Educating Humans: Recent Episodes
Difff & James
Discussions about Classical and Liberal Arts education in Primary and Secondary schools in Australia. What is it, how it might be achieved, and most importantly, why it matters.
In this episode, James sits down with Fr Stephen David, principal of St John of Kronstadt, to discuss how the school has grown and the wisdom he has learnt since our last episode with him in 2023.
More information of the upcoming conference can be found here: https://www.stjohnacademy.qld.edu.au/orthodox-education-conference-2026
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James in this episode as he sits down to discuss the Australian Curriculum with Kevin Donnelley. We discuss what is is, what is meant by a knowledge rich curriculum, where it falls short, and what can be done to improve the education of young Australians everywhere.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James as he sits down with Prof. Simon Haines, founding CEO of the Ramsay Centre, to discuss a great books education, its history and importance.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James as he sits down with Benjamin Lyda from Scriptorium Writing to discuss writing within a classical and liberal arts framework. They discuss both the how and why of teaching writing and argue that writing is not just a technique, but an art that humanises the writer.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James as he finishes the mini-series discussing why and how we should seek to save science from the self-desctructive clutches of scientism and reconstitute science within wisdom and recover poetic knowledge as an avenue to science. This episode draws from many key thinkers including Pope John Paul II and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James as he sits down with Kenneth Crowther to hear how the first couple months of a student populated Newman College with has gone.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Join James as he sits down with Andrew Kern, the president of the CiRCE Institute, to discuss the place of harmony within the classroom.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Does science need saving from scientism? What is science and what is scientism? How did we find ourselves with the materialist and technocratic vision of science of today? Join James as he discusses these questions in the first of two episodes on saving science from scientism
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Why should we read? In this episode, Difff and James discuss the startling statistics on the decline of reading across the West, as well as the power that developing our reading capacity can hold.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff explains his PhD, The Paradox of Enchantment: Syncretising Meteorology, Humoralism, and Demonology on the Early Modern English Stage. The discussion covers questions of enchantment and the 'discarded image' of the medieval mind, Shakespeare, astrology in King Lear, the role of enchantment in education, the importance of continuing to pursue learning into adulthood, and much more.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
This episode was recorded live at the 2025 Education for Human Flourishing Conference. James was joined by Dr Brian Williams (Templeton Honors College) and Peter Crawford (Institute for Catholic Liberal Education) to discuss poetry and the poetic mode.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In this talk from the Education for Human Flourishing Conference in 2025, Difff discusses the ways that artificial intelligence offers a false promise of restoring the logos, which has been systematically eroded and dismissed over the past millennium. Drawing on history, philosophy, and literature, including C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Difff suggests that classical education in the liberal arts is by definition the introduction of students to reality, and as such it connects us to the logos and forms a shield against the false promises of artificial intelligence.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff interviews Sarah Flynn, founder of Logos Australis and The Liberal Arts Project in anticipation of the upcoming National Classical Education Conference: Educating for Human Flourishing.
Get your tickets to the conference here.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Joseph Pearce, the critically acclaimed Catholic author and biographer, addressed the community of St John Henry Newman College and the Brisbane Oratory in Formation in May 2025. His topic of 'Shakespeare and Tolkien: Literary Giants and Why the Great Books Matter' spoke to the centrality of the great works of literature in a classical education in the Liberal Arts.
You can find out more about Joseph Pearce and his publications here.
With thanks to Hartford College for organising Joseph Pearce's tour of Australia.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Dr Simon Kennedy joins the podcast to discuss his book Against Worldview. Critiquing the 'worldview project' as a governing intention of Christian education, Simon proposes an active growth in wisdom as an alternative to an intellectual formation of 'getting the right answers'. This podcast discusses virtue ethics, church history, sectarian differences in approaching education, and a whole lot more.
You can get the book here.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In the final episode about Josef Pieper's Leisure the Basis of Culture, we discuss the connection between leisure and worship and why secular holidays don't cut it. We also compare the totally consuming world of work to the one ring to rule them all.
