Magnus Podcast: Conversations from the Catacombs of Liberal Education

What happens to the university when students no longer need to do the work of thinking?

For years, higher education has drifted away from its formative purpose toward mass-credentialing, efficiency, and scale. Artificial intelligence has already begun to accelerate that transformation—automating writing, feedback, tutoring, and more of the intellectual work students once had to (and ought to) undertake themselves.

In the latest episode of the Magnus Podcast, Joshua Mazrin speaks with Dr. Lily Abadal, professor of philosophy at the University of South Florida, about AI, the modern university, and what education is actually for.

They discuss why the rise of AI makes the humanities more necessary than ever; how universities can recover education as a genuinely transformative experience; and what we lose when students outsource the difficult work through which judgment, attention, intellectual independence, and a unique voice are formed.

The conversation ultimately reaches beyond the university. As we increasingly outsource thinking, writing, attention, care, basic human tasks, and even elements of evangelization to technology, we have to ask whether greater efficiency is actually making us better—or merely relieving us of the activities through which we exercise our humanity.

For more content like this, go to www.magnusinstitute.org and join our tuition-free Magnus Fellowship.

The Magnus Podcast is a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, restoring the liberal arts through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. Join the FREE Magnus Fellowship:

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Podcasts are available-

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/magnus-podcast-conversations-from-the-catacombs/id1475793300

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3SuJ0ZDVLrh19Vq1rg6nKK?si=d6ffd631e49b46b3

PodBean: https://magnuspodcast.podbean.com/

Fio: https://www.play.fio.fm/show/MagnusPodcast

In the fourth century, serious Christians often aspired to the ascetical life. Many even delayed Baptism until they were ready to embrace it, seeing Baptism not as the end of conversion, but as the beginning of a life wholly dedicated to Christ.

Among the great architects of that vision was St. Basil the Great. His Regula Basilii became one of the foundational texts of Christian monasticism, not by replacing the Gospel, but by showing Christians how to live it.

Joshua sits down with Dr. Steve Hildebrand to discuss St. Basil's Rule, its place in the life of the early Church, and the enduring wisdom it offers every Christian. Together they explore the memory of God, obedience, the commandments, the evangelical counsels, and why love of God is the principle that orders the whole Christian life.

They also discuss why St. Basil thought no Christian should pursue holiness alone, why obedience is indispensable to the spiritual life, how idleness opens the door to vice, and why he returns again and again to one central theme: the memory of God.

For more content like this, go to http://www.magnusinstitute.org and join our tuition-free Magnus Fellowship.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has sparked renewed interest in Homer, but has also raised a deeper question. What happens when modern assumptions begin to reshape the great books themselves?

Joshua Mazrin sits down with Liza Libes of Pens & Poison to discuss Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey, the influence of modern translations, the state of higher education, and why so many universities now teach students to read the classics through an ideological lens rather than on their own terms.

The conversation moves well beyond the film. It explores what is lost when we no longer allow Homer, Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and the rest of the Western tradition to speak in their own voices.

If the classics have endured for centuries, perhaps the first task is not to rewrite them, but to read them.

In the opening seminar of our new series on G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man, Dale Ahlquist, Senior Fellow at AMI and Founder of the Chesterton Schools Network, explores one of Chesterton's most profound insights: before we know what prehistoric man believed, wore, or even ate, we know one thing—he was an artist.

From the cave paintings of our earliest ancestors to the uniqueness of Christ at the center of history, this first session lays the foundation for one of the greatest works of Christian apologetics ever written.

Join Dale Ahlquist, founder of the Chesterton Schools Network, as he guides us through Chesterton's timeless masterpiece.

The Magnus Podcast is a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, restoring the liberal arts through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.

In this episode of the Magnus Podcast listen to John Johnson as guest leader of one of the Magnus Fellowship Cohort seminars as he explores the role of enthymemes—rhetorical devices that invite the reader to complete the argument for themselves—and argues that St. John uses them throughout his Gospel to reveal profound theological mysteries.

