Organized by Lyceum Institute
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The Lyceum Institute doesn't just teach classes; we cultivate the virtue of studiousness—an integral good of human living—through an environment of serious intellectual inquiry. Help us fund the Columbanus Fellowship granting fifteen deserving students this intellectually-enriching environment.
The word “studious” conjures images of high school and college students attending to their books and preparing for examinations, rather than going to parties or playing games. We rarely use the word to describe persons outside formal education. Calling someone “studious” implies the self-discipline which begets career success. But is that all it means?
By contrast, to describe someone as “curious” suggests inquisitiveness, pursuing desires of discovery with a thirst for knowledge and experience.
In truth, to be “curious” means being snared by any passing object. In our day of constant distraction from distraction by distraction, we see many people are curious—and this is seldom if ever truly rewarding. To be pulled by the latest news, the newest trend, the “moment” or “event” of popular appeal: this is to be pulled away from the things that matter, namely, the truths that endure.
Studiousness is more than mere discipline; it is concentration of the whole person on discovery of true meaning. In a world filled with distractions, we need more than ever a virtuous habit of such focused attention.
Your support will provide initial funding for the newly-established Columbanus Fellowship: two-years of immersive study for 15 dedicated students in the classical Trivium, Latin and/or Greek, basics of philosophical inquiry, and the right manner of resolving a difficult question (the Quaestiones Disputatae). Beyond their academic growth, these students will develop a habit of avoiding fleeting distractions and pursuing true understanding.
Thank you for your generosity! This is the first stage in a $50,000 campaign we are pursuing to support the education of our 15 Columbanus Fellows over 2024-25.
