In this episode of The TAC Podcast, John Finley sits down with longtime friend and former Apple enterprise leader Nathan Haggard to explore the intersection of classical philosophy and the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence. Nathan shares his unique journey from studying the Great Books at Thomas Aquinas College to spending 16 years at the forefront of the tech industry. Together, they tackle the existential "forcing function" of AI: If technology can eventually do everything humans do, what is left for us? In this episode, we discuss: The AI Paradox: Why the rise of automation is forcing us back to fundamental questions of human value. The Theology of Work: Drawing on Pope John Paul II's Laborem Exercens, we explore why work is a fundamental human vocation, not just a means to an end. Aristotle & the Problem of Leisure: Why the "ruin of society" often stems from an inability to handle free time, and how we can avoid the trap of modern distraction. Pascal's Challenge: Examining the famous claim that all of humanity's problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone. The Integration of Life: Moving beyond "work-life balance" toward a holistic vision of human flourishing. Whether you're interested in the future of the tech industry or the timeless wisdom of the Great Books, this conversation offers a roadmap for maintaining our humanity in an age of machines. Support The TAC Podcast: Subscribe for more deep dives into the Great Books and philosophical inquiry. Visit our website: thomasaquinas.edu Follow us on Social Media: instagram @thetacpodcast

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: Pascal's Quote on Solitude

01:05 - Nathan Haggard's Journey: From Great Books to Apple

07:30 - Why "Learning How to Think" is the Only Future-Proof Skill

11:30 - The Nature of Work: What is it Actually For?

14:30 - AI as a Forcing Function for Existential Questions

18:40 - Work as an Imitation of the Creator (Genesis & JP II)

21:30 - The 40-Hour Work Week vs. Human Flourishing

25:00 - What Happens to Society When We Don't Have to Work?

30:30 - Lessons from Mozart & Bach: The Value of Constraints

34:50 - Aristotle on Leisure: The Internal Ruin of Societies

43:40 - Confronting the "World of Distraction"

46:30 - Closing Thoughts: Choosing Priorities with Head, Heart, and Gut

#Philosophy #AI #FutureOfWork #GreatBooks #TheTACPodcast #Aristotle #ArtificialIntelligence #Leisure

In this episode, our hosts discuss Shakespeare's Macbeth, one of the most haunting and powerful tragedies in the Western tradition. Set against a world of prophecy, ambition, guilt, and bloodshed, the conversation explores the mysterious interplay between supernatural evil and human freedom, asking how Macbeth becomes both agent and victim in his own destruction. Through close attention to the weird sisters, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth's own moral unraveling, the episode considers some of the play's deepest questions: How does temptation work? What is the relation between evil and self-deception? How can ambition corrupt courage, loyalty, and even reason itself? As the discussion unfolds, Shakespeare's tragedy emerges not only as a political drama, but as a profound meditation on conscience, manhood, despair, and the mystery of evil. This conversation invites listeners into a serious and searching engagement with one of Shakespeare's greatest works and the enduring human questions it raises. Subscribe for new episodes each week.

In this episode, John and Chris continue their exploration of the heavens, turning to Copernicus, Kepler, and the profound transformation of our understanding of the cosmos. What begins as a seemingly simple question—why doesn't it feel like the Earth is moving?—opens into a deeper inquiry about observation, explanation, and the nature of scientific truth. Without new instruments or discoveries, Copernicus proposes a radical shift: not new data, but a new perspective. By placing the Earth in motion, he transforms what once appeared as irregularities into intelligible patterns. Subscribe for new episodes each week.

In this episode, John Goyette sits down with Matt Peterson, a TAC alumnus and media executive to explore the rapidly shifting landscape of artificial intelligence, digital technology, and the future of education. As AI reshapes the job market and disrupts entire industries, the conversation turns to a surprising claim: that a liberal education is not becoming obsolete, but increasingly necessary. What does it mean to think, write, and speak well in an age where machines can imitate these abilities? And why are employers beginning to value precisely those human capacities that technology cannot replace? The discussion also ventures into deeper territory—examining the nature of digital media, the power of algorithms, and the growing tension between human agency and technological influence. From the collapse of traditional education models to the question of how to live well in a world saturated by screens, our hosts consider whether technology will serve the human person—or quietly begin to master him. Rooted in the Great Books tradition and the lived experience of liberal education, this episode offers a timely and searching reflection on AI, media, and the enduring importance of forming the mind and character in pursuit of the good life. Subscribe for new episodes each week.

