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Aesop’s Fables, “The Man and His Two Wives”

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In this lesson, we study Aesop’s fable of “The Man and His Two Wives”. To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Read the fable aloud once. Watch the lesson Tutorial. Study the fable for mastery. Paraphrase the fable. Identify the moral of the fable. Reflect on an example of how this fable help you to live well. Lesson In a country where men could have more than one wife, a certain man, whose head was fast becoming white, had two, one a little older than himself, and one much younger. The young Wife, being of a … Continue

St. Thomas Aquinas on the Ends of Speaking and Writing

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“If man were by nature a solitary animal the passions of the soul by which he was conformed to things so as to have knowledge of them would be sufficient for him; but since he is by nature a political and social animal it was necessary that his conceptions be made known to others. This he does through vocal sound. Therefore there had to be significant vocal sounds in order that men might live together. Whence those who speak different languages find it difficult to live together in social unity.

If man had only sensitive cognition, which is of the here and now, such significant vocal sounds as the other animals use to manifest their conceptions to each other would be sufficient for him to live with others. But man also has the advantage of intellectual cognition, which abstracts from the here and now, and as a consequence, is concerned with things distant in place and future in time as well as things present according to time and place. Hence the use of writing was necessary so that he might manifest his conceptions to those who are distant according to place and to those who will come in future time.”

St. Thomas Aquinas
Commentary on Aristotle’s “On Interpretation”

How to Memorize by St. Thomas Aquinas

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In the Summa Theologica, where St. Thomas Aquinas teaches on the virtue of Prudence, he explains that Memory is a part of this virtue. In that place, he explains how one exercises the Memory “There are four things whereby a man perfects his memory.” Let’s study and discuss how this knowledge of how a man may perfect his memory may be applied to our studies. Please note that I have written the applications, but St. Thomas write the rules and explanations. Step 1. Illustrate First, when a man wishes to remember a thing, he should take some suitable yet somewhat … Continue

What is Dialectic?

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As you learn about the seven classical liberal arts, you’ll notice a number of different names used to refer to the art of reasoning– “dialectic”, “logic”, “analytics”, or just “reasoning”. These names seem to be used with no distinction, yet they do not mean the same thing. In this video, I explain what “dialectic” is and why we should not use it to refer to the second of the seven classical liberal arts.

God bless,
Mr. William C. Michael
Classical Liberal Arts Academy

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three kinds of Intellectual Life

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There are three different kinds of intellectual life: (1) the selfish life that does not study, but lives by desires and opinion. (2) the public life, which studies what is needed for gaining money or influence in society, and (3) the contemplative life, which studies for wisdom, privately. The first life has no interest in truth or the common good. It is interested only in self-gratification and is content to obtain it by force, at others’ expense. Even when provided a free education, these people will not study because study is not necessary for their way of life. The second … Continue

Why We Can Never Justly Criticize the Pope

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“Stand in the multitude of ancients that are wise, and join thyself from thy heart to their wisdom.” (Sirach 6:35) “Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.” (Proverbs 3:5) “It came to pass, that, after three days, they found [Jesus] in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.” (St. Luke 2:46)