William C. MichaelWilliam C. Michael

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy and a Lay Dominican in the Catholic Church. Mr. Michael received an honors degree in Classics and Ancient History from Rutgers University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He led the CLAA to accreditation with Cognia in 2024. He has been studying and teaching the classical liberal arts for over 30 years.

How to Make “Great Books” Education Great

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Modern enthusiasm for “Great Books” programs rests on an assumption that deserves careful examination—namely, that it’s good for students to read all of history’s influential literature. It is suggested that by immersing students in the works of Homer, Plato, Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., they will learn to “think for thmselves” and become wise men and women. Rather than hearing systematic lectures from master-teachers, students are said to benefit from reading on their own and discussing meanings with other students with “teachers” being reduced to discussion moderators. Of course, this was never done in history and is all theoretical. Strangely, to add … Continue

Rethinking Socrates: The Danger of “Critical Thinking”

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In modern circles, especially where we find people talking about classical education, Socrates is spoken of as if he were a martyr. He’s spoken of as a hero of Western civilization who is to be honored and imitated. And yet, if we think about the life of Socrates carefully and accurately, and think about what he was ultimately charged with and put to death for, there’s a chance that we might actually be wrong about Socrates. I’m not willing to argue at present that we are wrong, but I am interested in thinking that we may be wrong about Socrates. … Continue

The “Liberal Arts” Aren’t What They Used to Be

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In the Oxford English Dictionary, we find the following definition: liberal arts (n.) – Originally: the seven subjects of the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) considered collectively (now historical). In later use more generally: arts subjects as opposed to science and technology. The term “liberal arts” has not always meant what it means today. In its original and proper sense, it referred to a fixed and well-defined course of study consisting of seven disciplines: Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric (the Trivium), and Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy (the Quadrivium). These were called “liberal” arts … Continue

Abelson, The Seven Liberal Arts

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Paul Abelson’s The Seven Liberal Arts explains that the liberal arts were originally a fixed and ordered curriculum designed for the intellectual formation of free men, consisting of the Trivium and the Quadrivium as studied in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy today. Abelson shows that these arts were not a loose collection of subjects but a unified system aimed at preparing the mind for the pursuit of truth, and his work highlights how far the modern use of the term “liberal arts” has departed from its original meaning. Recommended reading for all in the CLAA community. Mr. William C. Michael, … Continue

The Importance of Real Curriculum Work

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What is commonly called “curriculum work” today is not curriculum work in the proper sense. It is simply the listing of topics to be studied, or the selection and arrangement of study materials. Textbooks, videos, and worksheets are gathered into grade level and subject containers, and this is called a “curriculum.” However, it lacks the essential elements of a true curriculum and is the source of instability and poor outcomes in both schools and homeschools. A curriculum is a complete course of study designed to allowstudents to fulfill the goals of their education. In education, the curriculun includes goals, objectives, … Continue

The Definition of “Classical Education”

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One of the revealing problems in the “classical education movement” is that those involved in it cannot define the term “classical education” in a way that is to be expected from men and women with a classical education. It does not seem that the essence of “classical education” is actually known. It is simply a wildcard used to signify “not modern education”. In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we can define classical education: Classical education is the formation of the human person by means of the seven liberal arts ordered to the knowledge of causes, for the perfection of the … Continue

What’s the Difference between Philosophy and Theology?

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Yesterday, I posted a talk answering some questions on classical education—what is classical curriculum, and so on. You can see that talk published on March 20. In the midst of that talk, toward the end actually, I discussed a topic that I think is pretty important, and I even received some feedback on that part of the talk. I think it would be worthwhile to devote an entire talk just to that topic: the difference between philosophy and theology. The Problem in Modern Christian Thinking This is an issue that really highlights the problem in modern Christian thinking. The abandonment … Continue

Questions about Classical Education and the CLAA Curriculum

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Last night, I received an email from a contact who had some questions about the Classical Liberal Arts Academy curriculum, and as I looked at the questions, I thought they might actually be questions that others would like answers to. So what I’m going to do in this talk today is answer those questions in a video talk that I can share back to the man who sent them to me, but I’ll also post them because, as I said, I think these questions may be in the minds of some others. They’re good questions, and I’d like to take … Continue

“Get Married and Have Babies!” A Warning against Modern “Pro-Family” Messaging

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The Protestant Reformation has led many Catholics to believe that marriage and child-bearing is the chief end of the Christian life. A common political message today, presented from what is considered a “Christian” perspective urges Christians to “Get married and have babies!”. A romanticized message of family life is promoted which denies the consequences of original sin, fills young adults with presumptuous expectations and draws many away from contemplative life and religious vocations. Worse than this, the image of the “Christian family” is commonly presented as the measure of God’s favor on Christian adults. I have been congratulated by many … Continue

The Key to Learning and Debate in Confusing Times

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Yesterday, I received a message from a Catholic mother who models a virtue needed to learn about and enjoy an authentic classical Catholic education. This virtue is valuable in all areas of life, especially when matters are confusing and immediate reactions would be ignorant and emotional. I wanted to share this letter as an example of this rare virtue and say a little about it below. Dear Mr. Michael, I am a Catholic homeschooling mother in [location] , and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your work. Like many homeschooling parents, I have spent the past … Continue