Western Canon

[close] This is a group to read and discuss those books generally referred to as “the classics” or “the Western canon.” Books which have shaped Western thought over the years; books which Robert Hutchins, in his essay for the Great Books of the Western World series, considered important works in “The Great Conversation.” As one participant noted, "the goal of this group is to make reading the classics an enjoyable and enlightening but non-threatening process."

[close] This is a group to read and discuss the Great Books of the Western World. Books which are generally referred to as “the classics” or “the Western canon.” Books which have shaped Western thought over the years; books which Robert Hutchins, in his essay for the Great Books of the Western World series, considered important works in “The Great Conversation.” The goal of this group is to support each other as we strive to educate ourselves better and soak up all the knowledge we can from some of the world's greatest writers, thinkers, poets, philosophers, politicians, playwrights, and more.

[close] Most of the world's modern thinkers and leaders started with a classical education. Our own Founding Fathers drew inspiration from the works of Plato, Cicero, Plutarch, Tacitus, Montesquieu, and Machiavelli to only name a few. They focused on big ideas and, on this board, we will too. Each month we will aim to cover a work or partial work included in the Great Books of Western Culture. Through discussion I hope to grow in understanding, conviction, and confidence in our beliefs outside the realm of party politics, religion, or other modern institution. Feel free to invite others, and welcome to the Great Conversation.

[close] This group began with a book called The Well-Educated Mind (TWEM) by Susan Wise Bauer, which is a wonderful guide to “The Great Books.” TWEM presents 6 genres–each with a respective reading list (fiction, autobiography, history, drama, poetry, and science). Bauer recommends reading chronologically, in order to read through history. “Writers build on the work of those who have gone before them, and chronological reading provides you with a continuous story…You’ll find yourself following a story that has to do with the development of civilization itself…When you read through the poetry list, for example…[t]he structure of the poetry will change as each poet moves beyond what former writers have done. But beyond these technical differences, the concerns of the poets shift and change as the world itself hurtles toward modernity…When you’ve finished this particular list, you’ve done more than read poetry. You have learned something about the spiritual evolution of the West.” ~Susan Wise Bauer If you'd like to develop a deeper understanding of humanity's continuous story, please join us!