In this episode of the Learning to Die Podcast, Ciaran and Dr Stephen Blackwood discuss a broad range of topics including the lessons to be learned from the Roman poet Boethius, confusions around what science is and isn’t, what reason and rationality can mean in their fullest sense compared to what they are often seen as in a more narrow one, what beauty is and the role it can play in the human experience, and the possible causes and remedies for the meaning crisis in which we are living through.
Stephen Blackwood is the founding President of Ralston College. He was born in Alberta and grew up in beautiful Prince Edward Island in a big family on a small family farm. He studied classics as an undergraduate, and received an MA (Classics) from Dalhousie and a PhD (Religion) from Emory University. He has held visiting positions at Harvard University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Cambridge.
His intellectual interests include philosophy, religion, psychology, theology, ethics, politics, nature, and art. His primary academic focus has been on the nature of the human person, specifically as it comes to be understood in ancient and medieval times, and on the evolution of the ideals, institutions, and cultural forms that enable human beings to flourish. His book on the Roman poet-philosopher-statesman, Boethius, was published by Oxford University Press.
He has co-founded or helped to direct several non-profit organizations, including in inner-city education and cancer research. He has lived and worked in many European countries and is a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Dr Blackwood’s website: stephenjblackwood.com
Ralston College’s website: ralston.ac
Dr Blackwood is the host of the Ralston College Podcast.