In this rich conversation, Tymarcus and Dr. Claudia MacMillian explore how our contemporary educational and cultural frameworks—especially the “myth of fact”—shape our abilities to imagine, love, think, and live well. Dr. MacMillian traces the idea back to the work of Donald Cowan and Louise Cowan, showing how modernity’s emphasis on extracting isolated “facts” from context has left many of us brittle, shallow in our sensibilities, and under‑equipped to embrace mystery, beauty, narrative, poetry, and the fullness of human experience. Ultimately, the episode argues for a return to formation over mere performance—cultivating souls able to engage with the world deeply, compassionately, and imaginatively.

Key Takeaways

1. Fact isn’t truth — Modern culture wrongly treats isolated facts as ultimate truth.
2. Context matters — Truth must be understood in its full, lived context.
3. Imagination is essential — The poetic imagination shapes how we see, love, and live.
4. Formation over performance — Education should form souls, not just train skills.
5. Read whole works — Novels, poetry, and scripture cultivate depth and empathy.
6. Mystery is good — We must embrace mystery, not reduce everything to certainty.
7. People are complex — Literature reminds us no one is all good or all bad.
8. Scripture is story & song — Most of the Bible is narrative and poetry, not bullet points.
9. Technology isn’t the problem — How we form humans in the face of AI is the real issue.
10. Live with depth — True discipleship means growing in imagination, humility, and love.

Mentioned Resources

• https://www.macmillaninstitute.org/
• Donald and Luise Cowan Center

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