The St Thomas More Trust has a goal of fostering classical learning and critical thinking, by making the Liberal Arts accessible to anyone. We want to play at least a small part in helping to build a better civilisation through informing the way we as individuals think and act. One way to do this is to reflect on the best parts of the civilisation that we have inherited, and that’s why we are launching a lecture/discussion series exploring classical western thought and the development of culture.
How to Think Like a Westerner is an eight-part series introducing the philosophical and theological heritage of Western civilisation. We will be looking at the lives and ideas of some of the most important figures in Western thought, with a special focus on the hugely influential ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and classical theologians/philosophers St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas. We’ll also look at St John Henry Newman and his ideas on how reason and faith have worked together in shaping the culture, and at historian Christopher Dawson and his reflections on the role of Christianity through Western history.
There are some big ideas in play here. We want to see how the worldviews of the past have influenced our worldview today, and based on these lessons, explore what we can do to push our culture in a good direction. You are welcome to join us!
The series begins Wednesday 4 June, 7 pm, at Catholic Cathedral College in Christchurch, and will run weekly on Wednesday evenings for eight sessions, with a short break over the school holidays.
For more details, see the event page on our website.
All are welcome, and this is a great opportunity to get a taste of a Liberal Arts education. We want to make it possible for people – students, workers, retirees, or anyone interested – to pursue the Liberal Arts in a structured face-to-face setting, even if they can't afford the time commitment, cost, and travel that would be required for full-time study.
The St Thomas More Trust has run several one-off events and intensive short courses for school-age students. How to Think Like a Westerner is our first foray into a part-time evening class format, and if it is successful we intend to do more in the future, partnering with tertiary organisations so that participants can gradually build up a portfolio of classical education that will not only change the way they look at the world, but can also be credited towards tertiary qualifications, for those who want to take it further. Whether this becomes reality is to a large extent dependent on your support for this first effort, so please, join us, and share the invitation with your friends. The Truth is worth it!
Register for the course now: https://www.stmtrust.org.nz/western-course
