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PODCAST

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan

Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a

arts books

All Episodes

01:26:50

Plato and St. Augustine with Dr. Chad Pecknold

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2026/01/13

How did Plato influence St. Augustine? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Chad Pecknold of the Catholic University of America discuss Plato's influence on St. Augustine.Check out our account on X for daily postings on the great books!Check out our library of written guides to the great books!Check out FIRE ON THE ALTAR by Dr. Chad Pecknold.The discussion begins with the historical evolution of Platonism—from the original Academy of Socrates and Plato, through

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01:29:29

Why Christians Should Read the Pagans with Alec...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2026/01/06

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, host Dcn. Harrison Garlick, along with guests Alec Bianco and Sean Berube, explore St. Basil the Great’s letter To Young Men, on the Right Use of Greek Literature, passionately arguing that Christians—especially young men—should actively read pagan classics like Homer, Plato, and Hesiod. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.comCheck out our LIBRARY OF WRITTEN GUIDES to the great books.Drawing on personal testimonies, the trio explains how these pre-Christian texts

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01:52:30

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitt 4 with Chivalry...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/12/30

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast concludes their Christmas reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with Fitt 4, exploring Gawain’s restored armor, journey to the eerie Green Chapel, the three axe swings, Bertilak’s revelations, Morgan le Fay’s role, and the court’s final response.Visit our WEBSITE for our reading schedule and more!Check out our 50 QUESTION AND ANSWER GUIDE to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.The discussion wrestles with Gawain’s girdle lapse, the degree of his fault, the

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02:09:28

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitts 2 and 3 with...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/12/23

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick, Dr. Tiffany Schubert of Wyoming Catholic College, George of the Chivalry Guild, and Banished Kent discuss Fitts 2 and 3 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule!Check out our 50 QUESTION-AND-ANSWER GUIDE to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.Be sure to visit our sister publication, THE ASCENT, for Christian spirituality.Episode SummaryThe panel continues the Christmas reading of Sir Gawain

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01:54:53

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitt 1 with Dr....

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/12/16

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are discussing Fitt 1 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Justin Jackson of Hillsdale College, Chivalry Guild, and Banished Kent.Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Check out our WRITTEN GUIDE to Sir Gawain and the Greek Knight (posted soon!).Episode SummaryThe panel dives into the 14th-century Middle English masterpiece Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, exploring its mysterious single-manuscript survival,

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02:01:26

Plato and Education: The Teacher as a Lover of the Soul

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/12/09

Today on Ascend, we discuss Plato, education, the role of the teacher, eros, beauty, and much more drawing from the dialogues First Alcibiades and the Meno. Returning to the podcast, we have Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Frank Grabowski, Dr. Brett Larson, and Thomas Lackey.Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Visit our LIBRARY OF WRITTEN GUIDES to help you read the great books. What does it mean to teach like Plato? In this rich, wide-ranging conversation the panel explores lessons on

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02:21:14

Grace and the Grotesque: The Lame Shall Enter First...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/12/02

In this episode of Ascend, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Brian Kemple discuss the violent, grotesque southern tale "The Lame Shall Enter First" by Flannery O'Connor.Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule!Check out our LIBRARY of written guides to the great books.Check out the Lyceum Institute.They explore O'Connor's life, her unique Southern Gothic style, and the themes of faith, suffering, and the grotesque in her writing. The conversation also touches on the mission of the

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01:21:25

Law of Nature: Part Three of Plato's Gorgias with Dr....

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/11/25

In the incredible final act of Plato’s Gorgias (481–527), Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Greg McBrayer (Ashland University, New Thinkery podcast) tackle the longest and most brutal confrontation: Socrates versus Callicles, the most shameless, most ambitious, and—as Greg insists—nastiest character in all of Plato. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our read schedule!Check out our COLLECTION OF GUIDES to the great books.Go to THE ASCENT to receive two spiritual lessons a week.Callicles storms in

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02:27:33

Tyranny v Philosophy: Part Two of Plato's Gorgias...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/11/18

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Matthew Bianco of the Circe Institute discuss the second part of Plato's Gorgias--the dialogue between Socrates and Polus—Gorgias’ spirited, “colt-like” student who bursts in at 461b accusing his own teacher of being “too ashamed” to admit rhetoric needs no justice, only the power to persuade. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Visit our LIBRARY OF WRITTEN GUIDES to the great books.Visit our sister

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02:03:11

Rhetoric and Philosophy: Part One of the Gorgias with...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/11/11

"In war and battle, this is the way to do your part."Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by the Athenian Stranger and Johnathan Bi to introduce the Gorgias and discuss the first part: the dialogue of Gorgias and Socrates.What begins as a polite inquiry into the nature of rhetoric erupts into a war for the soul of Athens—and for every reader seeking the good life. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Visit our COLLECTION OF GUIDES to the great

