Developing Classical Thinkers

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army into Ukraine. Since then, the Ukrainian people have been engaged in a struggle to defend their territorial integrity and very status as a nation in the midst of this Russian attack. How should we understand such geopolitical events? What are we to make of the events in Ukraine? How do these events fit in with the longstanding foreign policy goals of the Russian Federation, and how much of these events derive from the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin?

In today’s episode, host Winston Brady interviews Dr. Richard Vedder to talk about these issues. In 2000, Dr. Vedder was invited as part of a special delegation of free-market economists to provide advice to recently-appointed President Putin on the issues of taxation, private property rights, and other reforms in line with free-market economics.

In the show, Dr. Vedder talks about his personal experiences traveling through Russia, meeting President Vladimir Putin, and providing economic advice to various high-ranking officials of the Russian government.

What is the purpose of higher education? What should students expect out of their college experience, and what should students do to get the most out of the four years they may spend on a college campus? Is college for everyone? And what other alternatives are out there for students who don't want to go the route of the traditional, four-year undergraduate program?

In this webinar, Dr. Jenna Robinson will examine the purpose of higher education, that of character formation through study and fellowship, as well as a survey of the challenges in the higher education landscape awaiting students.

Jenna Robinson is the President of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a Raleigh-based nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education in North Carolina and the nation. Dr. Robinson received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has written for numerous academic and popular publications.

This webinar was streamed on May 19, 2022.

Find out more about the James G. Martin Center at their website: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/

Thales Academy Pittsboro recently moved into its new building in Chatham Park, North Carolina. In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with administrator Johanna Murphy about the founding of this new campus and what makes Thales Pittsboro so unique. Go Pumas!

Classical education is uniquely suited to teach social studies, political theory, and economics. classical education emphasizes reading primary source documents so that students see important founding documents like the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution as the culmination of a longstanding intellectual and philosophical tradition spanning thousands of years.

Check out our Thales Press YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram for more information and content like this.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-5t4R8RSLX9A-CWJC9wDQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thalespress/

On today’s episode, host Winston Brady speaks with Richard Vedder about the study of economics, the value of hard work and entrepreneurship, and why the study of free market markets is more valuable now than ever.

Richard Vedder is the Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University. He has written for both scholarly journals and popular publications such as The Wall Street Journal. Vedder also has administered the "Best College Rankings" for Forbes magazine. He has been a long time supporter of Thales Academy, having spoken at some of our Luddy Debate tournaments on the value of economics, and delivered a lecture at Thales Academy Rolesville entitled, “American Greatness and Preparing for the Future.”

Check out more information about Thales and Thales Press here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-5t4R8RSLX9A-CWJC9wDQ

Classical education aims to cultivate students of excellence through the contemplation of what is true, good, and beautiful. This is a lofty goal, so how does this come about in practice during a school day? How can teachers create the conditions needed for their students to understand a difficult concept, recognize the beauty in a biology lesson, or unravel the intricacies of a sonnet?

In this episode, Winston Brady, Josh Herring, and Matt Ogle talk about best teaching practices for the classical teacher and how to teach with such noble goals in mind.

On today’s episode, host Winston Brady interviews George Leef, the author of "The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale." On the show, they discuss the idea of classical liberalism, the works of Adam Smith and Alexis de Tocqueville, and how these authors and the tradition of classical liberalism shaped Mr. Leef’s "The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale," a work of satire and a “political fable for our time” available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

George Leef is the director of editorial content at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He holds a JD from the Duke University School of Law; has previously served as the Vice President of the John Locke Foundation; and has written for numerous popular and academic publications such as Forbes Magazine and the American Institute for Economic Research.

Check out The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Jennifer-Van-Arsdale-Political/dp/1637583567/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27VL1Q77CPQBP&keywords=awakening+of+jennifer+van+arsdale&qid=1649963336&sprefix=awkwaening+of+jennifer+van+arsdale+%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1 and on Barnes & Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-awakening-of-jennifer-van-arsdale-george-c-leef/1141110704?ean=9781637583562

In today’s episode, Will Begley and Chelsea Wagenaar discuss the value of memorizing poetry and prose and strategies for students to build up their ability to memorize.

Will Begley teaches high school Latin and Senior Seminar at Thales Academy Rolesville. He holds a Ph.D. in Medieval and Classical Latin from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chelsea Wagenaar joined the Thales faculty in 2022, and she teaches trivium and medieval literature. She holds a Ph.D. in literature from the University of North Texas. She is a published and much-acclaimed poet, having won the 2013 Philip Levine Prize and the 2018 Michael Waters Poetry Prize for her poetry, poems we are sure one-day many school children will memorize.

The reading and discussion of the very best books have long held a unique place in a Classical curriculum. We human beings make sense of the world through meaningful works of literature because such books provide us with the tools by which we may remind ourselves of what is true, good, and beautiful.


In this webinar, Josh Herring and Winston Brady will present an overview of the role that literature plays in classical education, how the Classical approach is better for students than modern methods of teaching and reading works of literature, and an overview of the Junior High and High School Literature program.

This webinar was delivered on April 8 at 3 pm. Check out our YouTube channel here for more information: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-5t4R8RSLX9A-CWJC9wDQ/videos

The world we live in is a beautiful place, and the science classroom should point students towards a deeper appreciation for the beauty, order, and harmony we see in the natural world. Mr. Ogle will explain the pedagogical means by which the sciences, taught Classically, can help students cultivate both academic rigor and intellectual curiosity about the world in which we live.

This webinar was delivered on April 7. For more information, check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-5t4R8RSLX9A-CWJC9wDQ/videos