From the Bread of Life discourse to the Last Supper, John presents how St. John draws readers into contemplation, friendship with Christ, and ultimately into the bosom of the Father. Along the way, he examines connections between Aristotle, rhetoric, tradition, betrayal, and the beloved disciple's unique vision of divine Truth.

Explore the intersection of classical music, mythology, the Great Books, and progressive metal with Symphony X's bassist Mike LePond. Discover how complex musical structures and timeless stories like the Odyssey and Paradise Lost inspire artistic expression and intellectual curiosity. Listen to how heavy metal music has gotten people to read classic literature and led to spiritual conversions.

Key topics:

• Storytelling through music: The Odyssey and Paradise Lost
• The role of mythology and classic literature in inspiring art
• Music as an educational tool and intellectual journey
• The influence of classical music on progressive metal

Join the FREE Magnus Fellowship: https://magnusinstitute.org/fellowship/

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SUBSCRIBE where Podcasts are available:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/magnus-podcast-conversations-from-the-catacombs/id1475793300
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3SuJ0ZDVLrh19Vq1rg6nKK si=d6ffd631e49b46b3 PodBean: https://magnuspodcast.podbean.com/
Fio: https://www.play.fio.fm/show/MagnusPodcast
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV00wegjCFjw49tc0y_AMQA

Magnus Podcast Episode 121 Does AI Dream of Electric Consciousness?: AI and the Amputation of Human Expression with guest (host?) John Johnson. Executive Director Emeritus and former host of the Magnus Podcast John Johnson joins Joshua Mazrin to discuss AI and our lessening ability to do things for ourselves. Is AI an inherent enemy? A necessary evil? Is it morally neutral of itself? Can the human mind be boiled down to ones and zeroes? You can guess the answer, but AI probably can't. Tune in for more.

For those of you who are interested in the Albertus Magnus Institute, particularly our fellowship, you can go to www.magnusinstitute.org slash apply. We would love to have you in our conversations going through these great texts. So thank you all and God bless. The Magnus Podcast is a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute. To learn more, visit magnusinstitute.org.

Join Joshua and David Arias as they discuss raising your children in the liberal arts. Is homeschooling worth it? Is it easy?

Join the FREE Magnus Fellowship: https://magnusinstitute.org/fellowship/

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SUBSCRIBE where Podcasts are available

Join Joshua Mazrin and Professor Steve Cortright as they discuss what the name "liberal arts" actually means. Are they worthless? Are they tools? What's the point?

Join Joshua and Eric Black as they discuss how each of their spiritual conversions came in a time in their lives when exploration of classical texts opened their minds to truth in deeper ways. They further their discussion sharing their experience in the private sector and how an education in the liberal arts with an understanding of philosophy and theology is more beneficial for successful business than any business degree could be.

When one thinks of Purgatory, especially as described in Dante's Purgatorio, love is not the first thing that comes to mind. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Esolen leads a seminar from his Magnus Fellowship course "Into the World Beyond, With Dante" on the theme of love through the purification in Dante's Purgatorio, much like our own purging that purifies our love during the season of Lent.

We are closing the year with a big introduction: meet our new Executive Director: Joshua Mazrin! Join John and Joshua as they discuss the excellent experience that Joshua is bringing to AMI, authentic Liberal Arts education, and the exciting future we have ahead of us.

Join the Fellowship today: It's free and always will be.

Will you please consider making a gift to AMI as we close out our end of year fundraiser: The Great Campaign?With your help, we can continue to offer courses that are as free as they are freeing.

Alec Bianco of the CiRCE Institute joins John to discuss the state of higher education. Where did colleges go wrong? Why are colleges choosing to drop their humanities programs in favor of niche degrees? What is the future of institutions who choose a mediocre and sentimental education over an education rooted in rigor and truth?

Learn more about Alec Bianco and the CiRCE Institute.

