Plato’s Gorgias is a war, as the first line already declares (“In war and battle, this is the way to do your part,” 447a), for the souls of Athens’ youth and for every reader who has ever wondered how we ought to live. Socrates faces three escalating confrontations—the celebrity rhetorician Gorgias, his spirited student Polus, and the shameless Callicles—and what begins as a polite inquiry into rhetoric quickly exposes a terrifying truth: rhetoric divorced from philosophy is tyrannical, a “freedom for oneself and empire over everyone else” (452d) that leaves both speaker and polis diseased.

Against the shameful art that panders to pleasure like pastry-baking for the soul, Socrates sets the rare, noble rhetoric that “makes the souls of citizens as good as possible” and dares to say “what is best” whether the crowd likes it or not (503a)—the kind he claims to be the only Athenian practicing (521d).

Through relentless dialectic, shocking analogies, and the great myth of naked souls judged by dead judges (523a–527e), he proves that doing injustice is always worse than suffering it, that the unpunished tyrant is the most miserable of men, and that the cosmos itself is ordered toward a final justice no rhetoric can escape.

Athens is about to kill its only true statesman, yet the dialogue ends with the quiet, defiant promise that the just soul will ultimately shine while the scarred souls of the unjust stand exposed. This is not a polite discussion about public speaking. It is a war over whether life is mere power and pleasure or something infinitely higher—and though a challenging read, it is very much worth your time.

Here are the Ascend Book Club materials to help you read:

1. A detailed Q&A guide with everything you need to know about the Gorgias

2. Three excellent conversations on the three main parts of the dialogue (below)

3. All three conversations are also posted as podcasts

4. Check out related articles: “When Loving Your Enemy Means Justice” and “The Greatest Threat to Your Freedom is You.”

The Gorgias is a long dialogue but one worth the time and effort. What starts as a conversation on rhetoric matures (or devolves) into a rough dialectic on the purpose of life. Astute readers will note that there are strong parallels between the Gorgias and Book One of the Republic.

Video Discussions on the Gorgias

The Gorgias is a war. It is a war for the souls of the young men of Athens. The battle lines for the contest are not always as clear, however, and one must approach the Gorgias with humility and subtlety to understand its movements. It is worth a slow, attentive read.

The Dialogue with Gorgias (447–461)

In this episode, Athenian Stranger frames the conflict as two competing “technologies” of speech: Gorgias’ art that grants “freedom for oneself and empire over everyone else” (452d) versus Socrates’ dialectical practice that knows “the natures and causes of things” (464b–465a). The dialogue’s three-part structure—shortest with reserved Gorgias, medium with spirited Polus, longest with shameless Callicles—spirals downward, exposing pleonexia (infinite grasping desire) beneath all three souls.

The Dialogue with Polus (461–481)

In this episode, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Matthew Bianco of the Circe Institute discuss the second part of Plato's Gorgias, the dialogue between Socrates and Polus—Gorgias’ spirited, “colt-like” student who bursts in at 461b accusing his own teacher of being “too ashamed” to admit rhetoric needs no justice, only the power to persuade.

The Dialogue with Callicles (481–527)

Discussing the incredible final act of Plato’s Gorgias (481–527), Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Greg McBrayer tackle the longest and most brutal confrontation: Socrates versus Callicles, the most shameless, most ambitious, and—as Greg insists—nastiest character in all of Plato.

Good work! The myth at the end of the Gorgias is one of the most beautiful in the Platonic corpus. It is easily one of the most memorable images of Socrates’ teachings on virtue as a beauty of the soul and vice as an ugliness. Next up on the docket in our Platonic studies here at Ascend are some of the so-called “forgotten dialogues.” These are dialogues that are often neglected nowadays and rarely discussed. We’ll be reading Hipparchus, Lovers, Hippias Minor, and Ion.

Join us.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Dear Ascend Book Club Members,

Plato’s Gorgias is a war, as evidenced in the very first line (“In war and battle, this is the way to do your part,” 447a), for the souls of Athens’ youth and for every reader who has ever wondered how we ought to live. Socrates faces three escalating confrontations: the celebrity rhetorician Gorgias, his spirited student Polus, and the shameless Callicles. What begins as a polite inquiry into the nature of rhetoric quickly exposes the terrifying truth: rhetoric divorced from philosophy is tyrannical, a “freedom for oneself and empire over everyone else” (452d) that leaves both the speaker and polis diseased.

Socrates counters with a vision of two kinds of rhetoric: the shameful kind that panders to pleasure (like pastry-baking for the soul) and the rare, noble kind that “makes the souls of citizens as good as possible” and dares to say “what is best” whether the crowd likes it or not (503a)—the kind he claims to be the only Athenian practicing (521d). Through relentless dialectic, shocking analogies (leaky jars, catamites, tyrants who have no real power, etc.), and finally the great myth of naked souls judged by dead judges (523a–527e), Socrates proves that doing injustice is always worse than suffering it, that the unpunished tyrant is the most miserable of men, and that the cosmos itself is ordered toward a final justice no rhetoric can escape.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 21-page guide (11,400+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Detailed preliminary questions to consider before you read

4. 37 thorough questions on Plato’s Gorgias

Athens is about to kill its only true statesman, but the Gorgias ends with the quiet, defiant promise that the just soul will ultimately shine while the scarred souls of the unjust stand exposed. This is not a polite discussion about public speaking; it is a war over whether life is mere power and pleasure or something infinitely higher.

I am indebted to the guests who helped me navigate this text: Athenian Stranger, Johnathan Bi, Dr. Matthew Bianco, and Dr. Gregory McBrayer. I am thankful for their commentary and various interpretations of the text, as iron sharpens iron, so too did working through this text with different perspectives sharpen my appreciation for the dialogue.

