The Classical Mind

14 Aug 2026

**Warning: this episode discusses the film in full, spoilers included. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it first and come back.** Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson head to the theater

10 Aug 2026

Everyone knows *The Lord of the Rings* and *The Chronicles of Narnia*. Fewer people know the full story of the friendship that helped make both of them possible. In this special bonus episode, Dr.

28 Jul 2026

*The Lord of the Rings* didn’t just launch a genre — it set the standard every fantasy writer since has been measured against. This month, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson begin their

13 Jul 2026

Discover the official Season 5 reading schedule for *The Classical Mind* podcast! Join Junius and Wesley as they lay out the next 12-month literary journey through the Western canon. Here is the

1 Jul 2026

In this summer episode of *The Classical Mind*, hosts Dr. Junius Johnson and Father Wesley Walker welcome back three-time guest [Heidi White](https://heidiwhite.substack.com), co-host of the *Close

9 Jun 2026

Welcome to another episode of *The Classical Mind*, the podcast where we explore the great books of the Western tradition! In this episode, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson are

12 May 2026

In this concluding chapter of our journey through Dante’s *Commedia*, Dr. Junius Johnson and Fr. Wesley Walker are joined by Dr. Jonathan Juilfs to explore the radiant heights of *Paradiso*. The

28 Apr 2026

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson welcome back Heidi White to explore the middle canticle of Dante’s *Divine Comedy*, the *Purgatorio*. Is Purgatory

1 Apr 2026

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, Dr. Junius Johnson sits down with Buck Holler from the CiRCE Institute to discuss "Tapestry," a new writing and grammar curriculum designed to bridge the gap

16 Mar 2026

**Round 1: Voting will be open from Monday (3/16) until Monday (3/23)** [**\*\*\*Vote

10 Mar 2026

In this episode, Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson are joined by Dante scholar Catherine Illingworth to navigate the harrowing depths of Dante’s *Inferno*. The conversation centers on the

10 Feb 2026

This bonus episode of *The Classical Mind* serves as “front matter” to prepare listeners for a three-month reading marathon of Dante Alighieri’s *Divine Comedy*. Join Wesley and Junius as they

20 Jan 2026

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson explore George MacDonald’s 1895 fantasy novel, *Lilith*. The discussion navigates the tension between MacDonald’s

6 Jan 2026

In this episode of The Classical Mind, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson dive deep into the fascinating, complex topic of Medieval Exegesis—”specifically how the medievals read

30 Dec 2025

In this special year-end bonus episode, hosts Father Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson take a break from their usual Great Books discussion to share their personal Top 5 favorite books read this

2 Dec 2025

In this episode of The Classical Mind, Junius and Wesley dive deep into Herman Melville’s *Billy Budd, Sailor* — a haunting naval novella exploring innocence, evil, law, mutiny, and biblical

13 Nov 2025

In this episode, Junius and Wesley take on the latest film adaptation of *Frankenstein*, asking what makes a great adaptation of a classic work — and whether this one succeeds. From Mary

28 Oct 2025

In this episode, Father Wesley and Dr. Junius dive deep into *St. Anselm’s Proslogion*, the short yet monumental work that introduced one of the most enduring and debated arguments in the history

14 Oct 2025

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, we take on Shakespeare’s most provocative comedy, *The Taming of the Shrew*. Junius and Wesley dig into the play’s strange structure—from the unclosed

27 Aug 2025

Let’s go back to the 19th century and talk about one of the scariest novels we’ve ever read on the Classical Mind (but maybe not for the reasons you might think) with Mary Shelley’s

21 Aug 2025

The Classical Mind has officially reached 2,000 subscribers! To celebrate, Junius and Wesley unveil the Season 4 reading list! The method of selection is a little different this year to accommodate

25 Jul 2025

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we take on Virgil’s Aeneid. We explore Aeneas’ journey as both refugee and empire-builder, tracing his flight from Troy, his doomed romance with Dido, his

24 Jun 2025

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, we take a deep dive into J.M. Barrie’s *Peter Pan*. We explore how *Peter Pan* has been portrayed in various adaptations, and how these adaptations differ

9 Jun 2025

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we dive into a curated selection of *The Federalist Papers*, the seminal series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to argue

18 Mar 2025

In this special crossover episode of The Sacramentalists Podcast and The Classical Mind Podcast, we dive deep into St. Bonaventure’s The Journey of the Mind to God—a spiritual and philosophical

4 Mar 2025

In this episode of The Classical Mind, we dive into Walker Percy’s Love in the Ruins, a satirical yet deeply philosophical novel that explores the fragmentation of American culture, the tension

28 Jan 2025

In this episode of *The Classical Mind*, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson dive into Horace Walpole’s *The Castle of Otranto*, the first Gothic novel and a cornerstone of literary history.