Follow Alec on X @alecmbianco

At AMI, we are in the midst of the Great Campaign: our end of year fundraiser where we are seeking to raise $100,000, funds that go directly towards our courses that are as free as they are freeing. Can you help us reach our goal?

https://magnusinstitute.org/give/

Producer Sam Sorich joins us to discusses his documentary Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard, an award-winning and full length production about the French- American philosopher and historian. John and Sam discuss the importance of Girard’s work, mimetic theory, and the implications for the world today.

Watch the documentary for free on youtube:

Want to learn more about René Girad? The Magnus Fellowship offered an 8 week course on the philospher with Dr. Patrick Downey. Watch the first class on our YouTube channel:

Join the Magnus Fellowship today for more great courses.

Please enjoy listening in on the first seminar of the first Magnus Cohort!

The 2027 Cohort began their three year journey with Dr. David Arias in September of 2024, and they will finish their third year in the summer of 2027!

The 2028 Cohort will begin this September. Do you want to be apart of something like this? Find out how you can join the 2028 Cohortthis Fall!

Dr. Travis Cooper recently facilitated this lively discussion on Shakespeares classic, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

If you weren't there live, here is your chance to listen!

At AMI, we believe in the power of great questions that lead to more questions, in an education that focuses on discernment and freedom.

Senior Fellow, Dr. Jospeh Hattrup sums it up beautifully,

"In our culture nowadays... there's just so much of a reality where you're being fed ideas. This is what you're supposed to think about the world. This is what you're supposed to think about all sorts of human issues- whatever they might be, political, moral, religious. There's so many questions.

And it really is a serious question... in developing yourself as a person in your education... Am I really developing myself into somebody who sees truth as independent of fashion, independent of fads, independent of current events? Can I see it... as timeless and everlasting, but as something that I can really possess with other people as a common good through the discipline of my own mind?

Do you want this form of education for yourself? See how the Magnus Fellowship can provide just such an education.

What is the value of Latin, really?

John Johnson joins Father Peter Hannah to discuss why all the cool people are studying Latin, as well as the Novus Ordo vs traditional Latin mass; Father Peter reminds us how latin is a time honored way to return our culture to the traditions we have discarded. They also discuss his experience in the Magnus Fellowship teaching the Latin course that broke the internet.

Watch the first of 8 classes from Introduction to Ecclesial Latin here:

Join the Fellowshiptoday!

Happy 4th of July!

Celebrate our country’s independence with this extra special discussion with Dr. Richard Ferrier, tutor at Thomas Aquinas College. John Johnson and Dr. Ferrier discuss the complex question of, “Is history a liberal art?” They discuss this question by looking closely at American rhetoric, creeds, conspiracies, great people and cornerstone events from our founding until now.

If you can’t listen in one go, break it up. You don’t want to miss the end.

Calvin Coolidge’s speech on the 150th anniversary of our country’s independence: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-celebration-the-150th-anniversary-the-declaration-independence-philadelphia

You can find his book here:https://tanbooks.com/products/declaration-statesmanship-a-course-in-american-government-course-book/?gc_id=17487855346&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17496032570&gbraid=0AAAAADyykAyarNMii1oK9uRemCTQYR5cu

Join the Magnus Fellowship today!

John is back to discuss AI and the digital world, this time with AI thought leader and entrepreneur, Drago Dimitrov. They discuss how binary AI fits into our symbolic world and continue to tackle the difficult question, “How should Catholic Christians and liberal artists respond to this instrumental end of AI?”

Follow Drago on X: @Dragodimitrov
holyhabits.app

Ryan Khurana, AI technologist, strategist, and thought leader, joins John Johnson to discuss AI and the digital world. They compare the personhood, creativity, and relationships gifted to man to the counterfeit personhood of AI. They begin to tackle the difficult question, “How should Catholic Christians and liberal artists rightly respond to the instrument that is AI?”

Stay tuned for Part II of the AI conversation with another special guest.

Join the Fellowship today!
magnusinstitute.org/fellowship