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The Meno is an incredible dialogue. Presumably about virtue, it also showcases how souls respond to instruction; thus, it is often one of the first dialogues many students of Plato read. It is, however, much more complicated than other “first dialogues to read,” such as First Alcibiades or the Apology, and this complication mainly comes from the dialogue pivoting off an extended, complex math problem. Socrates uses geometry to show how the soul comes to know (or remember) something—which introduces Socrates’ famous theory of “recollection,” though to what degree the theory is proposed as a reflection of reality is debatable.

We are blessed on Ascend to be joined by Dr. Daniel Wagner who slowly walks us through the dialogue, including the math problem, and makes a complex dialogue seem much more clear and attainable.

The video conversation below is also available as a podcast.

Video Discussion on the Meno

Most people remember the Meno for the slave boy and the famous squares in the sand. That scene is worth your time, but it is arguably not the heart of the dialogue. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Wagner of Aquinas College and the Lyceum Institute joins us to read the Meno as a drama about education.

Meno wants a definition of virtue he can use. Socrates will not give him one. What follows is a study in two kinds of student: the man who memorizes impressive answers and stays exactly where he started, and the slave who is willing to be stung by the “numb fish” and actually learn. In fact, the famous “numb fish” claim against Socrates is one of the most memorable descriptions of aporia or the bewilderment the soul endures when seeking the truth. It is a beautiful deconstruction of false ideas that is necessary to make room for new ones.

If you have ever wondered why Eva Brann called this dialogue the secular Bible of St. John’s College, listen to this conversation on the Meno.

We talk about why the geometry is aimed at Meno, not at us in general, and why the theory of recollection may be less a doctrine than a way of getting a proud man to keep talking. We also take up the harder question the dialogue leaves on the table. Virtue can be offered as knowledge, but it cannot be forced. The student has to respond. That is why Pericles can be a great statesman and still fail his sons, and why Socrates can teach Alcibiades and still watch him walk away (and dare we mention Jesus’ discipleship of Judas).

Dr. Wagner’s line at the end is the right one to carry into your own life: don’t be a Meno.

Good work! The Meno is a dialogue worth the effort—and a lot of people shy away because of the famous geometric example. Read the Meno and read it again. It is very instructive on how to be instructed—what does a soul open to education look like? The next dialogue on the docket is Plato’s Gorgias—a long dialogue that suspiciously mirrors Book One of the Republic and is presumably about rhetoric. The dialogue, however, matures (or devolves?) into a conversation on the good life and ends with a beautiful myth about the soul’s final judgment.

Be sure to check out our entire, growing library on Plato.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

The Phaedo is a beautiful dialogue—but it is also a labyrinth. It is very easy to become lost and succumb to the fear of death. The dialogue captures the final hours of Socrates where he discusses the immortality of the soul and faces death with unparalleled courage and philosophical clarity. While the opening myth of Theseus deserves special attention, the immortality of the soul is central and presented in four key arguments—cyclical, recollection, affinity, and final cause—which wrestle with the mystery of life and death.

The Phaedo is also a writing of hope. Socrates has a serene acceptance of death, and he, as the one slotted to die, is comforting his friends.

Why is the Phaedo worth reading?

It challenges us to confront life’s ultimate questions with courage and openness, as Socrates does in his final moments, facing death with the hope of death being a good. For Christians, how much less should Christians fear death than the pagan Socrates? Yet, Socrates’ tranquility and courage in the face of death is a high standard. The Phaedo’s blend of rigorous argument and delightful drama invites us to think and live philosophically—a life of wisdom and virtue.

Here are the Ascend Book Club materials to help you read:

1. A detailed Q&A guide with everything you need to know about the Phaedo

2. An excellent discussion on just the opening of the dialogue (below)

3. Two conversations walking step-by-step through Phaedo’s arguments (below)

4. All three conversations are also posted as podcasts

5. Check out “Is the Soul Immortal?” an article exploring the Phaedo

The Phaedo is often read alongside other dialogues as the “last days of Socrates:” the Euthyphro (before his trial), the Apology (during his trial), the Crito (in prison), and the Phaedo (his death).

Video Discussions on the Phaedo

In this episode, we are introducing Plato's Phaedo, "on the soul," with Alec Bianco of the Circe Institute and with Athenian Stranger. We'll discuss why to read the great books, why we read Plato, how you should read Plato, and why to read the Phaedo. We then do a deep dive into the opening of the Phaedo, especially on the setting and the myth of Theseus-where a subtle, attentive read unearths a beautifully rich allusion. We'll end with some advice for first time readers of the Phaedo.

In this episode, we are discussing Plato's Phaedo, or in ancient times, it had the subtitle of “On the Soul.” It tells of the death of Socrates and his various arguments for the immortality of the soul. The Phaedo is a complicated dialogue. It's a long dialogue, but it's very beautiful and very much worth the effort. So it merits a slow, attentive, and subtle read.

And to help us with this type of read, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Frey, a fantastic thinker who really is going to hold our hand and walk us through these various arguments of the immortality of the soul. We're going to discuss the first part this week (up to the theory of recollection) and the second part next week.

So is it beautiful? Yes. Is it difficult? Also, yes, but it's very much worth your time. So join us today for an excellent conversation on Plato's Phaedo with Dr. Christopher Frey.

In this episode, Dcn. Garlick and Dr. Frey dive into the second half of the text (72e–118a), unpacking the recollection and affinity arguments, objections from Simmias and Cebes, the concept of misology, the final cause argument, the myth of the afterlife, and Socrates’ enigmatic final words.

Good work! You’ve finished the dialogues dealing with the last days of Socrates—but don’t stop here. Next on the docket is Plato’s Meno, an excellent dialogue on virtue and education, and Plato’s Gorgias, a long but rich dialogue on rhetoric that matures into a discussion on the good life.

Be sure to check out our entire, growing library on Plato.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Dear Ascend Book Club Members,

The Phaedo is a beautiful but complicated dialogue. It captures the final hours of Socrates where he discusses the immortality of the soul and faces death with unparalleled courage and philosophical clarity. I am indebted to Dr. Christopher Frey whose insights and commentary helped to illuminate the beauty of Plato’s thought in this dialogue. Our conversation, as with this guide, covers the prologue—which has a deep parallel to the myth of Theseus—and then the various arguments for the immortality of the soul.

The Phaedo explores several enduring themes. Central is the soul’s immortality, argued through four key arguments—cyclical, recollection, affinity, and final cause—which wrestle with the mystery of life and death. Moreover, the Phaedo raises many questions about the role of the body. Does Socrates hold the body to be an evil, a prison of the soul, or are his comments simply a realistic commentary on the challenges being embodied brings to the pursuit of truth? The Phaedo has many comments on the body, but also many lessons subtly woven into the drama.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 12-page guide (5200+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. General outline of the text

4. Preliminary questions to consider before you read

5. 16 thorough questions on Plato’s Phaedo

The Phaedo is also a writing of hope. Socrates has a serene acceptance of death, and he, as the one slotted to die, is comforting his friends. He is a model of philosophy in action, a life in conformity of the truths to which the mind has assented. He argues for the immortality of the soul but also lives (and dies) as someone who believes it.

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And we have an excellent guide and mentor to walk us through the opening of Plato’s Republic and the dialogue with Cephalus in Book One (327a-331d), Dr. Alex Priou who currently serves as a professor of political philosophy at the University of Austin.

Today we start something life-changing.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

Plato is philosophy. To summarize a famous line, all of Western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato, and Plato’s Republic is his masterwork. He does not offer you a sterile, intellectual idea that is neat to contemplate—he makes claims on your soul. For Plato, philosophy is transformative. The goal of the pursuit of wisdom is to have a good soul, a beautiful soul.

Further Resources to Help You Read the Republic:

1. GUIDE: 12 Questions on Book One of Plato’s Republic

2. How to Read Plato

3. Reading schedule, podcast calendar, and more!

“I went down to the Piraeus.” The famous opening line gives you much to contemplate, and Dr. Alex Priou is a wonderful guide. We have the verb of descent, which will be important to the entire text, and we have the Piraeus, the port of Athens, which is hosting a new festival to a new goddess. Moreover, Socrates narrates the entire Republic to an unnamed listener who never interrupts… but this allows Socrates to give commentary on the argument he otherwise could not. Dr. Priou shows us how the prologue to the Republic is simple but rich with meaning—a great introduction to how Plato teaches.

In the house of Cephalus, age, wealth, and the old myths give the first account of justice. Asked the greatest good of his money, the old metic does not speak of friends or food. He speaks of the myths he laughed at when he was young, and of the peace of facing them without unpaid debts. Justice, for him, is telling the truth and giving what one owes. Socrates asks whether you return a borrowed weapon to a man who has gone mad. Cephalus cannot defend the rule he has lived by. He laughs, leaves the argument to his son, and goes back to the sacrifices. Cephalus leaves, but his conversation will haunt the entire Republic—as the text begins with a descent and religious myth and will end with an ascent and a religious myth.

Be sure to check out our entire reading schedule, so you can be sure to read alongside us.

Also, thank you to the CLASSIC LEARNING TEST for sponsoring our first month of Plato’s Republic. They are a really excellent group of people trying to change the landscape of education in America. Go check them out.

A good path is before us.

Let’s take it and ascend.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Dear Members of the Ascend Book Club,

Plato is philosophy. To summarize a famous quote: all Western philosophy is simply a series of footnotes to Plato. If this is true, then reading his masterwork, the Republic, will give you a guidepost, a reference point for the rest of the Western philosophic tradition. Reading this text in a slow, attentive manner is worth your time. In fact, it can be life changing.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

But this does not exhaust the reason to read Plato. It is not reducible to an intellectual pursuit; rather, we read Plato to help you have a beautiful soul. Philosophy, for Plato, is truly the love of wisdom and that love is transformative. Plato’s Socrates will invite you to live a virtuous life—a life with a well-ordered, healthy soul that has conformed to the reality of the cosmos and eternal truth. To wit, true philosophy, Platonic philosophy, makes a claim upon your soul. Reading Plato can never be a sterile, academic exercise. It is always fecund. It shows you what is beautiful and invites you to become beautiful.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 13-page guide (6600+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. A detailed outline of Book One

4. A list of questions to consider as you read

5. 20 robust questions on the text

Reading the Republic can be very difficult but Ascend is here to help. Plato is the teacher, and we are all his students. An attentive, intentional read of Plato that has the patience to work through the layers of the text is deeply rewarding. In fact, reading Plato well will sharpen your capacity to read deeply any other complicated text—including the Bible.

Book One is the preamble to the Republic, and it reads like a dialogue of its own. Three accounts of justice are offered, and none of them are satisfactory. Socrates outdoes Thrasymachus at his own game and “wins” the argument—but he does not win as a philosopher, he does not give a satisfactory definition of justice. The ending is aporetic and leaves the reader ready to receive the opening of Book Two in which Glaucon will restate the argument and give structure to the rest of the text. Overall, Book One is a wonderful work that introduces you to the modes and movements of Socrates—take it seriously. Plato offers you good practice on discerning his subtle lessons in this passage.

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Most people want a lecture, because it is easier. But Plato makes you work for the truth. He hides it in drama, irony, bewilderment, and love. The story is part of the teaching. The setting, the speakers, and even your own confusion are a philosophic lesson.

Next week we begin Plato’s masterpiece, the Republic. Plato is philosophy. Read this book well, and you have a guidepost for the entire Western tradition. The Republic is worth the work. It will change your life.

So let’s learn to read Plato well.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

Questions to Read Plato Well

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are preparing to read Plato’s Republic (we start next week!). Before turning to that long and demanding text, we ask a simple question: how do you read Plato well?

Plato does not write treatises or lectures. He writes dialogues, and the setting, the characters, the irony, and even the moments of confusion (aporia!) are part of the teaching. The podcast takes up the questions that help a first-time reader get started on the right foot. Overall, however, we do not read Plato to “be smart” or brag we’ve read Plato. We read Plato to have a beautiful soul. We take him seriously as a teacher who can help us pursue the true, good, and beautiful.

