Latest / The Grammar of Classical Education / Week 141: Drinking From the Firehose | The Abolition of Man #1

Transcript

Week 141: Drinking From the Firehose | The Abolition of Man #1 · The Grammar of Classical Education

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Grammar of Classical Education,
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: a podcast that examines the philosophical foundations of classical education,
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: and then seeks to help classically minded educators bring those ideas to life
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  SPEAKER_00: in their classroom, co-op, or homeschool settings.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host,
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Dr. Darlene Gomes, from Leading to Wonder, and I am so glad you've joined us today.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back, or welcome if you're joining us for the first time.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you are listening to this when the podcast first dropped, happy Labor Day.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you teaching in the classroom,
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  SPEAKER_00: I hope you had a wonderfully refreshing breather at the beginning
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: of your school year.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you who are homeschooling,
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  SPEAKER_00: I hope this day finds a way to bring a little extra delight
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  SPEAKER_00: into your somewhat new school year schedule.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I will admit, with our last series, it was such a joy to spend time in our beautiful gardens.
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  SPEAKER_00: But as we walked out of the gate last week,
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  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea just what an incredible mental adventure I was undertaking.
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  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I knew we were going to be tackling a challenging book.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've skimmed it in the past,
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  SPEAKER_00: but boy howdy, digging in deep is not the same as giving it a cursory glance.
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  SPEAKER_00: And with that, I welcome you to our new series on The Abolition of Man by C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've had this book on my really need to read list for quite a while.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's referenced in many other books we've looked at on this podcast.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've even read parts of it in preparation for other episodes,
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  SPEAKER_00: but I've never really dug in until now.
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  SPEAKER_00: Talk about practicing what we preach about learning to do hard things.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is exactly the kind of hard things that we as teachers really need to push ourselves to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so before we even begin, I'm going to give you a little challenge.
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  SPEAKER_00: Of course,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's totally up to you if you decide to attempt this challenge or not,
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  SPEAKER_00: but I guarantee you this series will be much more meaningful and applicable to you
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  SPEAKER_00: if you do.
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  SPEAKER_00: There are actually three tracks you can take on this challenge.
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  SPEAKER_00: Track one, listen to an audio recording of book one of The Abolition of Man.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can find it on YouTube or even through your local library's digital collection.
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  SPEAKER_00: Your time will be about 30 minutes, but be warned, it's like taking a drink from a fire hose.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'll be honest and say I was on my third listen when it all started to click.
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  SPEAKER_00: How many times you listen to book one is totally up to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I suggest on track one that you listen to it at least once.
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  SPEAKER_00: Again, it's only about 30 minutes for book one, at least the version I found.
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  SPEAKER_00: Track two would be read book one of The Abolition of Man.
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  SPEAKER_00: This will probably take a good deal longer.
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  SPEAKER_00: But it may help you to get a better understanding,
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  SPEAKER_00: especially if you jot down a few ideas or questions as you read.
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  SPEAKER_00: Realistically, in a week, it's only one to two pages a day.
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  SPEAKER_00: Again, it's really deep reading, but somewhat manageable.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And track 3 would be listen to the audio and then read, or listen while reading.
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  SPEAKER_00: This will definitely make the reading faster, but it will still be a lot to catch.
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  SPEAKER_00: Think of it as drinking from said fire hose, but at least you have a cup in your hand.
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  SPEAKER_00: The reason I am really encouraging you to read along as we study this book is
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  SPEAKER_00: because even when we are teaching, we need to be learning.
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  SPEAKER_00: And what a better way to learn than to have a friend to join you on the learning adventure.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now you will have a whole week to listen or read the first book In The Abolition
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  SPEAKER_00: of Man,
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  SPEAKER_00: as we are doing an introduction this week,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then next week we will do the first part of book one,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then you'll be able to listen or read it again,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we will finish book one in the third week.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then we'll continue through book two and book three.
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  SPEAKER_00: So while this isn't required reading or listening,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is definitely encouraged for the sake of learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: for the sake of stretching yourself, and for the sake of doing hard things.
