Our mission is to assist parents in the intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual formation of their sons…

At The Heights, we repeat these words often, including a paraphrase at the beginning of every HeightsCast episode. But what constitutes intellectual formation? What does educating the intellect look like? Co-founder of the Hillbilly Thomists and Rector Magnificus at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, Fr. Thomas Joseph White, joins us for a deep-dive into the rich Catholic understanding of intellectus, habitus, ratio, and what it means to "form" these God-given faculties.

Chapters:

1:35 Intellectus: to read into reality

7:41 Modern challenges to intellectus

13:35 Habitus: a stable disposition towards excellence

17:59 Modern challenges to habitus

21:22 Ratio vs. intellectus

27:07 Intuitive "sight" as a function of intellect

32:27 Developing clear "sight" in the young

34:35 Forming the heart alongside intellect

38:47 Whether the heart and intellect fully integrate

44:01 Beauty reveals the life of the mind to itself

Links:

The Hillbilly Thomists, co-founded by Fr. Thomas Joseph White

Contemplation and the Cross: A Catholic Introduction to the Spiritual Life by Fr. Thomas Joseph White

Wisdom in the Face of Modernity by Fr. Thomas Joseph White

Full catalog of books by Fr. Thomas Joseph White

The Regensburg Address by Pope Benedict XVI

Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education by Stratford Caldecott

Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper

Also on the Forum:

Why Beauty Matters: The Postmodern Pressure on Our Interior Life featuring Dr. Jason Baxter

Teaching Sovereign Knowers, essay series by Michael Moynihan

"Fact or Opinion?": Roots of Relativism in an Ethical Dilemma by Michael Moynihan

Featured Opportunities:

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