Here is a list of the major questions that are discussed on the podcast today:

1. Why read Plato?

2. Why is the drama important?

3. Are the dialogues historical transcripts?

4. What is the Socratic method?

5. What is Socratic irony?

6. What is the art of dialectic?

7. What is aporia?

8. What is eros?

9. What is pleonexia?

10. What are the parts of the soul?

Again, we read Plato to better understand the good life and to have a good, healthy soul.

A Few More Resources

Be sure to check out the MASTER CALENDAR for our reading schedule for Plato’s Republic. Also, if you’re interested in a deeper dive into eros, see "Rediscovering Holy Eros” (one of the most popular articles on Ascend). Moreover, you can read more about pleonexia and its dangers at “The Greatest Threat to Your Freedom is You.” Last week, to prep for the Republic, we published “How to Read Plato’s Republic like C.S. Lewis.” Finally, regarding Socratic irony, read “How a Man Pretending to be Drunk Helps You Read Plato.”

Next week we start Plato’s Republic!

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

C.S. Lewis wants you to read Plato’s Republic.

Many people think Plato has nothing to do with the Christian Gospel.

But one of the greatest Christian storytellers of all time knows better. At the end of his Narnia series, C.S. Lewis has Professor Digory tell you: “It’s all in Plato, all in Plato.”

Why not say “it’s all in the Bible, all in the Bible?”

C.S. Lewis understood the importance of Plato for the Christian imagination. He used Platonic philosophy to tell the stories of Narnia.

But many miss one of the most powerful Platonic images of the Narnia series.

And it comes from how C.S. Lewis read Plato’s Republic.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

Why the Republic is a Must-Read

Plato’s Republic is one of the most influential texts in Western civilization. The text recounts a discussion on justice and whether justice is more profitable to the soul than injustice. To explore this topic, Socrates creates a “city in speech” or rather he uses the example of a city as an analogy to the soul—believing that it would be easier to understand justice in something larger, like a city, and then move to justice in something smaller, like the soul.

But, in pursuit of justice, Socrates addresses a wide-range of topics, including the soul, virtue, education, politics, metaphysics, and the afterlife. In fact, the conversation of the Republic is so rich and encompassing that in reading it you are given a guidepost to the entire Western philosophical tradition. As Alfred North Whitehead famously stated, “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.” In other words, Plato is philosophy. To read Plato is to have a reference point to the rest of Western philosophy—and the Republic is his masterpiece.

And C.S. Lewis understood this well.

C.S. Lewis’ Love of Plato

Those who love the Chronicles of Narnia probably remember Professor Digory Kirke in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, after a conversation with the Pevensie children, lamenting “I wonder what they do teach them at these schools.” Yet, in the The Last Battle, it is worth noting that C.S. Lewis gives you a fuller version of that beloved quote. Professor Digory states: “It’s all in Plato, all in Plato: bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?” You have to take this quote seriously. Lewis links a statement on education in his first book with his last book, encompassing the entire Narnia series—a series meant to be educative to young imaginations. Notice the first is a negative statement, lamenting that education is lacking, while the second is a positive statement, telling you where answers can be found: Plato.

In other words, in a book that is written to open a child’s imagination to the reality of Christianity, C.S. Lewis tells you it is all in Plato.

Why would he say this?

Why not say “It’s all in the Bible, all in the Bible: bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?” Would this not make more sense in a story that uses a lion, the great Aslan, as an analogue of Jesus Christ?

The answer comes in understanding how C.S. Lewis used Plato in his series—and how that shows you Plato’s role in the Christian imagination.

And most of all, C.S. Lewis sees a hidden Christian message in Plato’s Republic.

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In this episode, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos, a professor at Wyoming Catholic College, dive into Plato’s Crito, a dialogue set in Socrates’ prison cell as he awaits execution. They explore Socrates’ refusal to escape, his debt of gratitude to Athens, and the tension between philosophy and the poetic traditions of the polis. They unpack the dialogue’s themes of justice, piety, and civic obligation, offering insights for first-time readers and drawing parallels to modern liberal democracy.

Here are the Ascend Book Club materials to help you read:

1. Detailed written guide to help you dig into the Crito

2. An excellent video discussion on the Crito (below)

3. The video is also available as a podcast

4. Check out “How Gratitude Can Save the West,” an article on piety.

The Crito is often read alongside other dialogues as the “last days of Socrates,” which includes the Euthyphro (before his trial), the Apology (during his trial), the Crito (in prison), and the Phaedo (his death).

Video Discussions on the Crito

The questions explored about Plato’s Crito reveal key themes of justice, piety, gratitude, and the tension between philosophy and the polis. Socrates’ imprisonment, set against Athens’ cultural life governed by the poetic myth of Theseus, underscores the conflict between philosophical inquiry and the city’s traditional piety, highlighting philosophy’s precarious role in a society shaped by poetry.

Good work! You’re almost done with the dialogues depicting the last days of Socrates (the first tetralogy). The next is the Phaedo, a labyrinth of a dialogue, that tells of the death of Socrates and discusses the immortality of the soul.

And be sure to check out our entire, growing library on Plato.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Dear Ascend Book Club Members,

I am delighted to share with you this guide to Plato’s Crito, a profound dialogue that wrestles with questions of justice, piety, and our obligations to the polis. Set in Socrates’ prison cell, the Crito contrasts the philosopher’s rational inquiry with Athens’ poetic traditions, embodied in the myth of Theseus, revealing the delicate place of philosophy in a city governed by poetic myth. Through Socrates’ dream of a woman foretelling his death, we see his choice to face execution as a heroic act of philosophical virtue, which reveals Socrates to be the new Achilles, the new epic hero.