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01:41:01

Plato's Meno and Education with Dr. Daniel Wagner

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/11/05

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Daniel Wagner dive into Plato’s Meno as a masterclass in education, contrasting Meno’s stagnant, power-seeking sophistry with his slave boy’s humble, rapid learning during the famous geometry demonstration.Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.See our COLLECTION OF GUIDES on the great books.Check out our sister publication, THE ASCENT, for spiritual lessons.They explore aporia (perplexity) as a vital

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01:29:04

Halloween Short Story: The Chief Mourner of Marne by...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/10/28

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! In this episode, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Joseph Boyne explore G.K. Chesterton's short story 'The Chief Mourner of Marne,' discussing its themes, characters, and moral implications. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule!Check out our COLLECTION OF GUIDES TO THE GREAT BOOKS.They delve into the significance of transformative texts in education, the role of Father Brown as a detective, and the interplay between Gothic literature and Halloween motifs. The

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01:25:48

Plato's Phaedo Explained with Dr. Christopher Frey...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/10/21

The Phaedo is a beautiful dialogue! Join Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Christopher Frey, McFarland Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa, as they conclude their exploration of Plato’s Phaedo, a profound dialogue capturing Socrates’ final hours and his arguments for the soul’s immortality. Reading schedule and more!Collection of guides on the great books!In this episode, Dcn. Garlick and Dr. Frey dive into the second half of the text (72e–118a), unpacking the recollection and affinity

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01:25:28

Plato's Phaedo Explained with Dr. Christopher Frey...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/10/14

Today on Ascend: the Great Books Podcast, we are discussing Plato's Phaedo, or in ancient times, it had the subtitle of On the Soul. It tells of the death of Socrates and his various arguments for the immortality of the soul. The Phaedo is a complicated dialogue. It's a long dialogue, but it's very beautiful and very much worth the effort. So it merits a slow, attentive, and subtle read.And to help us with this type of read, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Frey, a fantastic thinker who really is

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02:06:34

On the Death of Socrates: Introducing Plato's Phaedo

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/10/07

Today, we are introducing Plato's Phaedo, "on the soul," with Alec Bianco of the Circe Institute and with Athenian Stranger. We'll discuss why to read the great books, why we read Plato, how you should read Plato, and why to read the Phaedo.We then do a deep dive into the opening of the Phaedo, especially on the setting and the myth of Theseus-where a subtle, attentive read unearths a beautifully rich allusion. We'll end with some advice for first time readers of the Phaedo. Visit

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01:46:52

The Crito by Plato with Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/09/30

In this episode, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos dive into Plato’s Crito, a dialogue set in Socrates’ prison cell as he awaits execution. They explore Socrates’ refusal to escape, his debt of gratitude to Athens, and the tension between philosophy and the polis’s poetic traditions. Through engaging analysis, they unpack the dialogue’s themes of justice, piety, and civic obligation, offering insights for first-time readers and drawing parallels to modern liberal democracy.Dr. Pavlos

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01:54:35

Plato's Apology Part II with Fr. Justin Brophy, OP

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/09/23

In this episode of the Ascend the Great Books podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Father Justin Brophy, OP, delve into the second part of Plato's Apology, exploring Socrates' defense during his trial. They discuss the significance of Socrates' thoughts on death, virtue, and the role of philosophy in life. The conversation also touches on the influence of Saint Justin Martyr, the relationship between pagans and philosophy, and the concept of the daemon as a guiding force in Socrates' life. Check out

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01:58:35

Plato's Apology Part I with Fr. Justin Brophy, OP

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/09/16

In this episode of Ascend, The Great Books Podcast, host Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by Fr. Justin Brophy, a Dominican friar and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Providence College, to dive into the first half of Plato’s Apology. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Check out our collection of guides on the great books!The discussion explores Socrates’ defense speech at his trial in 399 BC, set against the backdrop of post-Peloponnesian War Athens. The

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01:27:31

Aquinas and the Euthyphro Dilemma with Dr. Donald Prudlo

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/09/09

How would a Christian answer the Euthyphro dilemma? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Donald Prudlo, the Warren Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, to discuss Aquinas and the Euthyphro dilemma. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule and more!Need a guide to a great book? Check out our online collection.Also, check our Dr. Prudlo's new books:Governing Perfection (2024) - "In the beginning, God administrated." For as

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01:36:36

The Euthyphro by Plato Part II with Dr. Joey Spencer...

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ·

2025/09/02

In this episode of the Ascend the Great Books podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and guests delve into the complexities of Plato's Euthyphro, exploring themes of piety, morality, and the divine - including the famous "Euthyphro Dilemma." The podcast welcomes back Dr. Joey Spencer, who serves as a tutor of theology, an archivist, and an expert in angels and demons.Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule and more!Check out our collection of written guides on the great books!Check our

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