Sight & Insight
Seeing and knowing in literature, philosophy, and geometry
June 25–July 1, 2023 | Annapolis, MD
We say “I see,” when we mean, “I know, I understand.” How much is knowing like seeing? What can we know merely by looking? What does it mean to have true insight beyond the visible world? And what do the wise fail to see even when they try their utmost? We will explore these questions reading from works such as Sophocles’ Oedipus, Plato’s Republic, and poems by Wallace Stevens, Emily Dickinson, and Elizabeth Bishop. Finally, we will look at elementary theorems in geometry to consider the interplay of thought and sight.
Classes and Readings
Coming Soon
Summer Academy Sessions
July 23–29, 2023
Art & Nature: Intersection of Imagination and Ingenuity
At the St. John’s College Summer Academy, the community formed among students is a natural extension of the friendships and ideas formed in the classroom. To this end, Summer Academy students experience life at St. John’s by taking lessons in croquet, swing dancing, sailing, and choral singing. Students’ conversations about justice, nature, and law will continue as they are taken on a tour of the Maryland State House and attend a performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest by the Annapolis Shakespeare Company.