Please support St John Henry Newman College by donating at www.newmancollege.qld.edu.au
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Josef Pieper connects our ability for festival and celebration with schole and leisure. If in our schools we manage our celebrations and justify them with key learnings and outcomes, and asses their relative success or failure against a checklist, it's likely our celebrations have become subsumed into the life of work.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In Part 3 of the series on Leisure the Basis of Culture, the discussion is all about acedia and restlessness as the opposite to leisure.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Our series explaining schole continues with part two on Leisure: The Basis of Culture. In this episode focusing on Chapter Two, we question how hard work and effort have come to be seen as the litmus test of successful education, and whether this vision misses out any essential elements that humanise education.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Schole is an alien concept for those new to classical education. In the first episode in our mini-series on the book Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper we discuss what it means to contemplate, and the difference between two ways of knowing that were described in the Middle Ages as ratio and intellectus. Pieper's Leisure is one of the foundational books for classical liberal arts education, and it provides a helpful corrective for a modern education that has become obsessed with analysing and deconstructing, and is often at risk of losing the forest for the trees.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In this episode James reads a paper that he prepared recently for a classical education symposium. The paper focuses on the role of beauty in education.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
James interviews Dr Scott Crider, Professor of English at the University of Dallas where he has taught for thirty years. His book, The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for Academic Essay, is one of James' favourites for teaching academic writing. James and Scott discuss the value of rhetoric, how to teach writing, the power of language, and the way that poetry communicates truth.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In another short FAQ episode, Difff and James discuss why history is such an important and central focus of Classical Education.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In this interview, Difff speaks to Dr Hugh Chilton from The Scots College, Sydney. They discuss ways that Scots is rediscovering elements of classical and liberal arts education through reclaiming the reality of teachers as scholars and academics and the positive impact that can have on a school. Hugh then explains the Scots X program that he leads at the college and how it incorporates elements of classical education to think deeply about the best kind of education specifically for boys in junior high school.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
For the first episode of 2025, Difff and James ask why schools should read the 'Great Books'. What even are the great books, and what makes them so great? Schools have to read something (though that's perhaps not universally acknowledged), so what metrics should be used to determine what kinds of books should be read. And isn't it true that what we call the 'Great Books' are just old, boring and difficult?
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
For our fiftieth episode, and the last for 2024, we interview Andrew Kern, president of the CIRCE Institute. Answering the question of what are the essential components for a classical education, Andrew discusses the four pillars of coherence, the logos, piety and humanity.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Attempting the impossible, Difff answers the question 'What is classical education?' in less than fifteen minutes. This episode aims to be a brief, succinct snapshot, so if you're worried there is a lack of nuance and depth, may I recommend to you the 48 other episodes in this podcast?
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
What is it like to teach in a classical school? As teachers, we are by default telling our students that what we're teaching is worth loving. We're also telling them that learning itself is worth doing. Teachers, therefore, should love learning. But so much of teaching today has become administration and box-ticking.
Teaching in a classical school means many things, but one of them is an atmosphere of 'schole'. While it translates literally to 'leisure', our modern definition of this word doesn't do justice to the depth of the original intention. Schole doesn't mean easy or lazy - working in a classical school will be hard work - but the work will be meaningful, and the conversations rich and rewarding.
St John Henry Newman College is looking for teachers who are attracted to this vision of education.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In the final of the four part series about what is wrong with modern or progressive education, Difff and James discuss anthropology. As James KA Smith says, every pedagogy assumes an anthropology. Without realising it, anthropology - what it means to be human - is the core assumption under-riding all decisions within schooling. When we teach anything, we're implying it is good. If we imply it is good, we imply it is good for humans. If education is about preparing for life, then what we (unconsciously) say is the purpose of education is what we (unconsciously) say is the purpose of life.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Having discussed the metaphysical and epistemological ruptures that have impacted education, Difff & James move to ethics. If all education points students towards some conception of good, what is good? How can we come to understand good, especially in a flattened materialist world which doubts our capacity to know, or relativises reality? Is there any such thing as a value neutral education? And how will all of this lead to the final question about anthropology?
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In the second episode asking the question of what is wrong with modern progressive education, Difff & James discuss epistemology - the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of what is knowledge, what is knowable, and how we come to know things. The implications of a reduced metaphysics are a fragmented and relativistic epistemology. Modern education has inherited the scientific reductionist epistemological view of its surrounding culture, but there are more ways to know things than just analysis, and real meaning is found not in apprehension, but comprehension; not deconstruction but contemplation; not dissecting, but harmonising.
