As Aristotle informs us, the beginning is often more than half of the whole (Nicomachean Ethics, 1.7). So here at the Gymnasium, we want to start strong as we begin a new year.
First, a heads up regarding our regular weekly reading-notes email: we will finish out Aristophanes’s Clouds, before moving on to Plato’s Apology of Socrates and the first four books of the Republic. In the lead up to the Republic, we will be adding some word exercises to our regimen. These will consist of a list of all the instances of a select term (e.g., gennaios) within the dialogue including the relevant textual context. The intention of these exercises is to give you the opportunity to think through how Plato is using an important term within the dialogue. (Note, this exercise could easily be expanded across the dialogues.) For instance, the philosopher may be seeking to highlight perennial problems or to show the multifaceted nature of phenomena. Such exercises are particularly helpful for those of us who do not read Ancient Greek, as they allow us access to the breadth of important Greek terms (and their cognates) that may be translated inconsistently in a dialogue. Once a month, we will provide the list to all subscribers; later in the month, however, paying subscribers will also receive our take on Plato’s usage of that month’s word.
Second, we launch the “Fathers and Sons Reading Together” program, whereby we will provide a carefully curated list of poetic, literary, historical, religious, and philosophical texts intended to be read by fathers in concert with their sons. The goal is to assist fathers and sons in their joint study of the good life. Once a month, we will provide a title of a text along with a handful of reading questions to guide one’s encounter with the work. Later in the month, we will also provide our brief takeaways. Because of the importance of good men to the cause of civilization, these will be open to all subscribers, so please consider sharing a link to the Gymnasium with (or forwarding this email to) anyone you think would benefit from these resources.