The University on the Virtual Town Square is the

St. Paisius Institute.

A Study Center for Great Books and Symbolic Systems

Do you hear, O Orthodox Christians of these last times? These writings of the Holy Fathers, even those dealing with the highest form of spiritual life, have been preserved for us, so that even when it might seem that there are no God-bearing elders left at all, we may still have the unerring words of the Holy Fathers to guide us in leading a God-pleasing and zealous life.

Having watched a couple of Orthodox Great Books colleges come and go, I decided to create my own ideal version, not as an organization, but as a series of study guides and topics.

The Great Books

The original concept of “A Great Book,” followed 3 criteria:

1. It must be relevant to contemporary matters and not only important in its historical context.
2. It must be rewarding to re-read repeatedly with respect to a liberal education.
3. It must be part of the “great conversation about great ideas.”

My approach differs from the original concept:

1. It is situated in an Eastern Orthodox, rather than a Western Thomistic Worldview.
2. It also seeks a more global approach, rather than just Western Civilization.
3. It recognizes that sometimes, a well summarized text is better than original source material, which may be better suited for specialists (e.g. maths.)