Please consider becoming a founding donor for St John Henry Newman College, a new independent classical school in South Brisbane.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In the first of four episodes attempting to detail some of the major differences between classical and modern or progressive education, Difff and James discuss metaphysics. Rather than going after specific particular elements of modern education that are problematic, they approach it from a philosophical perspective, recognising that faulty practice stems from faulty thinking, which usually stems from unspoken assumptions that are incoherent or confused. The first of four philosophical foundations of a school is metaphysics - what the school believes about the nature of reality. After this, episodes will focus on epistemology, anthropology and ethics.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff and James have another amiable argument about a contentious issue in education. This time, we're asking how much say teachers should have over what and how they teach in the classroom? Does a top-down approach stifle teacher autonomy and creativity and create situations where students are not met where they are at? Or is this just a symptom of poor leadership and structures? Ultimately, this episode ends up asking the question of idealism versus practicality when it comes to how much teachers should continue to learn.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
What role does the concept of harmony play in education? This episode is a talk that was presented by Difff at the Brisbane Classical Education Conference in June 2024. Focusing on the work of St John Henry Newman, Difff discusses how true education is a harmonising process, designed to conform the soul to reality, and to recognise the natural order in the world and the connection between all things.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff adopts his real name - Kenneth Crowther - and discusses St John Henry Newman College with James. Newman College is a new classical school starting in 2026 in Brisbane, and Kenneth is the school's first principal. In this episode, he explains the school's approach to classical education, the mission and vision of Newman College, the joy of hard work, the importance of the community of families and parents, and the role of technology at the school and in the classical home.
St John Henry Newman College is holding its official launch on Thursday July 11th at 6pm. Find out more and register to attend here.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff & James are joined by Ben McCabe, who runs the Augustine Academy. The Academy offers a Certificate IV for students between 16 and 19 years of age. Primarily designed for homeschoolers as a way for them to gain an accredited certification for university entry, the Academy is a one year course in Literature, Philosophy, History and Theology, with a little agriculture thrown in on the side.
Ben and his wife are taking the Academy on tour to capital cities around Australia. To find out more, look for the Augustine Academy on Facebook, or go to their website: https://augustineacademy.com.au
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
You've probably heard the saying before, that parents are the primary educators of their children. In fact, it has been said on this very podcast. But are they? And if they are, what does this really mean? Difff and James engage in a pseudo-debate about the topic to try to get to the heart of the proposition. They end up discussing the importance of family, the power of the state, how to work with schools, and the weight of responsibility that parenthood entails.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
The Paideia Approach is a theory and practice of education proposed by a number of luminaries including Mortimer Adler. In this episode, James discusses the Paideia way to think about curriculum design, such as anchoring subjects of study in The Great Ideas, as well as pedagogical design, such as the use of the lecture, academic coaching, and the Socratic seminar.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
C.S. Lewis' 'On the Reading of Old Books' is the topic of discussion in this episode of Educating Humans. James reads most of the excerpt unabridged, and then the conversation ensues, touching on various topics based upon Lewis' main point that old books provide a lens and viewpoint that is foreign to our own and therefore valuable because it does not suffer from the same blindness of our age. We also question why people shun old books - is it too much humility, too much pride, or something else?
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Can the Australian National Curriculum be redeemed? The question itself implies that there might be something wrong with the curriculum provided by ACARA, and indeed listening to the pundits and commentators, apparently there may be. For proponents of classical education, however, the real question is whether the national curriculum can accommodate a classical approach to education. And the answer is that it can.
This episode is a version of a presentation Difff gave to the Church and State Summit in Brisbane in March 2024.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff & James read and discuss Josef Pieper's short essay Learning How to See Again. As the essay begins: "Man's ability to see is in decline." Why is this? Pieper, writing in the 1950s, suggested that one of the reasons was that - even back then - there was too much to see. The proposed remedy is a great insight into how the arts can be thought about within the classical education tradition.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
And we're back for 2024! Difff and James chat about what has been happening in classical education in Australia, including updates from new schools starting up, a visit from Andrew Kern and Katerina Hamilton, and Difff's upcoming presentation at the Church and State Summit. James then previews what's to come in 2024, including overly ambitious guest interviews and a close read of Josef Pieper's Leisure: The Basis of Culture.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
Difff is joined by Heidi White, a classical education consultant with the CIRCE Institute to discuss, well, a whole lot of good stuff. Beginning with some foundational questions about the classical education renewal, Heidi talks about the formation of classical teachers, Aristotle's Five Common Topics, and understanding virtues, before moving on to thinking about Shakespeare's humanism and why he's a quintessential example of the kind of literary figure that shapes classical education.
