A Year of Classics, 2023–24
Theme: Freedom and Bondage
Do all human beings by nature desire freedom and abhor bondage? Would you risk your life for freedom or would you suffer bondage to avoid death? Is liberty a natural right for all? Do other goals, such as peace, security, commodious living, require us to sacrifice or set limits to that right? Is freedom of the soul possible in the absence of political and religious liberty? Why does human bondage persist in a world which seems to have condemned it? We will discuss nine readings to explore together the meaning, cost, limits, and possibilities of human freedom.
About A Year of Classics
St. John’s seminars offer nine profound, rich, and resonant readings taken from the core of the college’s distinctive curriculum. The 2023-24 gathering of readings asks challenging questions. In the community of a discussion-based classroom, we study these texts and confront their questions together. We offer a once-a-month experience in the life of the mind, a true source of reward for the busy executive, stimulation for the artist, engagement for a parent, and all of these for those who are at work building our world on strong foundations.