Crito’s emotional pleas for escape—rooted in fear of public judgment and concern for Socrates’ friends and family—are met with Socrates’ reasoned defense of his unrepayable debt to Athens, a “politics of gratitude” that stands in stark contrast to the modern obsession with individual rights. The laws’ warning that escape would unravel the polis, alongside Athens’ reluctant allowance of philosophy, mirrors the freedoms and flaws of our modern liberal democracy. Subtle references to the Corybantes and God weave divine sanction into Socrates’ rational resolve, inviting you to ponder the balance of conscience, civic duty, and divine order.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 14-page guide (6100+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Small group discussion questions

4. A very detailed outline of the entire dialogue

5. 15 robust questions on the text

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Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we end Short Story September with “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Melville - a seemingly simple tale about men in a law office that becomes a puzzling, existential tale. Dcn. Garlick is joined by two excellent guests: Mr. Joey Bremer, a teacher at Holy Family Classical School and an iconographer studying at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London, and “Montana” of Montana Classical College, an anonymous scholar who runs an X account that shares incredible insights on Melville’s Moby Dick.

Overall, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” is a perplexing, existential tale that tends to quietly unsettle you by revealing the realities of modern life.

An Existential Tale Worth Reading

This episode of Ascend takes up Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” a quiet, unsettling tale whose central figure answers nearly every request with the same spare formula: “I would prefer not to.” The conversation lingers on the contrast between that stubborn preference and the narrator’s own softness—an elderly lawyer who prizes the easiest way of life, cannot quite govern his office, and keeps mistaking indecision for charity. Names, nicknames, dull eyes, and the cramped windows that look onto other walls all become clues: who in this world still possesses a will, and who has already been reduced to a role?

Listeners are invited to sit with the story’s larger questions rather than resolve them. What does the monotonous labor of copying do to a man? How does a commercial, conventional life flatten thumos and leave even well-meaning people lukewarm? Why does Bartleby’s refusal feel at once more human and more deathly than the quirks of his co-workers? Drawing on the textures of Moby-Dick and the aporetic spirit of Plato, the discussion treats the tale as a puzzle that rewards patient attention—an invitation to notice what modernity may have done to the soul, and to return to the text itself with sharper eyes.

Further Resources on the Great Books

Recently here on the Ascend Book Club, we’ve been publishing more resources to help you read the great books. Here are a few things published recently:

1. Plato’s Apology with Fr. Justin Brophy, OP

2. 30 Question Guide to Plato’s Apology

3. How a Man Pretending to be Drunk Helps You Read Plato

Next week on the podcast, we’ll give an introduction on how to read Plato well and then the week after we start our slow, intentional read of Plato’s Republic.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

The Apology is one of the great speeches in the Western tradition. And Ascend was honored to host Fr. Justin Brophy, OP, to be a guide and mentor through this vitally important text.

The discussion explores Socrates’ defense speech at his trial in 399 BC, set against the backdrop of post-Peloponnesian War Athens. The conversation delves into key themes, including the role of Aristophanes’ The Clouds in shaping Socrates’ negative reputation, the tension between philosophy and politics, and the influence of Alcibiades on the charges of impiety and corrupting the youth.

Fr. Brophy and Dcn. Garlick examine Socrates’ story from the Oracle of Delphi, his distinction between human and divine wisdom, and his refusal to charge fees, distinguishing him from sophists. They also discuss the broader implications of Socrates as a threat to the democratic polis, the conflict between philosophy and poetry, and the natural antagonism between the demos and the great-souled man. The episode highlights Socrates’ pedagogical approach and the relevance of his trial to modern questions of truth, virtue, and societal stability.

Here are the Ascend Book Club materials to help you read:

1. Detailed Q&A written guide to help you navigate the Apology well

2. Two excellent videos exploring the Apology (below)

3. Videos also available as archived podcasts.

4. “Killing God for His Impiety,” a reflection on the Apology.

Video Discussions on the Apology

While not necessary, it is beneficial to study the Euthyphro prior to the Apology to better understand the question of piety. The Euthyphro raises the question of what is piety, and the Apology arguably answers this question by showing you how Socrates describes his daemon and the God. On a separate note, the Apology shows you the tension between the philosopher and the democratic city—and the problems of democracy are made more explicit in the Republic, see “The Spiritual Harm of Democracy.”

Good work finishing the Apology. The conversation continues with Socrates in prison in the Crito and then Socrates’ death in the Phaedo. The last days of Socrates are worth your time and attention. Keep up the good work.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

The Apology is one of the greatest speeches in Western civilization. It is also arguably the best introduction to the character of Socrates. While First Alcibiades is the historic first dialogue students of Platonic philosophy would read, the Apology is a popular dialogue for introducing who Socrates is and his vocation. The text contains some of the most famous stories and quotes from Socrates and is a work worth reading well.

To discuss this text, Dcn. Garlick hosted Fr. Justin Brophy, OP, a Dominican scholar who has a love for Plato. “Justin” is his religious name and is taken after St. Justin Martyr (100-165 AD), an Early Church Father who converted to Christianity and saw a deep harmony between Christianity and Platonism. Fr. Brophy is an excellent tutor on Plato, and Ascend was happy to host him.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 19-page guide (9800+ words) that explores the dialogue deeply

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Preliminary themes to consider before reading

4. A very detailed outline of the entire dialogue

5. 30 robust questions on the text

The Apology is one of the best things you could read and this guide is one of the best ways to understand it.

Introductory Letter by Dcn. Garlick

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates

Dear Ascend Book Club Members,

The Apology lies at the heart of Western civilization. It recounts Socrates’ defense at his trial in 399 BC, and it is without question one of the most important and influential texts in the great books canon. Socrates has discovered the truth about the human soul, and the reality of that discovery transforms him—a transformation that challenges the political and societal norms of Athens. While not an allegory, the Apology can be seen as philosophy on trial, and how the truth discovered by philosophy is unsettling to the statesmen, poets, craftsmen, and sophists. Moreover, the Apology raises questions about the one and the many, about the virtuous, great man against the crowds, the demos, the democratic men.

Read more

What if a man pretending to be drunk could teach you how to read Plato?

Many people often misunderstand the irony of Socrates in Plato’s dialogues. They see it as a mockery, something cutting, but in reality it is a pedagogical tool to open your soul to reality and beautify it.