This episode has everything - it's not only theological and philosophical, but it's also intensely practical, with Heidi explaining how to structure lesson plans around the Five Common Topics.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In our short series on conversation topics for things we're reconsidering: subjects - yes, we're even reconsidering subjects. Something as foundational to the structure of schools is often overlooked, but what are the pitfalls that can sneak into a school when they think in terms of distinct siloed 'subjects'? Difff and James think through how disconnecting subjects can impact not only how and what a student learns about the subject, but also what they learn about themselves. Difff also spends some rather tedious time explaining the requirements within the Australia National Curriculum and how - and why - subject thinking comes to dominate, before offering some potential solutions that could help to align better to the telos of education as understood within the classical paradigm.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
In another short conversation starter, James and Difff chat about the place of homework, specifically in relation to the classical classroom. As usual, the conversation comes back to considering first principles of purpose. Often homework is given 'just because' rather than being tied to a meaningful and thoughtfully considered purpose. But what should the purpose of homework be? And does it hold a mandatory place in classical education?
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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What is assessment? What is its purpose, and how do we know if we're achieving it? This episode is a shorter discussion starter, aimed at provoking some questions in listeners' minds about the purpose of assessment; ways that it can be helpful or harmful; and how it should be reconsidered in light of the aims of a classical education.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Wisdom is one of the most common stated intentions of a classical education, but what exactly is it? Using the work of St John Henry Newman and John Ozolins, Difff and James discuss Newman's definition of it and how he saw it fitting into education. This includes the importance of a foundation of knowledge that can then be connected together to form a synthesised picture of the whole of the world, rather than experiencing the world as dissonant disconnected parts. We also discuss how this might happen in a classroom, and the importance of cultivating an atmosphere of the desire for wisdom within the staff and across the school.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In the final episode of the mini series about good books that we recommend for those interested in Classical Education, Difff talks about Jacques Maritain's Education at the Crossroads and the importance of teleology and therefore anthropology when it comes to true education. James discusses Peter Kreeft's Socratic Logic and introduces some basic terms in logic including a few fallacies such as the strawman and post hoc fallacies.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Difff & James spend some time answering questions from the audience. These questions are all about how to start the classical education journey, both at home with young children and as a teacher in a non-classical school. They also discuss how to spread the word about classical education, and Difff & James take the opportunity to reinforce how important it is for classical educators to themselves be classical students, and to love the truth, beauty, and goodness available in a classical education.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In the penultimate episode of the Good Books series, Difff and James focus in on two classic pieces of literature. Starting with Shakespeare's Hamlet, they discuss the importance of Shakespeare in the classroom before diving into some of the major soliloquies in the play. From there they move to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein focusing specifically on the hubris of man's desire to 'ascend to godhood' as well as the book's incredible layers of intertextuality.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Difff speaks with Dr Laura Eidt from the University of Dallas about the new Latin program she is writing for teaching Latin to young children through stories. The conversation covers the reasons for teaching Latin as well as methods for effective instruction. They also discuss the importance and power of narration as a pedagogical approach for classical teachers.
Dr Laura Eidt has taught in the German, Spanish, Comparative Literature, and Humanities programs at the University of Dallas since 2006, and is Director of the Humanities Program and Faculty Advisor for the K-12 Classical Curriculum Team.
You can find out more about the Latin through Stories program here:
https://k12classical.udallas.edu/k-5-latin-curriculum/preliminary-access/
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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As James and Difff start to wrap up their series on some great books, they discuss two works of cultural criticism that have significantly impacted them. James discusses G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy, and in particular the chapter 'The Ethics of Elfland' and its relation to the purpose of classical education. Difff then introduces the topic of acedia in R.J. Snell's book, Acedia and Its Discontents: Metaphysical Boredom in an Empire of Desire. Acedia, the despairing refusal to be one's self and the disgust at human limitation and being, is the modern condition, and combatting it is one of the highest callings of a classical liberal education.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Difff and James speak with Father Stephen David, who is the founder of St John of Kronstadt Academy, a new Orthodox Classical school starting in Brisbane in January 2024. They discuss how Fr Stephen became interested in classical education, and why he decided to start a school, despite having no background or training in education.
St John of Kronstadt Academy has been granted accreditation and plans to start in January 2024. You can find more information at https://www.stjohnacademy.com.au/
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Why should we study history? How important is it in a classical education? As part of our Good Books series, we talk about two great historians of the 20th Century, Christopher Dawson & Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Difff bring Dawson's The Dividing of Christendomand The Crisis of Western Education and explains how Dawson masterfully explains how we have arrived at our current point in western civilisation. James then discusses Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago and the importance of understanding the personal stories of people who suffered under communism.
