
released 1/14/2025
In this November 2024 lecture, D. C. Schindler reflects on Plato’s idea of “conversion” in education, assuming the symbol of the heart as the proper center of man. He explains how the heart is the seat of perception and of the passions, but how it is also the place where we encounter what is other than ourselves. When a person experiences a transformative experience in education, the heart is the center that is turned. This has implications for pedagogy, notably the importance of ritual (form), of the imagination, of memory, and of the presence of the teacher. Schindler concludes by encouraging educators to nurture the conditions for students to experience conversion, an experience he describes as a “soul-shaking discovery” of what is real and given. This task is especially urgent in a culture like ours that attempts to reduce reality to an option.
This lecture is provided courtesy of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute. A video of this lecture is available here.
39 minutes
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