A thousand years ago, the scholar Al-Farabi wrote a parable to help people understand how Plato writes his dialogues.

He tells of a man pretending to be drunk.

Let’s explore this perplexing image and see how it helps us read Plato well.

How a Drunk Man Teaches You to Read Plato

Plato is philosophy—but Plato never speaks to you directly. He speaks through the drama and the characters of his dialogues. But even then, his stories and characters are not straightforward, especially Socrates. In fact, Socrates claims that he knows nothing and often presents himself as the student before others who claim to have knowledge. Plato’s Socrates is a character of irony.

But what exactly is Socratic irony?

Well, in the 900s AD, the Muslim scholar Al-Farabi wrote a parable to show you how Socratic irony functions in the writings of Plato. He writes:

It is related, for example, that a certain abstemious ascetic was known for his probity, propriety, asceticism and worship, and having become famous for this, he feared the tyrannical sovereign and decided to run away from his city.

The sovereign’s command went out to search for and arrest him wherever he was found. He could not leave from any of the city’s gates and was apprehensive lest he fall into the hands of the sovereign’s men.

So he went and found a dress worn by vagabonds, put it on, carried a cymbal in his hand and, pretending to be drunk, came early at night out to the gate of the city singing to the accompaniment of that cymbal of his. The gatekeeper said to him, “Who are you?” “I am so and so, the ascetic!” he said jokingly. The gatekeeper supposed he was poking fun at him and did not interfere with him.

So he saved himself without having lied in what he said.

Now, there is much that could be said about this little analogy, but Al-Farabi himself comments on the purpose of the tale. He writes:

The wise Plato did not feel free to reveal and uncover every kind of knowledge for all people. Therefore he followed the practice of using symbols, riddles, obscurity, and difficulty, so that knowledge would not fall into the hands of those who do not deserve it and be deformed, or fall into the hands of someone who does not know its worth or who uses it improperly. In this he was right.

As a preliminary observation, the narrative of the pious ascetic shows us that Plato teaches us the truth in disguise. He has a hidden or esoteric teaching buried within his dialogues that only careful observation and patience can unearth. You must understand that Plato teaches through the drama of his dialogues. The drama is part of the pedagogy. Whether it is the descending in the opening of the Republic, the drinking of wine in the Symposium, or the complete lack of setting in Hipparchus, all narrative details are instructive—they are there to teach you about a philosophical truth.

And this includes how Plato presents Socrates. He often presents him ironically, as Socrates often tells his interlocutors that he “knows nothing” and that he is in need of being instructed.

You, as the reader, are like the guard at the gate. Socrates, through the writings of Plato, is like the apparently drunk vagabond. The guard failed to give proper consideration of the truth told to him; thus, he misunderstood the reality before him.

But you can work to give Plato proper consideration—and in doing so come to a better understanding of reality and how to live a beautiful life.

Let’s look at a few key characteristics of Socratic irony that, if you observe in the dialogues, will help you uncover the hidden teachings of Plato.

Read more

The Euthyphro is a beautiful dialogue. It is about piety—a subject alien to our modern imaginations. It is a dialogue that stretches our own presuppositions and challenges us to take seriously the question of the gods and their nature. The most famous aspect of the dialogue is the so-called “Euthyphro dilemma,” which asks whether the gods adhere to an objective standard of piety or whether piety is whatever the gods will. The dilemma, however, is not limited to piety but presents a fundamental contrast between those who believe truth is objective versus those who believe it is subjective.

Overall, the Euthyphro appears simple (and because it is often the first dialogue many persons read) but it has layers—and the question Plato raises about the nature of the divine poses a challenge to not only ancient Greek polytheism but to Christianity as well—a challenge Christians would do well to explore and consider.

Here are the Ascend Book Club materials to help you read:

1. Detailed Q&A guide with introductions, outline, and more on Euthyphro

2. Two excellent videos with conversations exploring the Euthyphro (below)

3. BONUS video: Dr. Prudlo on Aquinas and the Euthyphro dilemma (below)

4. “Why do we call God good?” an article on the Euthyphro dilemma

The discussions and the conversation on Euthyphro and Aquinas are both available as podcasts.

Introduction

“One cannot settle any Platonic question of any consequence by simply quoting Plato.”

Leo Strauss^[1]

Dear Ascend Book Club Members,

The Euthyphro is a beautiful dialogue. It is about piety—a subject alien to our modern imaginations. It is a dialogue that stretches our own presuppositions and challenges us to take seriously the question of the gods and their nature. The most famous aspect of the dialogue is the so-called “Euthyphro dilemma,” which asks whether the gods adhere to an objective standard of piety or whether piety is whatever the gods will. The dilemma, however, is not limited to piety but presents a fundamental contrast between a metaphysical realism and a voluntaristic view. It is a dilemma at the center of many of our cultural debates.

As always, I am indebted to those who helped me through the dialogue, like Dr. Frank Grabowski, Thomas Lackey, and Dr. Joey Spencer. I remain in debt to the men in my Sunday Great Books group and to the good men in the diaconate formation program. Reading the great books alongside kindred souls is a tremendous joy.

The character of Euthyphro merits much attention. He presents as dull and unorthodox, and many question why Plato selected him for the interlocutor—but we must always remember that an idiot in the hands of Plato can teach us a lot. He arguably has intuitions that make him open philosophy, and in this way he embodies the reader, the student of philosophy, and our challenges in accepting the truth.

Plato is philosophy. The Euthyphro is one of the most famous dialogues, and it is certainly worth your time and attention.

May we come to understand true piety.

In Christ,

Dcn. Harrison Garlick

Discussions on Plato’s Euthyphro

BONUS: Aquinas and the Euthyphro Dilemma

How would a Christian answer the Euthyphro dilemma? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Donald Prudlo, the Warren Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, to discuss Aquinas and the Euthyphro dilemma.

