I appreciate your distinction between reading with Reverence vs reading with Respect. How to read well has been a key but frequently overlooked aspect of public education for as long as I can recall. My time at St. John's (Santa Fe 1981 ) was wonderful, even though I dropped out for financial reasons. Your post reminds me of the continuous conversations that permeate the stones and walls there. Sometimes I thought I saw a pulsing blue glow emanating from the college as I drove my VW bus up the hill to classes. Thinking of the Great Books as the Great Conversation can help somewhat to relieve misplaced reverence given to books simply for being in print. And part of what I like about a "conversation" is that it implies that I might have a contribution to make; I'm still working on that! Are you finding the substack format satisfying for your own piece of the conversation?
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you got a taste of the good work SJC can get up to, though I’m sorry you had to leave because of money. My dream is for the place to be fully funded by rich folks such that all students can attend free of (any) charge, but that’s a long way off, if at all.
I like Substack. You can pretty easily find like minds, and there are more people who care about reading and writing here than anywhere else online. That said, I’m always wary of website and app owners driven by the profit motive, so I’m sure this place will crash and burn eventually.
the mind as "a scared little goblin hankering for weapons" will be with me for a while
I appreciate your distinction between reading with Reverence vs reading with Respect. How to read well has been a key but frequently overlooked aspect of public education for as long as I can recall. My time at St. John's (Santa Fe 1981 ) was wonderful, even though I dropped out for financial reasons. Your post reminds me of the continuous conversations that permeate the stones and walls there. Sometimes I thought I saw a pulsing blue glow emanating from the college as I drove my VW bus up the hill to classes. Thinking of the Great Books as the Great Conversation can help somewhat to relieve misplaced reverence given to books simply for being in print. And part of what I like about a "conversation" is that it implies that I might have a contribution to make; I'm still working on that! Are you finding the substack format satisfying for your own piece of the conversation?
Hello K.A.!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you got a taste of the good work SJC can get up to, though I’m sorry you had to leave because of money. My dream is for the place to be fully funded by rich folks such that all students can attend free of (any) charge, but that’s a long way off, if at all.
I like Substack. You can pretty easily find like minds, and there are more people who care about reading and writing here than anywhere else online. That said, I’m always wary of website and app owners driven by the profit motive, so I’m sure this place will crash and burn eventually.
Love what you say about Deuteronomy here; puts a finger on what makes this a powerful read.