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Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

by Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan
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Latest episodes

  • How Plato Shaped Christianity with Dr. Louis Markos

    October 27, 2026 · 1 hr 48 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Mr. Thomas Lackey sit down with Dr. Louis Markos—author of From Plato to Christ—for a lively, wide-ranging conversation on how Platonic thought prepared the world for…

  • Republic Book One: Thrasymachus with Dr. Gregory McBrayer (336a-354c)

    October 20, 2026 · 2 hr 4 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and guest Dr. Gregory McBrayer dive into the fiery third part of Book One of Plato’s Republic: the showdown between Socrates and the sophist Thrasymachus. Thrasymachus…

  • Republic Book One: Polemarchus (331e-336a)

    October 13, 2026 · 1 hr 33 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we continue our slow, beautiful pilgrimage through Plato’s Republic. Last week Dr. Alex Priou walked us through the opening and the dialogue with Cephalus. This week we focus on Polemarchus…

  • Republic Book One: Intro, Prologue & Cephalus with Dr. Alex Priou (327a-331d)

    October 6, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we start our slow, beautiful pilgrimage through arguably the most important book in Western philosophy: Plato’s Republic. It is about justice and whether justice is more profitable to the soul than…

  • How to Read Plato

    September 29, 2026 · 60 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are preparing to read Plato’s Republic (we start next week!). Before turning to that long and demanding text, we ask a simple question: how do you read Plato well? Plato does not write treatises…

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  • Bartleby, the Scrivener by Melville

    September 22, 2026 · 1 hr 30 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we end Short Story September with “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Melville - a seemingly simple tale about men in a law office that becomes a puzzling, existential tale. Dcn…

  • NEW BOOK CLUB and Neil Gaiman’s “Chivalry” with H.E. Eduard Habsburg

    September 15, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min

    We have BIG NEWS! We have launched the new Ascend Book Club! Ascend: The Great Books Podcast has partnered with “The Ascent” here on Substack to transform it into the new Ascend Book Club to offer you the most comprehensive online book…

  • Red Shadows: A Savage Tale of Solomon Kane with Alberto Fernandez

    September 8, 2026 · 59 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick is joined by the always wonderful Alberto Fernandez to discuss "Red Shadows," a salvage tale of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard. Check out our website for our reading schedule…

  • Enduring Chill by Flannery O'Connor with Dr. Joseph Boyne

    September 1, 2026 · 1 hr 40 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick is joined by Dr. Joseph Boyne to discuss Flannery O'Connor's "Enduring Chill" as part of Short Story September. Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule, articles, and…

  • Plato's Ion with Erik Rostad, Dr. Grabowski, and More

    August 25, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min

    Dcn. Harrison Garlick hosts a full house to discuss the short, strange, forgotten dialogue of Plato's Ion, subtitled "On the Iliad." 10 Question Written Guide on Plato's Ion Visit our website for more information! Plato’s Ion opens with a…

  • Hippias Minor (On the Lie) with Dr. Grabowski and Friends

    August 18, 2026 · 1 hr 34 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Larson, Dr. Grabowski, and Mr. Thomas Lackey discuss the short, strange, and forgotten dialogue of HIppias Minor or "On the Lie." 8 Questions on Hippias Minor Study Guide Check…

  • Plato's Lovers with Dr. Larson and Dr. Grabowski

    August 11, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

    Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Larson, and Dr. Grabowski discuss Plato's Lovers--a strange, short, and somewhat forgotten dialogue seeking the definition of philosophy. We are celebrating ONE YEAR of our…

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About the show

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 the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a "great conversation" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free 115 Question & Answer Guide to the Iliad written by Deacon Harrison Garlick in addition to our weekly conversations. It will be available on the website (launching next week). Go pick up a copy of the Iliad! We look forward to reading Homer with you in 2024.