There is also some general chat about the power of history, what's wrong with the way it's often taught in Australian schools, and even some moderately controversial connections between historical awareness and government responses to the pandemic.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In Anthony Esolen's book Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child,Esolen takes a 'Screwtape-style' approach to explaining the ways the modern society has inadvertently (or perhaps intentionally) been geared towards reducing childhood and blunting imagination. Difff and James discuss this brilliant book by considering how to revitalise our vision of childhood by questioning some of the taken-for-granted assumptions that seem to proliferate in schools and society.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Difff and James discuss two books specifically about classical education. Difff describes The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark as a 'one-stop-shop' for anyone interested in the classical education renewal who doesn't know where to begin. It is a great combination of classical and theoretical, and has a foreword by Peter Kreeft thrown in for good measure. James then discusses the importance of awe and wonder in the classroom in Steve Turley's Awakening Wonder: A Classical Guide to Truth, Goodness & Beauty.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In a bit of a meatier philosophical conversation, Dr Paul Tyson's book Returning to Reality gets a an entire episode dedicated to it. What is Christian Platonism, and what relevance does it have for classical education? Difff and James discuss the importance of a coherent metaphysics in the classroom, and how three medieval metaphysical innovations have impacted modernity. A brief explanation of the univocity of being, voluntarism and nominalism is provided to explain how and why these things have shaped progressive education, and why classical education should reject them.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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What role do virtues play in education? Can virtues be taught?
In this episode of our Great Books miniseries, we get to the meaty stuff - ancient Greek philosophy. James starts with the guy to whom all other philosophical treatises throughout history are footnotes, Plato. He discusses the Republic, with special attention to The Allegory of the Cave.
Difff then thinks about virtues and the 'end' of what it means to be human - being happy, or the state of eudaimonia. They conclude with the all important nature of Reality, and that wisdom consists of responding rightly to it.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In this episode of the Great Books mini-series, Difff & James get philosophical with two very different books. James discusses his Peter Kreeft bonus book, which is The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind 'The Lord of the Rings' which was James' way of smuggling in his favourite fantasy series, but is also a great introduction to philosophy in general. Difff then takes a completely different approach with Friedrich Nietzsche's The Gay Science by unpacking the famous idea of the 'death of God'.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In second episode of our Great Books mini-series, Difff & James tackle some heavy heavenly and diabolical epic poetry. James looks at Dante's Divine Comedy, discussing contrapasso in the punishment of sin in Inferno, and we ask the question why Protestants should read Catholic works. Difff then dives into the Satanic Impulse in Paradise Lost, questioning to what extent a similar impulse is found within humanity itself.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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This is the first episode about some good books worth reading for anyone interested in classical liberal education. Covering genres such as philosophy, history, educational theory and fiction, these books are not only about classical education, but also constitute a good platform for a liberal education.
James discusses The Great Conversation by Mortimer Adler, which is an introduction to reading the canon of Western Civilisation. Difff then discusses his first choice, Practical Theology by Peter Kreeft, 358 short summaries of important questions from St Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae.Other books that will be discussed in this series include: Frankenstein, Hamlet, The Philosophy of Tolkein, and the two that will be discussed in the next instalment, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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James and Difff return for the second season of Educating Humans to discuss the big buzz-word of the moment: ChatGPT. What are the implications of artificial intelligence for education? Is it really the 'end of the high school English classroom' and 'the end of the college essay?' Or perhaps rather than spelling the end of education, it should instead have us returning to that fundamental question - what is the end of education, anyway?
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Continuing from Episode 12, Difff and James tackle two more misconceptions about classical education. The first is that classical education has a narrow and specific definition. Is it all Socratic Discussions? Is it all The Trivium? What are the non-negotiable elements that must be included for an education to be considered Classical, or Liberal? The second is the claim that classical education is inherently pagan because it stems from Ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Alternatively, it is sometimes claimed that classical education is always Christian because of its foundations in Medieval Christendom. The fact that both of these claims can be levelled at it, however, points to the answer to them both.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Difff & James tackle some of the big myths around classical education. These can be confusing for people as they first looking into classical education, and they sometimes appear pretty controversial.
The myths discussed in this episode are:
"Classical education doesn't help me get a job"
"Classical Education is elitist" and
"Classical Education is racist".
