“Our distaste for courage is born of sentimentalism, the belief that it is never right to ask or force others to endure emotional discomfort. Given that the Lord teaches ‘no discipline is pleasant,’ and Solomon teaches ‘with much knowledge comes much sorrow,’ sentimentalists and honest educators are necessarily on a collision course.” -from my latestContinue reading “Teaching Courage In A Sentimental Age”
Author Archives: Joshua Gibbs
A Classical Education Requires Humility, Not Brilliance
“A classical education is a place for remedy, medicine, balm, ointment, and healing. It is a confessional booth. If a classical school is a place for therapy, then it is a place for learning to walk again after a car crash, not a place for a psychiatrist’s couch. It is a place for people whoContinue reading “A Classical Education Requires Humility, Not Brilliance”
Summer 2021: On The Road
This summer, we will drive more than 6000 miles and see many national parks and old friends. This is the official trip playlist, which I have made collaborative for anyone who wants to listen, discern the mood, and add a few song to help out the family.
Yet Another Reason Grades Will Soon Die
The headline says it all, but feel free to read the whole story.
It Is The Responsibility Of Every Classical Christian Educator
It is the responsibility of every reasonable, courageous classical Christian educator to ensure that classical Christian schools do not simply become “Montessori schools for Republicans,” as a friend recently put it.
Love What Lasts: Wine
This often happens: a taste or two into a $15 bottle of red, I think, “This is so good, I should go back and buy a case.” And yet, halfway through the second glass, I think, “This is actually a bit too sweet to be all that interesting.” It is easy to confuse sweetness, whichContinue reading “Love What Lasts: Wine”
Only Man Can Be Healed
“Of all sentient beings, humans are unique in this: once spiritually broken, they can be repaired. Like angels, man may fall. Like animals, man may die. But unlike angels and animals, between the falling and the dying, a human being may be restored to God. A classical education is the education that naturally follows fromContinue reading “Only Man Can Be Healed”
On The Basis
I bought this one on the basis of hot recommendations from Sofia Coppola and Nick Hornby (both of whom I trust pretty far) and found it so good, I had to pace myself to make it last. I liked it so much, in fact, that I really didn’t care how badly it ended (I amContinue reading “On The Basis”
I’m On A Roll This Time
I’m On A Roll This Time, the latest episode of Proverbial, begins a run of shows devoted to the sayings of Boethius. First up: “Bad fortune is of more use to men than good fortune.”
Free Webinar: Reconciling Beauty and Progress
On June 9, at 8:00pm EST, I am delivering “Reconciling Beauty and Progress,” a free webinar for newsletter subscribers to GibbsClassical.com. Beauty is rightly understood as an overflow, a surplus, and a gratuity. Beauty contributes nothing to our survival. Beauty is luxury and privilege. On the other hand, progress is now a cultural pursuit typically associatedContinue reading “Free Webinar: Reconciling Beauty and Progress”
There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. 