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  SPEAKER_00: But knowing you aren't doing it alone will hopefully make it a bit more enjoyable.
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  SPEAKER_00: And since we'll be looking at it together,
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  SPEAKER_00: maybe this learning adventure will not be as bad as you or even
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  SPEAKER_00: as I originally thought it might be.
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  SPEAKER_00: So, are you game?
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  SPEAKER_00: I certainly hope so.
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  SPEAKER_00: However,
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  SPEAKER_00: before we can even get into the book,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's quite important to take a look at its amazing intellectual
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  SPEAKER_00: and quite opinionated author, C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with him since he is probably the best known part of the equation.
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  SPEAKER_00: While Lewis is most often recognized for the Narnia series,
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  SPEAKER_00: that is just one small part of this man's bibliography.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if we see him only as the author of an amazing series
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  SPEAKER_00: of wonderful children's books,
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  SPEAKER_00: we are missing out on the fact that he was a professor of English at Oxford
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  SPEAKER_00: and Cambridge,
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  SPEAKER_00: That he was the president of the Socratic Club at Oxford and was part of
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  SPEAKER_00: the Inklings,
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  SPEAKER_00: a group of writers and thinkers that met weekly to encourage,
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  SPEAKER_00: challenge, laugh, and share together.
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  SPEAKER_00: By the way, a bit more about the Inklings just because I find them so interesting.
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  SPEAKER_00: The other most prominent member was another quite famous author by the name of J.R.R.
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  SPEAKER_00: Tolkien.
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  SPEAKER_00: In fact,
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  SPEAKER_00: Tolkien said of his friendship with Lewis, quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: "...the unpayable debt that I owe to him was not influence,
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  SPEAKER_00: as it is ordinarily understood,
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  SPEAKER_00: but sheer encouragement." He was for long my only audience.
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  SPEAKER_00: Only from him did I ever get the idea that my stuff could be more than a private hobby.
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  SPEAKER_00: But for his interest and unceasing eagerness for more,
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  SPEAKER_00: I should never have brought the L of the R to conclusion."
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  SPEAKER_00: If you are at all familiar with Tolkien,
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  SPEAKER_00: you probably can figure out that the L of the R he is referring to is the Lord of
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  SPEAKER_00: the Rings.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Inklings were such an interesting collection of writers.
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  SPEAKER_00: I suggest you take some time to look them up.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as an educational aside,
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  SPEAKER_00: for a few years, my students and I would have our own Inkling meetings.
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  SPEAKER_00: Once a month or so,
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  SPEAKER_00: we would meet somewhere other than our classroom during the school day,
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  SPEAKER_00: of course,
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  SPEAKER_00: writing journals and books in hand,
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  SPEAKER_00: and we would sit comfortably and share what we've written,
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  SPEAKER_00: what we've read, or what we've been thinking about.
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  SPEAKER_00: It was never a long time,
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  SPEAKER_00: just long enough to get the conversation flowing and short enough
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  SPEAKER_00: to make them want more time.
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  SPEAKER_00: It was a wonderful learning, sharing, thinking opportunity away from desks and classrooms.
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  SPEAKER_00: I highly recommend the practice.
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  SPEAKER_00: But back to C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
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  SPEAKER_00: It is at this point, if we're going to focus solely on C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis, that I would love to dive into a full step-by-step study of this young boy
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  SPEAKER_00: with some health issues who later became an atheist and even later was transformed
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  SPEAKER_00: into a strong man of faith and logic that we see today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Huh.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking that would be a wonderful study sometime.
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  SPEAKER_00: But for this series,
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  SPEAKER_00: let's suffice it to say there was quite a bit that influenced and formed Lewis in
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  SPEAKER_00: the many twists and turns in his life.
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  SPEAKER_00: From a 10-year-old whose mother died on his father's birthday to To his time
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  SPEAKER_00: at various English schools,
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  SPEAKER_00: some like Wynyard, which were known for their cruel treatment of students.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis's learning in a classroom to being taken as a private student by W.T.
