Quote Me - S4 E11 James Matthew Wilson

Quote Me with Lindsay Schlegel

It’s a joy to spend time in this episode with James Matthew Wilson, poet and director of the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Saint Thomas, the only MFA program in the world rooted firmly in the Catholic intellectual and literary tradition.

His quote comes from Aristotle’s The Metaphysics, opening of Book I:

“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight. For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings light to many differences between things.”

Here’s a quick list of the books Dr. Wilson recommends starting with, as you ask yourself what it means to stare into the light (affiliate links):

Plato, The Symposium

Plato, Meno

Aristotle, The Metaphysics (just first two pages)

St, Augustine, Confessions

Dante, The Divine Comedy

Connect with Dr. Wilson at jamesmatthewwilson.com, and be sure to check out his books (The Strangeness of the Good, Including Quarantine Notebook is a good place to start). Look out for his newest book, Praying the Nicene Creed, which is slated for release March 11, 2022.

To suggest a quote or a guest, follow the show on Instagram, @quoteme_podcast, or contact Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.

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Until next time, God bless you!