In this episode, John and Chris discuss Jane Austen's Emma, a novel at once comic, subtle, and morally penetrating. Through the story of one remarkable young woman, the conversation explores friendship, marriage, self-knowledge, social life, and the quiet but demanding work of virtue in ordinary human relationships. Set in the small world of village life, Emma may seem far removed from our own, yet its questions remain deeply familiar: How well do we really know ourselves? What does genuine care for others require? How should intelligence, affection, imagination, and pride be ordered in a good life? As the discussion unfolds, the episode considers Austen's insight into character, her portrayal of moral growth, and the ways everyday interactions can become the setting for both vice and virtue. This conversation offers a thoughtful look at one of Austen's greatest novels and the enduring truths it reveals about human nature, love, and the formation of the soul. Subscribe for new episodes each week.

In this episode, we explore Plato's Euthyphro, a brief but profound dialogue that raises enduring questions about piety, justice, truth, and the nature of the divine. Set in the shadow of Socrates' trial, the conversation explores what it means to live rightly before God, whether piety is grounded in divine command or in the truth of things, and why these questions still matter. The discussion offers listeners a window into the kind of thoughtful, searching conversation that defines Thomas Aquinas College. Subscribe for new episodes each week. Go to www.thomasaquinas.edu/podcast to learn more!

What is The Communist Manifesto, and what kind of argument does it advance? In this episode, we examine Marx and Engels' brief but historically consequential text as a work of political rhetoric grounded in a broader historical claim: that the "mode of economic production and exchange" constitutes the foundation of social and intellectual life, and that human history is best understood as a sequence of class antagonisms. We consider the Manifesto's attempt to present this thesis not merely as a programmatic platform, but as an ostensibly empirical account of historical development, culminating in a call for revolutionary action. The conversation also addresses Engels' comparison between Marx's proposition and Darwin's theory of evolution, exploring the implications of construing social order through struggle, competition, and material conditions rather than through appeals to universal human nature, moral principle, or transcendent ends. We discuss Marx's distinctive emphasis on praxis, including the claim that the task of philosophy is not primarily contemplative understanding but transformative action. Finally, we evaluate the Manifesto from two perspectives: (1) its underlying philosophical anthropology (materialism, the status of religion, and the critique of the family) and (2) its historical prognosis. We ask how Marx's predictions should be assessed nearly two centuries later, with particular attention to the revolutionary experiments of the twentieth century and the role of modern technological and economic development in moderating or reshaping the conditions Marx regarded as inevitable. Topics include: * The Manifesto as persuasion: thesis, objections, and political aims * Class struggle and economic determinism as historical explanation * Engels' Darwin analogy and the logic of "evolution" in history * Reform versus revolution and the rationale for coercive overthrow * Marx on property, the family, and religion * Retrospective assessment: Russia, China, and the "did it happen?" question #CommunistManifesto #Marx #Engels #PoliticalPhilosophy #Modernity #HistoryOfIdeas #ClassicalEducation

Why devote an entire semester to Ptolemy when his cosmology is, in a fundamental respect, false? In this episode, we discuss Ptolemy's Almagest as one of the most ambitious and intellectually disciplined attempts to give a comprehensive, mathematically rigorous account of the visible cosmos. Although the geocentric hypothesis ultimately proves incorrect, Ptolemy's achievement remains exemplary: he constructs a predictive model grounded in careful observation, geometric reasoning, and a principled commitment to explaining celestial phenomena through uniform circular motion. We consider why the Almagest has enduring pedagogical value. First, it compels students to inhabit a worldview whose plausibility emerges from ordinary experience: the apparent rotation of the heavens, the fixity of the North Star, and the seasonal variation of the night sky. Second, it demonstrates how scientific inquiry proceeds through the disciplined reconciliation of theory with anomalies, as Ptolemy introduces eccentrics, epicycles, and refined astronomical parameters to preserve intelligibility and predictive power. Third, it illuminates the historical logic of discovery: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton do not merely "replace" Ptolemy, but respond to and build upon the technical and conceptual problems his work articulates. The conversation also addresses Ptolemy's striking philosophical claims about astronomy: its proximity to theology (as an inquiry into the divine order manifest in celestial regularity), its moral significance (formation of the soul through contemplation of proportion and order), and its elevation of mathematical reasoning as a paradigmatic mode of knowledge. Topics include: * The Almagest as a comprehensive astronomical theory: observation, geometry, and prediction * Why geocentrism is initially plausible and intellectually serious * Uniform circular motion as an explanatory principle * Eccentrics and epicycles: anomaly, refinement, and theoretical tension * Precision in ancient astronomy: measuring the year and celestial phenomena * Ptolemy, contemplation, and the formative dimension of scientific study * Historical continuity: how later astronomy emerges through response to Ptolemy #Ptolemy #Almagest #Astronomy #HistoryOfScience #ClassicalEducation #GreatBooks #Mathematics #ThomasAquinasCollege