The Problem of Labor and Leisure

07/27/11 • 102 min

I've always thought leisure to be a cross between rest and play. . .but as you'll hear from Dr. Mortimer Adler today, leisure is quite distinct from both rest and play in many ways. He begins by distinguishing leisure from the others and then continues on to discuss the problems of labor in an industrial society, primarily that increased production becomes the sole purpose of labor rather than the pursuit of true leisure. He then explains how the emphasis on production is at the expense of not only leisurely activity, but also a truly liberal education for all. His talk concludes with remarks on the loss of liberal education and the uses for it. Just what does a liberal education consist of? Well, as Adler points out, one would need many books to get at the answer, but in the next episode of the Next Step, I will be featuring a presentation I composed which introduces the modern 21st Century audience to the potential of liberal education for today's world. Email comments, complaints, and secret passwords for the club to: [email protected] Music: Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime Same as it ever was.

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Shamanic Transitions

This episode I am joined by Transition Town US member, Dana Lundin, and we discuss shamanism and other things Transition related. Dana's website: http://www.ancientenergetics.com Songs: Rockabye Lullabye version of Radiohead's "There There" & The Rolling Stones "Shine A Light" Email the show: [email protected]

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How To Read A Book (An Intro to Liberal Learning) v1.1

***First Year Teacher Edition*** Here is the first of two parts of my presentation on "liberal learning" or what has more recently come to be known as "the lost tools of learning" or, the Trivium Method. The first three of the seven liberal arts, the Trivium, focus on the use of language and thought- the world of the mind. Since these methods are products of the rational abilities of the human mind, this type of education is quite universal, although it's image has been tarnished for many, many centuries. Only in the past few decades has the Trivium emerged as a viable educational model once again. While not a complete education in and of itself, it empowers the student to pursue the full capabilities of the mind, giving a comprehensive method, a time-tested suite of subjects, and numerous intellectual skills which will benefit them throughout their adult life. Instead of teaching you "what" to think, the Trivium method teaches you "how" to think. This is a way to increase your intelligence. Part 1 covers the introductory information on the Trivium Subjects and Method, while Part 2 covers the Trivium Skills. Send feedback to: [email protected] ***Show Notes*** Center For The Study Of The Great Ideas: http://www.thegreatideas.org/ "Philosophy is everybody's business." Gnostic Media Podcast w. Jan Irvin: http://www.gnosticmedia.com/category/gnosticpodcast/ Richard Grove's podcast and networking site: http://peacerevolution.podomatic.com/ http://tragedyandhope.ning.com/ The Trivium Binder: http://triviumbinder.blogspot.com/