One philosopher of our time claims that "today, the experience of beauty is impossible."

Dr. Jason Baxter, director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College, begs to differ. Dr. Baxter joins us on HeightsCast to unpack his latest book, Why Literature Still Matters, which looks at why such a claim might feel true in our digital age. Then, he talks us through why and how we should reclaim our experiences of beauty for the health of our soul.

Chapters:

00:03:34 The experience of beauty 00:08:44 Byung-Chul Han: the possibility of beauty today 00:15:41 Marc Auge: still living in the Enlightenment experiment 00:20:46 The soul is not a machine 00:24:57 Our task as parents, educators 00:35:05 Likes and emojis: the simplification of our interior life 00:49:23 A near-death experience in Sardinia 00:56:24 Beauty and mental health 00:57:40 Franny and Zooey: interiority matters 01:03:41 Recommended reading

Links:

Why Literature Still Matters by Jason Baxter

Help! Where do I go from here? Part I: Poetry by Jason Baxter

Beauty Matters, Substack for Jason Baxter

jasonmbaxter.com featuring articles and lectures

Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College

Saving Beauty by Byung-Chul Han

Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity by Marc Auge

The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

A Letter to Our Daughter by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan

"A Prayer for My Daughter" by W. B. Yeats

Recommended reading:

"Burnt Norton" from Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot

Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger

"A Hill" by Anthony Hecht

"Advice to a Prophet" by Richard Wilbur

The Loss of the Creature by Walker Percy

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Also on the Forum:

Breathing Narnian Air: Loving Modernity as a Medievalist featuring Dr. Jason Baxter

Receiving Beauty: A Liberal Arts Education featuring Dr. George Harne

Order and Surprise: On Beauty and the Western Tradition featuring Dr. Lionel Yaceczko

Featured Opportunities:

Mustard Seed Communities

The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)