21 Dec 2024

Join hosts Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson in this engaging episode of *The Classical Mind* as they dive into Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' contraversial work, *The Communist Manifesto*.

12 Nov 2024

**Join the Classical Mind podcast for a captivating exploration of Plato's Phaedo, featuring insightful commentary from Dr. John Mark Reynolds.** This episode delves into the profound dialogue where

28 Oct 2024

In this episode, Junius and Wesley discuss James Baldwin’s *Go Tell It on the Mountain* with [Dr. Anika Prather](https://drprather.com/about-2/), the Assistant Professor of Education and Elementary

30 Sep 2024

Join us for the newest episode of the Classical Mind on Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical novel *Thus Spake Zarathustra* and find out why this is Fr. Wesley’s least favorite work. In this

3 Sep 2024

Join Junius Johnson and Wesley Walker for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Classical Mind as they draft the reading list for Season 3! In this episode, Junius and Wesley discuss the themes

19 Aug 2024

Join us on the Classical Mind podcast as we embark on an intellectual journey into the heart of G.E.M. Anscombe's groundbreaking work, "Intention." Dr. Junius Johnson and Fr. Wesley Walker engage in

18 Jun 2024

Delve into the depths of Saint Augustine's Confessions on the Classical Mind podcast. Explore themes of sin, redemption,and the journey towards spiritual enlightenment in this timeless autobiography.

21 May 2024

Delve into the enchanting world of Sir Walter Scott's "The Lady of the Lake" on the Classical Mind podcast. Explore the epic poem's historical context, its influence on Romanticism, and the enduring

16 Apr 2024

Explore the timeless charm of Jane Austen's beloved comedy of manners *Emma* (1815) in this episode of the Classical Mind podcast. Delve into the intricate web of social dynamics, witty dialogue, and

5 Mar 2024

Dive into the depths of ambition and despair with Classical Mind Podcast as hosts Junius Johnson and Wesley Walker unravel the timeless tale of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Explore the

26 Feb 2024

On this special bonus episode, Fr. Wesley sits down with Kristen Rudd to discuss monsters in literature. Kristen will be teaching a class this summer for adults on the topic. You can find out more at

19 Feb 2024

*“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with

16 Jan 2024

Join Dr. Junius Johnson and Fr. Wesley Walker as they discuss Artistotle's famous treatise on virtue: The Nicomachean Ethics. How can we be happy? What is virtue and how do we acquire it? Why do

5 Dec 2023

*Troilus and Criseyde* by Geoffrey Chaucer is the tale of love gained and love lost. Heavily impacted by the chivalric codes, is this a story about a frivolous affair or is something else going on?

14 Nov 2023

What are human beings like outside of the constraints of social conventions? How do we work out the tension between state sovereignty and individual freedom? What place does religion have in society?

3 Oct 2023

In this episode, Dr. Junius Johnson and Fr. Wesley Walker explore the philosophical questions surrounding the nature of piety, ethics, and the divine. Join us for an enlightening discussion that

5 Sep 2023

On today's episode, Junius and Wesley discuss the timeless world of Greek tragedy! They explore the profound themes and dramatic elements of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Aristotle's Poetics. Gain

8 Aug 2023

On this episode, Junius and Wesley discuss Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel *Brothers Karamazov*. Endnotes \* Junius: *Crime and Punishment* by Fyodor Dostoyevsky \* Wesley: *Fathers and Sons* by Ivan

1 Aug 2023

On today’s special episode, Junius and Wesley select the books that will make up our reading list in season 2. One of the reasons to support us for $5 is that you can access the video of the draft

11 Jul 2023

Today we discuss *The Iliad* by Homer. End Notes:

6 Jun 2023

In today's episode, Fr. Wesley Walker sits down to discuss *Robinson Crusoe* with Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. Dr. Prior's forthcoming book is [The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and

5 May 2023

Today, we’re discussing *Utilitarianism* by J.S. Mill. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory which emphasizes the maximizing of pleasure and the minimizing of pain. End Notes:The Dark

11 Apr 2023

Flannery O’Connor’s *Wise Blood* is…something. A Catholic novel, a debut novel, a difficult and strange novel. Wesley and Jared discuss *Wise Blood,* the difficulty in reading about difficult