Great video guys. I started on the 10 year reading plan about the same time you started your videos. So I’m knee deep in Aristophanes and Plato. Pretty enjoyable and not as hard as Homer. Also have two small boys (3 & 6). My reading isn’t synced up with yours, but I’m still enjoying the videos and hearing about your experience and being motivated by your enthusiasm. Keep it up!
So stoked to hear you are on the journey with us! Glad to hear it get's a little less difficult than Homer. We have enjoyed Homer for sure, but have found it tough no doubt.
Hey Mike, how far are you into the 10 year plan? You're probably the only one I've found online who has recently (recently in great books reading length terms, lol) started the 10 year plan instead of reading chronologically. I have started on the 10 year plan myself about 5 months ago and was wondering how you are going with it? Would love to know where you're at! Cheers.
The great books are great but they are not perfect. For example, take Herodotus. It isn't clear where he gets his information from. If Athens and Sparta faced the military gap that favored the Persians given in Herodotus, their eventual victory would have been impossible. True, the Athenians and Spartans were fighting for their freedoms and their countries, and true, per person they had better military technology than the Persians, but the numbers given by Herodotus give an insurmountable advantage to the Persian army. Accuracy is an issue. But please do not get me wrong: the great books really are great. I found as an adult that I had read most of them in the years since I was a teenager, and I would not give up the experience. Just remember to have a practical set of skills to fall back on.
Interesting. I also wanted to redeem my own lackluster education, so we decided to educate our children at home using a classical curriculum and joined a classical community (Classical Conversations). I'm 55 now and still at it. Our adult kids are much better thinkers and far more well read than I was at their age. What a great endeavor you're taking on together. I can't imagine trying it during the toddler season. Kudos for trying. Classics teach you how to read the classics.
I am at book 18 and I just stopped reading for a week. So hard to pick it back up but I’m motivated to get back at it after watching your video. I just feel like the Iliad is a 5 page book with a bunch of fluff. Although, I was giving my wife a synopsis on what I’ve read so far and I was surprised at how much I retained. On a side note, the way you handled that troll was very classy. I’m really enjoying your channel and I hope you guys stay motivated to keep making videos.
Hi! Thanks for the encouragement with the troll :) We wanted to address it, and in a classy way. Glad that came through in our communication. Also, we're glad we could inspire you to get back at it. Stay at it. We have had other comments that are saying the Iliad is one of the more difficult books, "It will get better" they are saying.
I didn't like Homer. And I forced myself to read the Stephen Mitchell translation. It took me a year to finish. After finishing it I went back and am reading parts of it again, and I am also reading excerpts from the Lattimore. Stephen Mitchell made Homer hunky!
Im glad you're doing these videos guys. Im a horrible reader who just got the great books set. This knowledge is very important and ill get through them one of these days
I received my set a few days ago, starting the journey now. Happy that there are people sharing their journey while they are reading. Hopefully I'll do the same as I go through the list.
Hello, my friends! Thank you so much for your very kind and helpful gift of sharing so much awesome information and commentary on “The Great Books”. I just purchased my mint condition copies of the 1990’s version. I am 61 years old and work as a Professional Counselor and speaker. You are doing such a great job with your videos. The podcast I cohost is “Therapy & Theology”. Grateful for you both.
I just discovered your channel and I think what you’re both doing is amazing. I’ve always wanted to read these books and never have. One thing I have heard is that the translations in the Great Books series are not always the best, nor the most accessible. And the whole collection is unrealistically enormous in scale: I think they literally include every word that is extant from Plato and Aristotle even their minor works. And all the mathematical and scientific treatises from people like Ptolemy or Isaac Newton or Maxwell…just try to read one page! To me the scale of the project is too overwhelming…It’s like say you’ve flown on a spaceship to Mars which took a few months to arrive. So you decide let’s go to Alpha Centauri nearest sun and begin the journey, only to discover that flying at same speed it will take 100,000 years! A more realistic goal for me at least seems to be trying to read the full four year seminar list at St. John’s College. Are you familiar?
Really great feedback. The translations can vary in many ways, some are seemingly more difficult to read. I agree the great books are a lofty goal. Some may be able to do it in the timeframe alloyed but certain reading plans where others, ourselves included may take longer. I have not heard of the fore mentioned St Johns list, but we will have to look into it. Thanks for watching and posting a comment!
@@patricknewton7744 now they read most of the texts in translation. They take two years of ancient Greek, and two years of French, but they do not know enough of these languages to read entire works.
Great video guys. I started on the 10 year reading plan about the same time you started your videos. So I’m knee deep in Aristophanes and Plato. Pretty enjoyable and not as hard as Homer. Also have two small boys (3 & 6). My reading isn’t synced up with yours, but I’m still enjoying the videos and hearing about your experience and being motivated by your enthusiasm. Keep it up!
So stoked to hear you are on the journey with us! Glad to hear it get's a little less difficult than Homer. We have enjoyed Homer for sure, but have found it tough no doubt.