Great work! Reading and working through the Euthyphro is an excellent accomplishment. We continue in the narrative of Socrates’ last days by turning to one of the most famous speeches in Western history, Plato’s Apology.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

^[1] Kerber, Hannes, and Svetozar Y. Minkov, eds. Leo Strauss on Plato’s Euthyphro: The 1948 Notebook, with Lectures and Critical Writings (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2023), 81. The book is tremendous and is highly recommended.

The Euthyphro is a must-read dialogue—but why?

It is fundamentally “a dialogue about piety,” as Dcn. Garlick describes it, serving as an exploration of what piety truly means through a conversation between Socrates and the unorthodox Euthyphro. Dr. Frank Grabowski emphasizes its value as “a wonderful introduction to Platonic philosophy, Platonic literature,” highlighting how it features Socrates as the central figure and showcases “the Socratic method” in a clear and engaging way. The dialogue is also a wonderful introduction to Socratic irony and the Platonic ideas.

The dialogue is short and largely straightforward. Its accessibility lies in its apparent simplicity that hides its multiple layers—allowing everyone from complete novices to experts to enjoy this dialogue. For many, it’s the first Platonic work encountered, often bundled with the Apology, Crito, and Phaedo as depictions of Socrates’ last days.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 18-page guide (9000+ words) that explores the dialogue deeply

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Preliminary reading questions to help you or your small group track key themes

4. A very detailed outline of the entire dialogue

5. 25 robust questions on the text

If you want to understand Euthyphro, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better introduction than this guide. Also, the guide incorporates insights from Leo Strauss on Plato’s Euthyphro, a tremendous resource (and discussed on the podcast).1 Be sure to check out our entire Ascend library on Plato.

Introductory Letter by Dcn. Garlick

“One cannot settle any Platonic question of any consequence by simply quoting Plato.” Leo Strauss2

Dear Ascend Book Club Member,

The Euthyphro is a beautiful dialogue. It is about piety—a subject alien to our modern imaginations. It is a dialogue that stretches our own presuppositions and challenges us to take seriously the question of the gods and their nature. The most famous aspect of the dialogue is the so-called “Euthyphro dilemma,” which asks whether the gods adhere to an objective standard of piety or whether piety is whatever the gods will. The dilemma, however, is not limited to piety but presents a fundamental contrast between a metaphysical realism and a voluntaristic view. It is a dilemma at the center of many of our cultural debates.

Read more

In this episode of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick and friends bring the study of the Greek plays to an end by discussing key themes in the texts and comparing them to Homer, Hesiod, and others. Themes raised include divinity, eros, fate, justice, and free will. The plays discussed include the Oresteia, Prometheus Bound, the Theban plays, and The Bacchae with a few comments on Aristophanes.

Be sure to check out these Ascend Book Club resources:

• Our entire library of materials on Homer

• Our entire library of materials on the Greek Plays

Read the great books with friends. It will change your life. Ascend is here to help.

A Discussion on Homer and the Greek Plays

The discussion culminates in a reflection on the implications of these themes for understanding Greek literature and philosophy. The conversation explores the themes of fatalism versus determinism, agency in Greek tragedy, the role of the gods, the evolution of justice, the nature of the cosmos, virtue, and the purpose of suffering. The speakers discuss how these themes are interwoven in the works of Homer, highlighting the complexity of human actions, moral order, and the divine influence in Greek thought.

A great end to our studies on the Greek plays.

Good work! You’re now ready to move on to Plato. Be sure to check out our Introduction to Plato, which will prepare you for the historic dialogue students of Platonic philosophy would read first, First Alcibiades. Many good things ahead. Plato is philosophy. To be in dialogue with Plato is to be in dialogue with the entire Western philosophic tradition.

Keep up the good work.

Ascend can help you read the great books.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Big news… we are launching our online book club!

Starting today, “The Ascent” is becoming the Ascend Book Club by partnering with Ascend: The Great Books Podcast to bring you the most comprehensive online book club focused on reading the great books and living a beautiful life.

As a subscriber of this publication, on top of our usual articles, you will now receive a weekly podcast on the great books. Additionally, all paid members will get our in-depth, week-by-week reading guides, essays, and access to our LIVE book club sessions. You’ll also get access to our entire, evergreen library of resources to help you read the great books!

So, instead of just sharing articles on the great books, we are going to help you read them!

Our overall purpose remains the same. We do not read the great books to become well-read relativists. We read them to seek truth. And whether we are reading the Bible or Plato, we know that this pursuit of wisdom is never a sterile exercise but an opportunity to grow in virtue—to have a healthy, beautiful soul. We want to become beautiful as Christ is beautiful.

Since 2023, Ascend has partnered with some of the best scholars from around the country to lead people through life-changing conversations on Homer, Plato, Dante, and more.

And now, beginning October 6, we will be reading the most important work in Western philosophy, together: Plato’s Republic…

What are we reading next?

We are about to begin reading Plato’s Republic. We are doing a slow, attentive read-along, beginning on October 6, 2026 and ending on August 31, 2027 (with a break for Lent to read Dante’s Paradiso).

Why are we doing this?

A close, careful read of the Republic will change your life. It is easily one of the greatest texts in Western Civilization, though many do not read it because it can be difficult to understand. We are breaking it down into 30+ episodes with 20+ scholars to help you understand this life-changing book.

Overall, the Republic uses the image of a city to explore two main questions: what is justice, and is justice more profitable than injustice?

But it is so much more. Along the way, Plato uses the character of Socrates to explore virtue, the soul, immortality, education, metaphysics, democracy, philosopher kings, and much more. It has been said that all of Western philosophy is a footnote to Plato, and if that is true, then reading Plato’s most famous work, the Republic, is worth more than reading 100 other books.

How will the read-along work?

Our paid members will gather once per month for the live book club discussions (hosted by Dcn. Garlick and guest scholars), and we will provide a week-by-week curriculum of resources to guide the read-along. Here’s a sample of our monthly curriculum:

• Week 1 – We’ll post a free podcast introducing the text or discussing an adjacent topic, along with a written guide (paid members only) to help you prep for the next week’s reading, plus a long-form essay on the great books (paid members only).

