Hey Western Washington! Don’t forget October 14!

Dear Friends of the Seattle G. K. Chesterton Society,

The Seattle Chesterton Society proudly announces the upcoming first event of this season, an evening of discussion concerning Liberal Education and the glories and perils of intellectual culture, led by Professor David Whalen of Hillsdale College, and under the guidance of the thought of (now Blessed) John Henry Newman.

Please see below for full details concerning this first event of the season. Please see also our full Events Calendar for more details pertaining to meetings.

We have one important change taking place this year. The Society is pleased to announce that our events will now be taking place at the Catholic Newman Center at the University of Washington. This shift of venue is one that we strongly believe to be in the best interests of the future of the Chesterton Society, as well as, in a certain sense, a return to our origins.

Fifteen years ago, the Seattle G. K. Chesterton Society was formed by a group of educators and other professionals interested in providing university students an opportunity to deepen their education through a consideration of contemporary issues in the light of Wisdom, both natural and revealed — that “whole truth of things,” in the knowing and the speaking of which, as Chesterton said, “we are happy.”

The first meetings of the Society (which a few of you will surely remember) were small gatherings of college students, their teachers, and others, in a private home in the Montlake neighborhood near the University of Washington. They would be joined by a guest speaker who, more than merely “lecturing,” led those present in a fruitful conversation. This atmosphere is reflected even today in the lengthy discussion periods that follow our speakers’ presentations, as well as the social hour afterwards.

Over the years, even as attendance at our meetings has grown, our ability to effectively promote our events to college students has varied. One constant source of support and encouragement has always been the Newman Center at the University of Washington, whose students have often car-pooled and van-pooled to our events at other campuses. This year, the directors of the Society concluded that it was time to seek a closer partnership with the wonderful people at the Newman Center, who have graciously offered to host and help us promote our events with students. We are excited and overjoyed at this possibility of being able to reach a larger audience of interested students, faculty, and the friends they may invite.

At the same time, we invite all of you, who have come faithfully to our meetings over the years, to continue to join us for more of the same scintillating discussions, now held at the UW Newman Center.

Those who commute to our meetings should note that parking space on the UW Newman Center premises is extremely limited. It can be difficult even to find parking on the street in that particular neighborhood. It is recommended, therefore, that commuters park in the nearby N5 lot at the University, accessible via the north gate at NE 45th and Memorial Way. There is a $5.00 charge for evening parking. Please see the Events Calendar for links to maps of the neighborhood and the UW campus.

We hope to see you on October 14th!

Yours faithfully,

The Seattle G. K. Chesterton Society

Thursday, October 14, 2010, at 7:30 PM, UW Newman Center
John Henry Newman: The Glories and the Perils of Intellectual Culture

Dr. David Whalen
Hillsdale College

Blessed John Henry Newman famously championed Liberal Education and the inherent good of intellectual culture. Knowledge that is pursued for its own sake finds in him its greatest expositor as he vigorously defends liberal learning from the encroachments of sheer utility and the pressures of professional training. However, the very same volume that presents his great defense of liberal education also finds Newman carefully exploring certain dangers and vulnerabilities found in intellectual culture, even culture of a liberally educated variety. In portions of The Idea of a University now rarely noticed, John Henry Newman outlines with prophetic insight the propensities of man’s fallen intellect to erect a culture at odds with Faith and Right Reason.

Dr. David Whalen obtained his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Kansas. He has taught at the University of Kansas, Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, and, since 1994, at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He enjoys teaching courses in the Great Books as well as Renaissance Literature, the English Novel, and the history and literature of Liberal Education. Dr. Whalen’s published articles address such topics as Victorian Prose, Renaissance Poetry, Educational Philosophy, and the writings of John Henry Newman. Among other awards, he has received a Salvatori Fellowship from the Heritage Foundation and a Weaver Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He is also a recipient of Daugherty Teaching Award from Hillsdale College. Dr. Whalen and his wife Janet have eleven children and live in Quincy, Michigan.

Be there! Aloha!