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  SPEAKER_00: Kirkpatrick,
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  SPEAKER_00: a man who helped to form more than Lewis's brain,
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  SPEAKER_00: as it was after their two years together that Lewis declared himself an atheist.
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  SPEAKER_00: And goodness, the path from atheist to author of Narnia is quite strange.
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  SPEAKER_00: A journey.
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  SPEAKER_00: Again,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm beginning to think that this Lewis study really needs to be given more time,
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  SPEAKER_00: but not right now.
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  SPEAKER_00: So The Abolition of Man was written by that C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis, the atheist who became a Christian at the age of 33 and by the age of 43 was
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  SPEAKER_00: an esteemed author,
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  SPEAKER_00: professor,
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  SPEAKER_00: presenter,
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  SPEAKER_00: and critic of the current educational landscape he saw forming in the midst
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  SPEAKER_00: of World War II.
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  SPEAKER_00: It was in 1943 when Lewis presented three lectures at the University of Durham.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, mind you, these lectures were presented in a high-level academic conference setting.
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  SPEAKER_00: I actually love how the C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis Institute basically says, reader,
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  SPEAKER_00: consider the original audience and cut yourself some slack
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  SPEAKER_00: as you read these three lectures presented in book form.
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  SPEAKER_00: But also know that according to the C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis Institute,
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis himself considered this book to be one of his favorites,
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  SPEAKER_00: a statement he made in a letter to one of his American friends.
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  SPEAKER_00: So as we approach the abolition of man with a slightly better understanding of
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  SPEAKER_00: the man and And an already established appreciation of his work.
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  SPEAKER_00: We will cut ourselves some slack as we slog through these deep philosophical ideas
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  SPEAKER_00: about education.
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  SPEAKER_00: With all that in mind, let's together dive into The Abolition of Man.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis's view of moral relativism and its incredible impact on the education
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  SPEAKER_00: of our children is well warranted today as it was in 1943, perhaps more so.
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  SPEAKER_00: As Lewis decried the advancing of emotion over logic,
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  SPEAKER_00: we will begin to better understand his expression of men without chests.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we will start to recognize
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  SPEAKER_00: the path he saw education moving down comes more clearly into view in 2026.
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  SPEAKER_00: A sad but realistic issue and one warranting our better understanding.
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  SPEAKER_00: So, my fellow educators, are you up for the challenge?
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  SPEAKER_00: Can you listen for 30 minutes to a deep lecture, even if it's in a few chunks?
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  SPEAKER_00: Can you plow through a page or two of deep thinking a day?
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  SPEAKER_00: In my digital version, book one is just eight pages.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhat jokingly say just eight pages because those pages are very deep.
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  SPEAKER_00: Again, we aren't going to race through.
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  SPEAKER_00: Back to the drinking from the fire hose example.
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  SPEAKER_00: But we want to get wet.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: We want to soak in the information.
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  SPEAKER_00: We want to let it get under our skin.
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  SPEAKER_00: And while we may not grasp everything at first,
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  SPEAKER_00: we We're going to do the hard stuff,
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  SPEAKER_00: one step at a time, learning by doing what we ask our students to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet, together, making the journey more of a joy than a burden.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: I look forward to joining with you next week as we begin book one of The Abolition
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  SPEAKER_00: of Man by C.S.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Are you up for the challenge?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: I trust that whatever your teaching situation,
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: whether it's in a classroom or co-op or homeschooling,
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: That you have found these ideas not only encouraging, but challenging as well.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can listen to all of the episodes of The Grammar of Classical Education
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: I also have available a weekly teacher's newsletter that includes some teacher tips
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: and freebies.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: You can sign up for that at the Leading to Wonder newsletter found at darlenegomes.substack.com.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more about me and Leading to Wonder, please visit the website leading2wonder.com.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: No spaces.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or if you're interested in
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: the virtual or in-person workshops that I offer for schools,
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: co-ops, homeschool educators, and parent groups.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Again, my name is Darlene Gomes and thank you for joining us.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Until next week, remember, as E.B.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: White said, Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.