Keynotes in 2024
KEYNOTES:
Fairy Tales as the Music of the Spheres
Jonathan Pageau
Our old stories have been remembered, retold, refined in different guises for thousands of years. For that very reason, what we consider Fairy Tales, although at first glance fanciful and absurd, contain patterns of attention, of harmony and disharmony, what Pythagoras called the Music of the Spheres. For being remembered and retold, they hold a key to what is important to us as humans. We will explore these patterns of consciousness, how stories frame and underlie our experiences with rhythm, how they shape us and our children by attention and care.
Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation
Roosevelt Montás
What is the value of a liberal education? Traditionally characterized by a rigorous engagement with the classics of Western thought and literature, this approach to education is all but extinct in American universities, replaced by flexible distribution requirements and ever-narrower academic specialization. Many academics attack the very idea of a Western canon as chauvinistic, while the general public increasingly doubts the value of the humanities. In this keynote, Dominican-born American academic Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how a liberal education transformed his life, and offers an intimate account of the relevance of the Great Books today, especially to members of historically marginalized communities.
Classical Education: Cultivating the Leaders the World Needs
The Honorable Tony Abbott
The West is suffering from a crisis of confidence and leadership. A symptom and cause of this malaise is the demoralization of our education systems. The incipient return of classical education to Western classrooms promises to restore morale and morality to Western societies. Mr Abbott’s talk will reflect on the consolation and counsel that the Great Books have offered him throughout his leadership career and make the case for classical education as the means to cultivate the leaders that the world needs.
Virtue and Liberal Learning
Jennifer Frey
The classical education movement has made great strides towards reconnecting knowledge and virtue in K-12 education. In higher education, however, virtue pedagogy has either been entirely absent, or it has been tied to specific professional or vocational training. In this talk, I will explain the potential I see in higher education by looking at general, liberal education that focuses on the study of classic texts as one of the most promising contexts for virtue pedagogy in young adults, and how it differs from, but is related to, virtue pedagogy in the k-12 grades.
Let Mercy Lead
Toyin Atolagbe
To say that the classical education movement is growing is an understatement. In the past couple of years, it has exploded across the country as more and more families are attracted to the human formation it offers and more and more teachers have sought a home in a school that promises Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. With this influx, comes a new wave of challenges such as digital distractions, mental health issues, burgeoning emphasis on standardized testing, inadequate resources and personnel to name a few. These challenges pervade the hallowed halls of our academic sanctuaries causing unrest for students, teachers, and administrators in the discharge of their daily responsibilities. The goal of this speech is to remind us all that as torchbearers of the classical tradition, during these tough times, our hearts must beat ceaselessly to the harmonies of humaneness, for it is through mercy that we transcend the confines of mere instruction to forge enduring connections with the sacred souls entrusted to us. May mercy lead us all to a place of victory where the fruits of our service to humanity translates to raising a new generation of leaders who will impact the next generation.