Plato is philosophy. To paraphrase a famous saying, all of Western philosophy is simply a footnote to Plato. If you’re well-read in Plato, you’ll be able to read most anything. As such, we are kicking off with a roundtable of friends—a lawyer, two PhDs, and an independent scholar—to discuss some important preliminaries before reading Plato.
Here are the questions we take up in the video:
Who was Plato?
Why should we read Plato?
Why should Christians read Plato?
How should we read Plato?
What Plato will we be reading?
We’ll also have a brief opening chat on the great books in general and why they are worth reading—which is at the heart of our mission here at Ascend. We’ll end by mapping out our reading list on Plato, which includes some of the best university professors and online voices you can find.
Join our reading group and study the great books with us!
To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:
Live book club discussions / Q&A with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars
In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books
Access to our incredible community of readers
The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)
Introduction to Plato with Friends
Join Dcn. Harrison Garlick, Mr. Thomas Lackey, Dr. Brett Larson, and Dr. Frank Grabowski for a wonderful introductory roundtable on the great books and Plato.
Here are some other related materials:
Plato is worth your time, and the Ascend Book Club has everything you need to understand him well.
Good work! Continue your studies of Plato by reading First Alcibiades next with Ascend. We have several excellent resources to guide you through what was the historic, classic first dialogue of students of Plato.
Read Plato and ascend!
Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.