Life of the Mind Seminar
The Life of the Mind Seminar is the first element of our Core Program. The Seminar seeks to open up the territory of the great books to beginners. We enter into conversation with their authors and with one another, setting aside our preconceptions and pursuing questions without knowing where they might lead.
One of the hallmarks of a great book is its power to teach readers at all levels of preparation. In reading and discussing great books together, newcomers and scholars alike are invited to grow as thinkers. By treating the books as the teachers, each reader develops the ability to inquire in depth and to evaluate evidence by his or her own lights.
For readers who are eager to forge their own path of study, our General Offerings include a variety of courses on particular texts and subjects.
Details
The Life of the Mind Seminar is open to adults 16 years or older from all educational backgrounds and takes place on Zoom.
Over the course of 12 meetings, 10-16 readers will explore a strange and wonderful landscape of texts selected as excellent introductions to enduring ideas and questions. Each Seminar is co-led by two experienced guides in conversation who are zealous about their own learning. Seminars meet once a week for 2 hours and readers are asked to prepare a question about each week’s reading prior to meetings.
The reading list for all of the Fall 2024 Life of the Mind Seminars is available below.
Reading list
Parmenides, Fragments
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Plato, Meno
Aristotle, Physics (selections)
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things
Ptolemy, Almagest (selections)
Descartes, Meditations
Galileo, Starry Messenger
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
Flannery O’Connor, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”
Fall seminar sections
Please note: all meeting times are listed in U.S. Eastern Time and dates follow the convention of month/day.
Saturdays
- 10 AM-12 PM, 9/14
Sundays
- 10 AM-12 PM, 9/15
Mondays
- 3-5 PM, 9/30
- 6-8 PM, 9/9
- 7-9 PM, 9/23
- 8-10 PM, 9/9
Tuesdays
- 2-4 PM, 9/10
- 3-5 PM, 9/17
- 6:30-8:30 PM, 9/24
- 7-9 PM, 9/10
- 7-9 PM, 9/24
- 8-10 PM, 9/24
Wednesdays
- 10AM-12 PM, 9/11
- 5:30-7:30 PM, 9/11
- 6:30-8:30 PM, 9/25
- 7-9 PM, 9/18
- 8-10 PM, 9/11
Thursdays
- 12-2 PM, 9/19
- 2-4 PM, 9/12
- 5-7 PM, 9/12
Fridays
- 9-11 AM, 9/13
- 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, 9/13
Registration closes on Friday, August 16th,
or until courses are full.
Core Program
The Core Program offers a way into the study of great books and serves as an introduction to discussion-based learning. It is comprised of four 12-week courses, the first of which is our Life of the Mind Seminar. All courses in the Core Program will meet online using Zoom.
Our readings were chosen as time-tested foundations for the life of the mind. There are as many ways to build on them as there are human beings!
Segment 2:
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Spring 2025
Segment 3:
Plato’s
Republic
Fall 2025
Segment 4:
Readings from Aristotle
Spring 2026
