
Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with th... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 116 | Founded | 2 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | ArtsSelf-ImprovementBooksEducation | |||

In this episode of the Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick engages in a profound discussion with Dr. Thomas Ward from Baylor University about Plato's influence on St. Boethius.
The conversation begins with an exploration of Boe... more
How did Plato influence St. Augustine? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Chad Pecknold of the Catholic University of America discuss Plato's influence on St. Augustine.
Check out our account on X for daily posti... more
Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, host Dcn. Harrison Garlick, along with guests Alec Bianco and Sean Berube, explore St. Basil the Great’s letter To Young Men, on the Right Use of Greek Literature, passionately arguing that Christians—especia... more
Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast concludes their Christmas reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with Fitt 4, exploring Gawain’s restored armor, journey to the eerie Green Chapel, the three axe swings, Bertilak’s revelations, Morgan le ... more
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I desired to begin my journey through Homer's Iliad and Odyssey but I didn't know where to go. I stumbled across this podcast and I am so grateful I did. I'm only a few episodes in and I find this podcast so insightful. They make The Iliad approachable while still digging into deep themes and history.
This podcast made ancient texts unexpectedly addictive. Now I understand why they been read for hundreds of years.
The only reason this doesn’t go any lower is because i love the idea of this podcast and want to support at all cost
But Adam is atrocious and hard to suffer through, in order to get Deacon’s insight & discussion points
This is such a fantastic podcast! It has been a please to journey through The Iliad with Harrison and Adam. Both hosts provide a wealth of insight
Decided to mix some of the great books into my reading list last year and knew it would be beneficial to do so with a podcast to guide me. So glad I found this one! The hosts are a great example of the intellectual revival we should be having thanks to the internet and podcasting. I was pleasantly surprised that they’re involved Catholics as well.
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Conversations focus on navigating the timeless wisdom found within the Great Books that have profoundly impacted Western civilization, ranging from ancient texts like Homer's epics and Plato's dialogues to modern philosophical treatises. Emphasizing the connection to the Catholic intellectual tradition, discussions explore the significance of these texts in understanding contemporary thought and moral frameworks. Unique to this series is its aim to make classic literature accessible to first-time readers by examining texts in a patient, chronological manner while providing additional resources, such as discussion guides, to enhance understanding and engagement. Listeners are invited into a broad intellectual community where critical themes ... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Ascend:
1. The Thomistic Institute
2. First Things Podcast
3. Godsplaining
4. Pints With Aquinas
5. The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Ascend launched 2 years ago and published 116 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Ascend include:
1. Sean Berube
2. Dr. Tiffany Schubert
3. Dr. Justin Jackson
4. Banished Kent
5. Dr. Brett Larson
6. Dr. Brian Kemple
7. Dr. Matthew Bianco
8. Johnathan Bi
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