What if showing up still matters? The live lecture remains a rare, vital ritual of shared thought. Learning, at its best, is a communal, embodied, occasionally transcendent act.
Striking as always. "...twin gods of convenience and customization" is especially provocative. But perhaps they are only demigods - in service of our culture's preeminent god of consumerism?
As always, you are absolutely correct. Some lectures live on decades after the delivery, always imparting never to be forgotten nuggets. I can still remember one of my first law lecturers who did not hesitate to offer advice: "You can marry a man, even live with him, but never, never enter into a partnership with him." And you always can think of some lecturers whose absolute clarity of expression removed any doubt in his students' minds. Hearing a live lecture is an almost forgotten luxury for many today.
Gayle and Michael, again I find myself in cheering agreement with you. Something in me senses that this drive to online is demonically connected to “AI” fanaticism. I’m pretty sure Paul Kingsnorth would have much to say on the topic.
Too, as Michael frequently addresses, the fundamental question hinges on the purpose of education. Yes, as he laments above, too few students have the passion to pursue educations as did Socrates’ followers. I speak from experience, having been “one of those” for much of my high-school and undergraduate years. And I’m reluctant to place blame. I never really looked closely at the Bentham-Dewey debate. Shortcomings of an engineering-and-business education. Hard to backfill, I’m afraid.
I vividly remember sitting in a lecture hall at RPI in 1975 watching a bowling ball on a 40-fool cord swing out, then threateningly back towards the face of my Physics prof. Phew! Simply “knowing” that it wouldn’t hit him did nothing to reduce our relief (he was a good guy!).
As a doctoral student at Harvard Business School in the ‘90s I learned case-study instruction at the feet of the real masters like Chris Christensen and Benson Shapiro. They believed that any subject could be taught via case study.
Finally, leading and delivering training to strategy consultants at a major, multinational consulting firm for over 20 years convinced me of the need to be there. Live. For years after I left the firm, they hired me back for semi-delightful teaching farragoes to Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon and Chicago. As we entered 2011, however, they asked if I would be open to having my classes recorded (over 10 specific courses). I walked away.
My brain, sated again by your nutrient rich thoughts and words, thanks you. (I’m always a little fearful of commenting. It’s like standing up in a classroom full of geniuses, drawing attention to myself, a mental pauper).
Hi Michael and Classical Compass Rose followers of good will. I came across the following three quotations -- two from Jacques Maritain and one from Yves Simon -- in Chapter 2 of James Schall's phenomenal "The Mind That Is Catholic: Philosophical & Political Essays." I think that they have much to inform our little "discussions" here at CCR:
Discursive and demonstrative arguments, doctrinal erudition, and historical erudition are assuredly necessary, but of little efficacy on human intellects such as God made them, and which first ask to see. In actual fact, a few fundamental intuitions, if they have one fine day sprung up in a mind, mark it forever.
- Jacques Maritain, Notebooks
During that academic year of 1921-1922, I had only one or two occasions to speak to Maritain… I had to give an “expose” on the question: The role of sensible experience in the development of knowledge; I asked Maritain what had to be touched upon to treat the question from a Thomistic point of view. He answered that there were three points to consider: 1) the origin of ideas, 2) no thought without an image, 3) judgement is hindered when the senses are impeded. And he sent me to the Summa Theologica.
- Yves Simon, My First Memories of Jacques Maritain
Educators must not expect too much from education… St. Thomas holds that the teacher actually engenders knowledge in the soul of the pupil, and this is equally true of moral habits and of virtue; but in so doing, he (the teacher) acts as an instrumental and not as an efficient cause.
Interesting. From your perspective, do online lectures hold little value whatsoever, or is it just that they are not a 1:1 substitute for an in-person format?
Striking as always. "...twin gods of convenience and customization" is especially provocative. But perhaps they are only demigods - in service of our culture's preeminent god of consumerism?
As always, you are absolutely correct. Some lectures live on decades after the delivery, always imparting never to be forgotten nuggets. I can still remember one of my first law lecturers who did not hesitate to offer advice: "You can marry a man, even live with him, but never, never enter into a partnership with him." And you always can think of some lecturers whose absolute clarity of expression removed any doubt in his students' minds. Hearing a live lecture is an almost forgotten luxury for many today.
Gayle and Michael, again I find myself in cheering agreement with you. Something in me senses that this drive to online is demonically connected to “AI” fanaticism. I’m pretty sure Paul Kingsnorth would have much to say on the topic.
Too, as Michael frequently addresses, the fundamental question hinges on the purpose of education. Yes, as he laments above, too few students have the passion to pursue educations as did Socrates’ followers. I speak from experience, having been “one of those” for much of my high-school and undergraduate years. And I’m reluctant to place blame. I never really looked closely at the Bentham-Dewey debate. Shortcomings of an engineering-and-business education. Hard to backfill, I’m afraid.
I vividly remember sitting in a lecture hall at RPI in 1975 watching a bowling ball on a 40-fool cord swing out, then threateningly back towards the face of my Physics prof. Phew! Simply “knowing” that it wouldn’t hit him did nothing to reduce our relief (he was a good guy!).
As a doctoral student at Harvard Business School in the ‘90s I learned case-study instruction at the feet of the real masters like Chris Christensen and Benson Shapiro. They believed that any subject could be taught via case study.
Finally, leading and delivering training to strategy consultants at a major, multinational consulting firm for over 20 years convinced me of the need to be there. Live. For years after I left the firm, they hired me back for semi-delightful teaching farragoes to Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon and Chicago. As we entered 2011, however, they asked if I would be open to having my classes recorded (over 10 specific courses). I walked away.
My brain, sated again by your nutrient rich thoughts and words, thanks you. (I’m always a little fearful of commenting. It’s like standing up in a classroom full of geniuses, drawing attention to myself, a mental pauper).
Hi Michael and Classical Compass Rose followers of good will. I came across the following three quotations -- two from Jacques Maritain and one from Yves Simon -- in Chapter 2 of James Schall's phenomenal "The Mind That Is Catholic: Philosophical & Political Essays." I think that they have much to inform our little "discussions" here at CCR:
Discursive and demonstrative arguments, doctrinal erudition, and historical erudition are assuredly necessary, but of little efficacy on human intellects such as God made them, and which first ask to see. In actual fact, a few fundamental intuitions, if they have one fine day sprung up in a mind, mark it forever.
- Jacques Maritain, Notebooks
During that academic year of 1921-1922, I had only one or two occasions to speak to Maritain… I had to give an “expose” on the question: The role of sensible experience in the development of knowledge; I asked Maritain what had to be touched upon to treat the question from a Thomistic point of view. He answered that there were three points to consider: 1) the origin of ideas, 2) no thought without an image, 3) judgement is hindered when the senses are impeded. And he sent me to the Summa Theologica.
- Yves Simon, My First Memories of Jacques Maritain
Educators must not expect too much from education… St. Thomas holds that the teacher actually engenders knowledge in the soul of the pupil, and this is equally true of moral habits and of virtue; but in so doing, he (the teacher) acts as an instrumental and not as an efficient cause.
- Jacques Maritain, “Philosophy and Education”
Thanks, Nick. Great food for thought! Love Fr. Schall’s work!
Interesting. From your perspective, do online lectures hold little value whatsoever, or is it just that they are not a 1:1 substitute for an in-person format?