Hey Mike, how far are you into the 10 year plan?
You're probably the only one I've found online who has recently (recently in great books reading length terms, lol) started the 10 year plan instead of reading chronologically.
I have started on the 10 year plan myself about 5 months ago and was wondering how you are going with it?
Would love to know where you're at!
Cheers.
Mortimer says that if it's difficult at the first read. DO NOT STOP. Just keep going. Give it that inspectional reading.
The great books are great but they are not perfect. For example, take Herodotus. It isn't clear where he gets his information from. If Athens and Sparta faced the military gap that favored the Persians given in Herodotus, their eventual victory would have been impossible. True, the Athenians and Spartans were fighting for their freedoms and their countries, and true, per person they had better military technology than the Persians, but the numbers given by Herodotus give an insurmountable advantage to the Persian army. Accuracy is an issue. But please do not get me wrong: the great books really are great. I found as an adult that I had read most of them in the years since I was a teenager, and I would not give up the experience. Just remember to have a practical set of skills to fall back on.
Interesting. I also wanted to redeem my own lackluster education, so we decided to educate our children at home using a classical curriculum and joined a classical community (Classical Conversations). I'm 55 now and still at it. Our adult kids are much better thinkers and far more well read than I was at their age. What a great endeavor you're taking on together. I can't imagine trying it during the toddler season. Kudos for trying. Classics teach you how to read the classics.
I admire you both for the effort.
I am at book 18 and I just stopped reading for a week. So hard to pick it back up but I’m motivated to get back at it after watching your video. I just feel like the Iliad is a 5 page book with a bunch of fluff. Although, I was giving my wife a synopsis on what I’ve read so far and I was surprised at how much I retained.
On a side note, the way you handled that troll was very classy. I’m really enjoying your channel and I hope you guys stay motivated to keep making videos.
Hi! Thanks for the encouragement with the troll :) We wanted to address it, and in a classy way. Glad that came through in our communication.
Also, we're glad we could inspire you to get back at it. Stay at it. We have had other comments that are saying the Iliad is one of the more difficult books, "It will get better" they are saying.
I just binged from episode 1. I'm looking forward to hearing more. Congrats on the twins.
Ah, we love it! We're glad to have you here. More will be coming your way.
Thanks for the congratulations.
If you're struggling with the Iliad or the Odyssey, try the Stephen Mitchell translation. It helped me a lot.
Hi! Thanks for the comment. That is a great idea.
I didn't like Homer. And I forced myself to read the Stephen Mitchell translation. It took me a year to finish. After finishing it I went back and am reading parts of it again, and I am also reading excerpts from the Lattimore. Stephen Mitchell made Homer hunky!
Im glad you're doing these videos guys. Im a horrible reader who just got the great books set. This knowledge is very important and ill get through them one of these days
A day at a time👍 How is your reading journey coming along these days?
I received my set a few days ago, starting the journey now. Happy that there are people sharing their journey while they are reading. Hopefully I'll do the same as I go through the list.
So awesome you're reading through as well. We are glad you found our conversations.
Hello, my friends! Thank you so much for your very kind and helpful gift of sharing so much awesome information and commentary on “The Great Books”. I just purchased my mint condition copies of the 1990’s version. I am 61 years old and work as a Professional Counselor and speaker. You are doing such a great job with your videos. The podcast I cohost is “Therapy & Theology”. Grateful for you both.
Was the eighth printing in 2005? Or were certain volumes just re-printed? Thanks for your help.
Thanks for another great video. I like your approach to the 'Great Conversation' - hope to join in soon.
Thanks for watching! We look forward to you joining the great conversation.
I just discovered your channel and I think what you’re both doing is amazing. I’ve always wanted to read these books and never have. One thing I have heard is that the translations in the Great Books series are not always the best, nor the most accessible. And the whole collection is unrealistically enormous in scale: I think they literally include every word that is extant from Plato and Aristotle even their minor works. And all the mathematical and scientific treatises from people like Ptolemy or Isaac Newton or Maxwell…just try to read one page! To me the scale of the project is too overwhelming…It’s like say you’ve flown on a spaceship to Mars which took a few months to arrive. So you decide let’s go to Alpha Centauri nearest sun and begin the journey, only to discover that flying at same speed it will take 100,000 years! A more realistic goal for me at least seems to be trying to read the full four year seminar list at St. John’s College. Are you familiar?
Really great feedback. The translations can vary in many ways, some are seemingly more difficult to read.
I agree the great books are a lofty goal. Some may be able to do it in the timeframe alloyed but certain reading plans where others, ourselves included may take longer.
I have not heard of the fore mentioned St Johns list, but we will have to look into it.
Thanks for watching and posting a comment!
@@patricknewton7744 now they read most of the texts in translation. They take two years of ancient Greek, and two years of French, but they do not know enough of these languages to read entire works.
Why did you start at the Iliad?