"Who can say what truth is?" In a world of competing ideologies and "brain hacks," is it possible to find solid ground on the most important questions of human existence? In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we dive into TAC's "Great Books" approach to education, where students are immersed in diametrically opposed worldviews — from the virtue ethics of Aristotle to the radical critiques of Nietzsche. We discuss how a liberal arts education, rooted in the Catholic tradition, provides the tools to judge between these perspectives and move from mere opinion to well-grounded conviction. Key highlights include: The difference between a "Great Book" and a modern bestseller. The "Order of Discovery": Why we study scientific theories that were eventually "discarded." How Euclidean geometry builds a student's confidence in human reason. The interplay between the Socratic method and a definitive Catholic vision of reality. Why philosophy isn't just an "intellectual game" but a path to the immortal soul and the existence of God. Join the Conversation: 🔔 Subscribe for more deep dives into the Great Books. 💬 Comment: When two great thinkers disagree, how do you decide who is right? 00:00 – Introduction: Settling the questions of the Soul and God 01:30 – Why original authors? The integrated Liberal Arts degree 02:45 – What makes a "Great Book"? Influence vs. Weighty Questions 05:45 – Bestsellers vs. The Classics: The "Atomic Habits" comparison 07:15 – Why we avoid "Brain Hacks" and seek the core of the issue 09:20 – The test of time: Why contemporary advice is often time-bound 12:00 – The limits of a four-year program: Why we don't read Dickens 14:10 – Math and Science: Why study "discarded" scientific notions? 16:00 – The Order of Discovery: Epistemology vs. Synthetic Textbooks 18:30 – The risk of taking science as "Revelation" 20:00 – The "Rollercoaster" of 19th Century Atomic Theory 22:30 – Being a driver of your own education through Seminar 23:45 – Freshman Math: The rigor of Euclid's Elements 25:50 – Moving beyond "Scanning": Immersion in an author's thought 27:00 – The challenge of Nietzsche: Opposed worldviews at a Catholic College 28:30 – How to take a "deeply mistaken" author seriously 30:30 – The Primacy of St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle 33:10 – Ranking Philosophers: The Tutorial vs. The Seminar 35:10 – Is everything a Philosophy class? 37:45 – Comparing disciplines to find a unity of Truth 40:15 – Mathematics as a habituation to objective Truth 41:40 – Intellectual Progress: Why Philosophy is not just a game 43:00 – Conclusion: The joy of well-grounded views on Truth

In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we explore one of the most influential and challenging works of modern literature: T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." Written in the aftermath of the First World War, the poem presents a kaleidoscopic vision of a society in decay, mirroring the fragmentation of the Western tradition. We discuss the recurring themes of sterility, the breakdown of relationships between men and women, and the haunting presence of the "Unreal City." From the "cruelest month" of April to the final Sanskrit calls for peace, we examine how Eliot uses fragments of the past to shore against his ruins — and what that reveals about our own cultural landscape today.

Timecode Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land"

01:50 - Structure and the Five Principal Parts

02:21 - The Theme of Fragmentation and Unity

04:21 - Recurring Images: London, the Thames, and Tyreseius

06:19 - Dysfunctional Relationships and Modern Sterility

07:45 - Analysis: "April is the Cruelest Month"

10:20 - The Absence of God and the Empty Chapel

12:50 - The Fire Sermon: Rats, Decay, and Casualness

15:00 - Tyreseius as the Principle of Unity

19:50 - Intellectual Elitism vs. the Western Canon

24:20 - The Medium as the Message: Imitating Reality

28:30 - Madame Sosostris and the Tarot Cards

33:50 - St. Augustine, Carthage, and the Burning of Lust

37:10 - What the Thunder Said: The Search for Water

43:55 - The Three Commands: Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata

50:50 - Final Thoughts: Modernity and the Value of Poetry

Are the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass merely American, or do they belong among the great texts of the Western tradition? Dr. Adam Seagrave joins us to explore how the American founding contributes to the perennial questions of justice, freedom, and human dignity. At the center of the conversation is slavery—not only as a historical reality, but as a contradiction within the American project itself. Rather than being resolved by force alone, we examine how it was ultimately confronted at the level of principle, rooted in the claims of the Declaration of Independence. We also consider the role of divine providence in the thought of Lincoln, Douglass, and John Brown, and how their ideas about God and history helped shape the course of the nation. About the Show: The TAC Podcast offers a window into the intellectual life of Thomas Aquinas College, where students and faculty engage the great books and first principles in pursuit of truth.