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Handmade Humanity

Handmade Humanity

By Austin Hoffman

"A classic is something everybody wants to have read, but no one wants to read." Good things are not hard to find, but they are hard to like. In a world in which almost everything else fades, some good things last, but they are an acquired taste. The Handmade Humanity podcast helps develop your appetite for good things that have stood the test of time. Join Austin and Max as they explore the riches of the classical tradition and bring ancient ideas to the modern era. It can be difficult to begin, but no one regrets learning to love what lasts.
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Ep. 10: Boy of Tears

Handmade HumanityApr 05, 2021

00:00
41:47
Ep 15: Law and Order

Ep 15: Law and Order

What does Moses have to do with America? While many are concerned about theocracy or theonomy, our culture is rejecting many of the judicial principles inherited from the Christian tradition. While we need not rigidly apply the Mosaic law to our contemporary society, it expresses many principles of justice which we lose to our peril. We have to thank Moses for many of the freedoms and benefits of our legal tradition, and ought to recover the sound application of justice in our country today. 

May 10, 202141:01
Ep 14: Education vs. Training

Ep 14: Education vs. Training

In this episode, Austin Hoffman explains the difference between education and training. Too often our modern educational establishment mistakes training for education depriving students of essential life knowledge and skills. Have you been educated or have you been trained?

May 03, 202123:06
Ep 13: It Killed the Ancient Romans
Apr 26, 202155:56
Ep. 12: The Fault is in our Stars
Apr 19, 202156:16
Ep 11: Rhetoric for Dummies

Ep 11: Rhetoric for Dummies

In this episode, Austin and Max discuss The Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle's handbook on speaking. Rhetoric is something that everyone uses whether they know it or not. Some use it well and some use it poorly, but everybody uses rhetoric. Allow Aristotle's teaching to help you use rhetoric both offensively and defensively as you deliberate about what is expedient, judge what is just, and praise what is good.
Resources:
Raphael, The School of Athens
Aristotle, The Art of Rhetoric
Apr 12, 202150:41
Ep. 10: Boy of Tears
Apr 05, 202141:47
Ep. 09: The Soul of Prayer

Ep. 09: The Soul of Prayer

In this episode, Austin and Max discuss Simone Weil's essay, "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God." Weil contends that the most valuable lesson school teaches is attention, the soul of prayer. "The quality of the attention counts for much in the quality of the prayer."
Update: I made a mistake in editing the audio for this episode causing our voices to be mistimed. The issue should be fixed now if you re-download. Sorry! March 31, 2021
Resources:
Simone Weil's "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God."
Mar 31, 202150:12
Ep. 08 - Anacyclosis and the Decline of a Regime

Ep. 08 - Anacyclosis and the Decline of a Regime

“The particular aspect of history which both attracts and benefits its readers is the examination of causes and the capacity, which is the reward of this study, to decide in each case the best policy to follow. Now in all political situations we must understand that the principle factor which makes for success or failure is the form of a state’s constitution: it is form this source, as if from a fountainhead, that all designs and plans of action ot only originate but reach their fulfillment.”
Roman historian Polybius contended that Rome survived her battles with the Carthaginian empire because Rome possessed a form of government that encouraged public and private virtue. Rome's constitution was mixed, combining the best elements of each regime--monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. This creates stability and allows a nation to escape anacyclosis or the cycle of regimes. Without a mixed constitution, the government will endlessly revolve to the different forms of regime and cannot survive.
In this episode of Handmade Humanity, Austin Hoffman takes Polybius's teaching on the Punic Wars and the Roman constitution and applies it to the current political climate in America. We should all heed this insight of the political philosophers because every human society has a form of government. By recognizing the seeds of destruction inherent in each form of governance, we can best prepare for the future and avoid evils.
Sources:
Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire Penguin Edition
Mar 22, 202142:33
Ep. 07 -- What is Justice?
Mar 15, 202137:31
Ep. 6 -- Outboard Brain: The Commonplace Book
Mar 08, 202140:37
Ep. 5 -- The Medieval Cosmos and The Chronicles of Narnia
Mar 01, 202147:39
Ep. 4 -- The Liberal Arts in the Classroom
Feb 22, 202153:57
Ep. 3 -- The Consolation of Philosophy
Feb 15, 202140:25
Ep. 2 -- What is Classical Education?
Feb 10, 202139:14
Ep. 1 - Henry V

Ep. 1 - Henry V

A brief overview of Shakespeare's Henry V with emphasis on questions and lines of discussion to pursue with students.
Feb 02, 202134:57
Ep. 0.5 -- Handmade Humanity

Ep. 0.5 -- Handmade Humanity

The introductory episode to the show. Why is education inherently risky, requiring the skill, dexterity, and care of the teacher? Who is this show for? What is its purpose? 



Jan 26, 202107:56