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In the final episode in the mini-series unpacking C.S. Lewis' book The Abolition of Man, we learn about the dangers of approaching the world only through the scientific lens. When everything is reduced to nature, nature overcomes everything, including humanity, resulting in the abolition of man. This approach to education - a philosophy that unwittingly forms the foundation of many a contemporary classroom - leads to an 'uneducation' - a seeing through everything, which is the same as not seeing at all.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In the second last episode focusing on The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis explains how stepping outside of the Tao results in the abolition of man. With a particular focus on technology and the illusion of power that it gives us, Difff & James unpack the first half of the culminating chapter of this important book.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: 'Inspiring Dreams' by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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In the second half of the second chapter of The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis asks whether those value reformers who want to reject The Tao can use instinct as a first principal - a primary foundation upon which to construct any semblance of value. This, however, ultimately results in an infinite regress of first instinct that fails to satisfy the prerequisites.
In this bonus episode, Difff interviews Kon Bouzikos, the President of The Australian Classical Education Society. Kon speaks about his passion for Classical Education, and the mission of the ACES.
"The practical result of education in the spirit of The Green Book must be the destruction of the society which accepts it." These are the opening words of the second chapter of C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man, and it is a big claim that the remainder of the book sets out to defend.
In this episode which deals with the first half of chapter two, called 'The Tao', Difff and James unpack the question of from where we might derive foundational values. The suggestion that rationality may provide an answer brings up a classical dilemma - whether humanity can derive an 'ought' from an 'is'.
Continuing the miniseries on The Abolition of Man, this episode concludes the discussion of the first chapter of the book, by leading into an explanation of what Lewis calls the Tao - the recognition that there is objective value in the world. The chapter concludes by commenting on the parodic tragicomedy wherein we laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst, the exact situation that an education that ignores the reality of the Tao will automatically create.
In part two of the mini-series on C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man, Difff and James discuss what it means to teach objective value, and how even the attempt to teach from a purely subjectivist approach cannot escape the fact that there is no value-neutral education.
All education is formational, and as Lewis quotes Aristotle: "the aim of education is to make the pupil like and dislike what he ought." This is the concept of ordo amoris, a vital piece to the foundation of Classical Education.
In the first in a series of episodes looking at C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man,we read about the (possibly) unintended impacts that can smuggle their way into a classroom. These hidden philosophical and anthropological positions end up shaping young people to see the world a certain way. Lewis argues for the existence of objective value in the world, with the necessary correlative being that sometimes, our feelings might be wrong.
If you're interested in education and have never read The Abolition of Man, drop everything and have a read.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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Having looked briefly at the history and curriculum of Classical Education, this episode discusses a broad overview of some of the main pedagogical principles of Classical Education, including: Make Haste Slowly, Much Not Many, Repetition is the Mother of Memory and the concept of Schole.
There are plenty of great resources online that go into these principles in more detail. One of the best is from Dr Christopher Perrin, and can be found here.
Difff and James go into a broad overview of what we mean by the terms Classical and Liberal Arts Education. As a general historical overview we discuss the Seven Liberal Arts of Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music & Astronomy, as well as the Great Books approach and a focus on the humanities of History, Literature, Philosophy and Theology.
James recounts his educational journey from being a capable yet apathetic student who did the bare minimum, to someone who loved learning and was excited about the good the true and the beautiful. How did a teenage boy who thought school was just about getting a job, and passing was all that mattered, grow up to choose to do a seemingly 'useless' degree like a Bachelor of Liberal Arts?
Our focus on usefulness alone has come at the cost of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. But as John Henry Newman wrote, "though the useful is not always good, the good is always useful."
Difff and James discuss the purpose of education. Is it primarily about 'getting a job'? Or should it be something more than that?
There are a whole bunch of assumptions about education. Everyone has been to school and (pretty much) everyone's kids go to school, so whether conscious or not, we all feel like we know what schooling is all about. But it's the unspoken and unconscious assumptions that rarely get questioned, and they're precisely the ideas that we should question the most.
On the premise that every pedagogy (way of teaching) stems from an anthropology (understanding of what it means to be human), Difff and James pull apart these assumptions, and point to the importance of keeping humanity front and centre in the educational journey.
Check out Difff's other podcast: Chiron, conversations about the past to help make sense of the present.
And James' other podcast: The Art of Inquiry, inquiries into the nature of the world and humanity with expert level guests passionate about their field.
Music: Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
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