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Explore the Mystery College Podcast’s deep dive with Timothy Kenny, a thought leader in encyclopedic learning, polymathic thinking, and the cultivation of intellectual capital. In this episode, we discuss how to build an “interstate system” of knowledge, the lost art of being a Renaissance man, and why interdisciplinary, independent, and eclectic approaches are essential for navigating today’s information landscape. Timothy shares frameworks for developing judgment, leadership, and meta-systems for learning—empowering listeners to become true independent thinkers and cultivate the highest degree of intellect in an age of specialization and information overload.

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Update Quick update: The below was generated via Claude Opus 4:

Correction: I think I incorrectly said that St. Augustine (of Hippo) was the author of Summa Theologica. But it's actually St. Thomas Aquinas.

Appendix 1:

The Summa Theologica (1265-1274) is Thomas Aquinas's monumental systematic exposition of Christian theology, structured in a distinctive question-and-answer format where each article poses a question, presents objections, offers a contrary view ("On the contrary..."), provides Aquinas's answer ("I answer that..."), and then replies to each objection. The work is divided into three main parts: Prima Pars (on God, creation, and angels), Secunda Pars (on human nature, ethics, law, and virtue—itself divided into two sections), and Tertia Pars (on Christ and the sacraments, left unfinished at Aquinas's death). Throughout, Aquinas synthesizes Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine, using reason to explore and defend faith, addressing topics from proofs for God's existence (the famous "Five Ways") to the nature of the soul, free will, natural law, the virtues, and the incarnation. The work became the cornerstone of Catholic philosophical and theological education, representing the height of scholastic thought in its systematic attempt to reconcile faith and reason.

Confessions (c. 397-400 AD) An autobiographical work written as a prayer to God, chronicling Augustine's spiritual journey from his sinful youth to his conversion to Christianity at age 31. The book explores themes of memory, time, and the human search for God. Augustine famously reflects on his rebellious adolescence (including the theft of pears), his involvement with Manichaeism, and his struggles with sexual desire. The later books shift from autobiography to philosophical meditation on creation, time, and the nature of God. His famous line "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you" captures the work's central theme.

The City of God (c. 413-426 AD) Written in response to the sack of Rome in 410 AD, this massive 22-book work defends Christianity against pagan accusations that abandoning the old gods caused Rome's fall. Augustine contrasts two symbolic cities: the earthly city (driven by self-love and pride) and the heavenly city of God (driven by love of God). He provides a Christian interpretation of history, argues against pagan philosophy and religion, and develops influential ideas about just war, the nature of peace, and the relationship between church and state. The work profoundly shaped medieval political thought and Christian philosophy of history.

Appendix 2:

St. Augustine (354-430 AD) Born in Thagaste, North Africa (modern Algeria), to a pagan father and Christian mother (St. Monica), Augustine spent his youth pursuing worldly pleasures and academic success, becoming a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, Rome, and Milan. After exploring Manichaeism and Neoplatonism, he converted to Christianity in 386 following a spiritual crisis in a Milan garden where he heard a child's voice saying "take up and read," leading him to randomly open Scripture to Romans 13:13-14. He was baptized by St. Ambrose, returned to Africa, and became Bishop of Hippo in 395, where he spent the rest of his life writing prolifically (over 100 works), preaching, and defending orthodox Christianity against various heresies. His writings on grace, free will, original sin, and the nature of the Church profoundly shaped Western Christianity and philosophy, making him arguably the most influential Christian thinker after St. Paul.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Born to a noble family near Aquino, Italy, Thomas shocked his relatives by joining the new Dominican order instead of the prestigious Benedictines, prompting his family to kidnap and imprison him for a year (during which he memorized Scripture and studied Aristotle). After his release, he studied under Albert the Great in Paris and Cologne, earning the nickname "Dumb Ox" for his quiet demeanor and large size, though Albert predicted "this ox will bellow so loud his bellowing will fill the world." He taught at the University of Paris and various Dominican schools, dedicating his life to reconciling Aristotelian philosophy with Christian faith through rigorous logical analysis. Despite producing an enormous body of work including biblical commentaries, disputed questions, and the monumental Summa Theologica, he experienced a mystical vision in 1273 that made him declare all his writings "seem like straw," and he wrote no more before dying four months later while traveling to the Council of Lyon.