Author Archives: Dr. J

About Dr. J

I am Professor of Humanities at Faulkner University, where I chair the Department of Humanities and direct online M.A. and Ph.D. programs based on the Great Books of Western Civilization. I am also Associate Editor of the Journal of Faith and the Academy and a member of the faculty at Liberty Classroom.

Rome Falls

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Dr. J

[N.B. This post was originally made about ten months ago at my Western Tradition website. Apologies for the long delay in cross-posting here.] I am making good on my promise to resume the Great Books Project posts. True, I’m doing … Continue reading →

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Our Troubles May Be Over

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Dr. J

Yes, yes, I know it has been forever since my last post here, but I’m happy to say my troubles with GBWW portability that have prevented me keeping up with the Great Books Project over the last year or two may … Continue reading →

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Plato Channels Nigel Tufnel

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Dr. J

Great Books Project posts in consecutive weeks? That hasn’t happened in a while! Let’s get right to it. Here are the readings for the coming week: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Book II, Chapters 1-10 (GBWW Vol. 51, pp. … Continue reading →

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Don’t Trust Anyone Under Fifty

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Dr. J

My high hopes for summer reading were disappointed as I took on new job responsibilities and my family went through a move (and is actually still going through it—we have been between houses for more than a month). I lost … Continue reading →

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Angels Weren’t Created Happy

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Dr. J

We are down in the weeds in the midst of six lengthy works this week in the Great Books Project and will be for some time. Fortunately, my enthusiasm for recently resuming the project should keep me from getting bogged … Continue reading →

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Riding to Heaven on a Dung Beetle

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Dr. J

It feels great to be able to make another one of these Great Books Project posts after so long a hiatus. To let you all know how serious I am about getting back into this routine, this week we’re pulling … Continue reading →

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You Are Not a Trojan Woman. Count Your Blessings.

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Dr. J

It’s a new year, we’re passing the 4,500-page mark in the Great Books Project’s Science and Mathematics category, and I am already a week behind! Let’s get right to it. Here are the readings for the coming week: Peace by … Continue reading →

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“I Would My Horse Had the Speed of Your Tongue.”

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Dr. J

This week in the Great Books Project we finish off the last of the John Milton volume and start Thomas Aquinas’s treatise on angels. We’ll also read about the Visigoths’ sack of Rome if my guess is right. All this … Continue reading →

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Back to Cloud Cuckoo Land

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Dr. J

Another month has been lost as a result of my extensive travels, but I continue pressing forward with the Great Books Project. The next round of readings includes a Shakespeare favorite, so there is no excuse to stop now! Here … Continue reading →

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Many a True Word Hath Been Spoken in Jest

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Dr. J

I’ve been putting off for some time, but the time has finally come to dig into Plato’s Laws. It will be a heavy week with that, Aquinas, and James, but Aristophanes will lighten things up a bit. Here are the … Continue reading →

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