? The Nicene Creed guide us to answers to these questions.
This week we examine the next section of the Nicene Creed which talks about God the Son. How is he different than the Father? How is he similar? What can we say about the Son and His nature? Join us as we discuss!
This week we take a look at the Nicene Creed. What is it? Where does it come from? Why do people still say it? We delve into both the history of the creed and the truths that it teaches us.
We break our long silence this week to talk to about faerie stories. We invite Avery Goolsby to talk with us about his recent research on the origin and purpose of faerie tales. What is a faerie story? Do they always end happily ever after? Why do we still read them to children? What is it about them that has caused them to endure the centuries of time? Hopefully we can shed some light on these questions!
Every society has its heroes. They types of heroes a society has reflects the morality of that society. What does a true hero look like? What do our heroes say about us? Is Captain America the best superhero? We will seek to answer at least some of these questions this week!
Stories play an important roll in helping us to understand the world. We think in stories. Stories strengthen our understanding of the relationship of the world around us. What is it about stories that captivates us? What makes a good story or a bad story, and can we even say that one is good or bad? Today we dip our toes into this conversation.
St. Matthew’s Passion is Bach’s stunning musical dramatization of Christ’s crucifixion. Through music he masterfully weds words with music to convey the somber Matthew account of the last supper up until Christ’s final breath. In this episode we look at some of the tools that Bach employed to make this piece the wonder that it is.
This week we conclude our study of "The Liberal Arts Tradition" by Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain. We end by looking at Theology, which is the culmination of the christian classical education. What is theology? Why makes it important? How do we incorporate it into an educational model? These are questions we discuss in today's episode.
We conclude our discussion on philosophy with a look at divine philosophy. Through a study of divine philosophy we open our minds to contemplate the mysteries of God and his creation. We discuss what it means to be human, and what it looks like to participate in the mysteries of God.
In this week's episode we examine moral philosophy again and the ways it shapes and is shaped by community. We discuss the importance of having a solid godly community, and we also examine the pitfalls our sinful nature tends toward when striving for community. Why is community so important to human nature? Why can we not grow without it? These are questions we seek to answer in today's episode!
This week we're back with part two of our study of philosophy: moral philosophy. Last week we talked science, this week we talk psychology. How has our modern understanding been shaped by understandings from the past? How have we strayed from the path, and why should we care if we have? All of these questions will be addressed in this week's episode!
This week we begin our discussion of philosophy by looking at natural philosophy. Amid the barking neighborhood dogs and Caleb's roommates dropping dishes in the background, we learn how modern science developed from the ancient understanding of natural philosophy and how we have strayed from the ancient understanding of the order of the cosmos. What does it mean to know something? What is wisdom? How long should Ethan microwave his dinner? These are all questions worth considering, and today we seek answers!
This week we take a second look at the Quadrivium. We discuss the gnosticism of the ancient greeks and how christians ought to respond to those ideas. We also examine the purpose of these last four arts is to study the physical world to lead us to a better understanding of our creator God.
This week we revisit the Trivium in our reading of The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain. These authors provide us with a different view of the Trivium from that of Dorothy Sayers, and we examine the almost seamless interconnection of the first three arts from their perspective. We discuss the importance of language to us as humans and imitators of God, and how we are to use these words to his glory.
This week we attempt to gain an understanding of Piety and how we may better attain it. We also take a look into the classical understanding of Gymnastics and Music as laying the groundwork for higher education by shaping both the body and the soul. These three studies aid us toward a deeper study of reality and ultimately God himself, which is the true end of a christian education.
This week we are joined again by Greg Wilbur, the president of New College Franklin, to discuss the broader application of the liberal arts education. Between Ashton's stammering questions and Caleb's deathlike silence, Mr. Wilbur offers insights into the purpose and beauty of the liberal arts. We also discuss potential benefits to a recovery of the liberal arts and what steps need to be taken to further our endeavors.
Today we discuss the Quadrivium with Greg Wilbur, the president of New College Franklin. With his help we seek to understand better the four mathematical arts of Arithmetic, Geometry, Harmonia, and Cosmology and how through studying them we learn more about creation and ultimately God himself.
Today on The Cave Escape podcast we begin our discussion of the liberal arts tradition by investigating the Trivium.