• Weeks 2-3 – For each week, we’ll post a free podcast on the reading for that week alongside a post on our new community chat (paid members only), so we can discuss the reading together. For each week, we’ll also post one short, free essay and one long-form essay on the great books (paid members only).

• Week 4 – We’ll post a free podcast wrapping up the reading for that month and then host a live Q&A session to discuss the month’s reading with our paid members.

Here are just some of the scholars who will be appearing on the podcast (or the monthly book club sessions) to take us through the Republic between now and Christmas:

For this read-along, we will begin Week 1 with a podcast introducing Plato (September 29), leading into our first podcast on the Republic itself (October 6) during Week 2. Week 2 will focus on Book 1: Intro, Prologue, and Cephalus (327a-331d).

Along the way, we will be discussing everything inside our community chat. Please join us in there—we are studying the great books in dialogue with each other.

We have been working for over a year to plan and structure this read-along, and we are incredibly excited to bring you with us! You can join us by signing up as a member here:

Subscribe now

What other books can I study with Ascend?

As of today, our ENTIRE, evergreen library on the great books is available to our members.

We have 150+ previous podcast episodes and 20+ in-depth reading guides—fantastic for small groups, homeschooling, college prep, or autodidacts—in addition to the 100+ articles already published! The home for all our resources will be here on Substack, but you can also find Ascend on X, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Instagram, and YouTube.

That means you can start reading the great books with Ascend wherever is best for you—you do not have to begin with the Republic if you don’t want to. For each of the texts below, you can access podcast conversations (available to all) and detailed, written guides with introductions, outlines, and questions (paid members only).

Here are all the great books already covered on Ascend that are ready for you to study anytime! Start a small group and start today:

1. Iliad (Homer)

2. Odyssey (Homer)

3. Theogony (Hesiod)

4. Oresteia (Aeschylus)

5. Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus)

6. Antigone (Sophocles)

7. Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

8. Oedipus at Colonus (Sophocles)

9. The Bacchae (Euripides)

10. The Clouds (Aristophanes)

11. The Frogs (Aristophanes) – no guide

12. First Alcibiades (Plato)

13. Euthyphro (Plato)

14. Apology (Plato)

15. Crito (Plato)

16. Phaedo (Plato)

17. Meno (Plato) – no guide

18. Gorgias (Plato)

19. Hipparchus (Plato)

20. Lovers (Plato)

21. Hippias Minor (Plato)

22. Ion (Plato)

23. Republic (Plato) – starting Oct 2026

24. Inferno (Dante)

25. Purgatorio (Dante)

26. Paradiso (Dante) – starting Lent 2027

27. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

We post topical episodes as well, like “Aquinas and Plato with Dr. Donald Prudlo,” book reviews, like “American Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen,” and episodes based on our online essays, like “Rediscovering Holy Eros.”

Why is Ascend different from other book clubs?

First, Ascend approaches the great books with humility. We approach Homer or Plato as the true teachers, and we are the students—their “great books” helped shape Western Civilization, and we must be docile enough to receive their lessons. Only the humble student can learn the perennial wisdom that built Western Civilization.

Second, Ascend covers the great books at a reading pace. The podcast adheres to a slow, attentive schedule that allows you to move from a beginner to someone well-versed in the text. It is not about how many books you’ve read—it is about whether you’ve read the books well. We don’t just tell you a book is great, we show you why.

Third, Ascend reads the great books in chronological order. The authors of the great books are in dialogue with one another, as Plato is in dialogue with Homer, Aristotle is in dialogue with Plato, and so forth. When you read them in order, you join the “great conversation,” and you participate in the intellectual history of the West. You see the authors in context and you receive a clarity many miss.

Ascend offers an intentional, attentive read of the great books in chronological order while making all of the resources to do this evergreen and available. And now we are adding a book club to this wonderful experience!

How does Ascend read the great books?

Ascend reads the great books through the truth of the Incarnation. Greek reason coupled with Hebrew faith under Roman order prepared the world for the coming of Jesus Christ. As St. Paul tells us, Christ came in the “fullness of time” (Gal 4:4). In other words, Ascend holds that Providence used the pre-Christian pagan thinkers, like Homer and Plato, to prepare the world to understand Jesus, the Logos made flesh (John 1:1)—see Do Christians Owe a Debt to Homer and Homer and the Incarnation. The goal is not some cheap Christianizing of the pagan but a deep, thorough engagement with the pagan as it impacted the world prior to Christ. As C.S. Lewis states: “First let us make the younger generation good pagans and afterwards let us make them Christians.” Always remember that grace perfects nature.

In the pursuit of truth, however, Ascend engages with Christians of many sorts—Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Evangelical, etc.—and many non-Christians. Again, we come together with persons of different beliefs and faiths not for the sake of relativistic dialogue, but for a true dialectic seeking wisdom. We should always remember that all truth is God’s truth, because Truth is ultimately a Person.

Let us read the great books together and ascend.

Subscribe now

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are joined by Tsh Oxenreider to discuss The Frogs by Aristophanes. The play tells the comedic story of Dionysus deciding all the new tragic poets are terrible, so he travels to Hades to bring back Euripides to help save Athens from her moral decay. Once in Hades, Dionysus has several adventures, which include hosting a poetry contest between Aeschylus and Euripides to see who is the best tragedian.

For those who do not know Tsh Oxenreider, she is wonderful. She’s an author, blogger, and podcaster. I was on her podcast a while back to discuss acedia and love of eros. Great conversation. And today, we have a high-level, friendly chat about The Frogs and our love of the great books in general.

You can also check out this discussion as a podcast.

Keep up the good work.

In Christ,

Dcn. Harrison Garlick

A Discussion on The Frogs

Keep up the good work! Up next on the docket, we have a roundtable on all of the Greek plays we’ve covered and then we move into Plato (see Introduction to Plato). Lots of good things ahead.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.