This lecture provides a comprehensive study of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, Chapter 4, following the classical Studium Method. Students will examine Aristotle's foundational teaching on happiness (eudaimonia) as the supreme good that all human actions aim toward. The lecture explores the confusion about what happiness truly is, introduces Aristotle's methodological approach to ethical study, and emphasizes the importance of beginning from things known to us and moving toward deeper understanding. Special attention is given to the role of good character in ethical learning and the Hesiod quotation on wisdom and self-knowledge. This lesson is designed for high school students (ages 14-16) in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy's PHL-311 Classical Ethics course.

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy

This lecture explains Aristotle’s teaching that moral virtue is known, formed, increased, and corrupted through pleasure and pain. Students will study why right education trains the soul to love what is good and hate what is evil, and why pleasure is especially dangerous when not governed by reason.

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical LIberal Arts Academy https://classicalliberalarts.com

Note: I make these talks while walking on a wooded trail on the back of our farm. The day this was recorded, a neighbor was cutting and grinding some trees on the neighboring farm property. That machinery can be heard in the background. For the transcript of the talk, click here:

https://classicalliberalarts.com/blog/dont-be-presumptuous-about-family-planning/

In this talk, I answer an important question from a young Catholic couple about family planning, large families, and preparing for married life.

There is a lot of modern pressure—both cultural and political—pushing young couples to “get married and have lots of children.” But this message is often confused, exaggerated, and not rooted in authentic Catholic teaching. In this discussion, I explain why family size is not something dictated by ideology, but something that must be considered carefully and privately by each husband and wife.

Drawing from my own experience as a husband and father of ten children, I emphasize the importance of avoiding presumption. Every family’s circumstances are different—health, finances, work, environment—and these realities must be taken seriously. Romanticized ideas about family life can lead to unrealistic expectations, unnecessary stress, and even harm to relationships.

Marriage and parenting are long, demanding responsibilities. They require preparation, patience, and a clear understanding of what you are undertaking. The goal is not simply to “have children,” but to raise them well, sustain a strong marriage, and live faithfully in the midst of real-world conditions.

This talk is meant to offer sober, practical guidance to help couples think clearly, act prudently, and build strong, healthy families.

If this is helpful, consider subscribing for more discussions on Catholic education, family life, and classical learning. #CatholicMarriage #FamilyLife #CatholicParents #Homeschooling #ClassicalEducation

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy https://classicalliberalarts.com

In this talk William Michael challenges common reverence for Socrates and modern “Socratic” education, arguing that destabilizing doubt—when unaccompanied by systematic instruction—can corrode faith, culture, and learning. He contrasts Platonic dialectical methods with Aristotelian demonstrative philosophy and calls for a recovery of systematic, authoritative teaching rooted in Aristotle and Aquinas.

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.

This talk answers the following questions, received from a contact.

1) When you refer to "classical education" what exactly is it that you mean? What is the exact curriculum that you are trying to recreate? Where/when in history is this curriculum?

2) If "classical" refers to Ancient Greece and Rome, would it be more accurate to say you provide a "Scholastic" curriculum? I ask because I noticed about a third of your courses in the Bachelor's program are more recent than the classical period.

3) Are there any more recent books that you have thought are capable of supplanting a text from the ancient times? For example, a book on ethics that incorporates Aristotle's thought but also divine revelation. I have heard that in the late 19th/early 20th century (in the wake of Pastor aeternus) many Thomistic "manuals" were written that attempted something like this.

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy https://classicalliberalarts.com

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy