About the Episode

In this episode of Common Knowledge, Dr. David Diener—Hillsdale professor, Plato scholar, and former classical school headmaster—unpacks why classical education still matters in the 21st century.

What if the goal of school isn’t just a good job or high test scores, but becoming a fully flourishing human being? Diener contrasts the 2,000-year Western tradition—rooted in virtue, wonder, truth, goodness, and beauty—with the modern shift toward practical training and “relevance” that began with the Industrial Revolution and progressive thinkers like John Dewey.

He explains how classical education cultivates excellence in thought, character, and community life, producing graduates who succeed by conventional measures and live deeper, more meaningful lives.

A thought-provoking conversation on what education is really for—and why the classical approach might be more relevant today than ever.

About Dr. David Diener

Dr. Diener is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher‑Educator and has published widely on Plato, Kierkegaard, and the philosophy of education. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Languages from Wheaton College, an MA in Philosophy, an MS in the History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual PhD in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education from Indiana University. He currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Education at Hillsdale College.

More about Dr. Diener: https://www.hillsdale.edu/faculty/david-diener/

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About This Episode

This episode explores the classical understanding of physical exercise—from Ancient Greece through later Western thought—and its role in cultivating discipline and human flourishing. Rather than focusing on modern training methods or institutional practices, the conversation examines how classical thinkers understood exercise as a formative habit of the body that supports virtue and self-governance.About the GuestsFrank Russel is the Athletic Director for Liberty Common School and serves as the wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach at Liberty Common School and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA. He has worked with University of Nebraska volleyball, soccer, and wrestling and has spent the last two summers with CSU football.

Matt Anderson has been involved in athletics for his entire life. A Fort Collins native he grew up participating in soccer, basketball, and dance. After graduating from high school he played college soccer for four years at Adams State University, before moving on to compete professionally for two years in Europe. Matt then transitioned into coaching and teaching. He has coaching experience at the collegiate level, club level, and high school level. He has been teaching for six years now and has taught Government, History, Geography, and Physical Education.

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This episode has been updated to clarify that guest Natalie Scarlett’s work with Mango Languages took place in 2021–2022.

About the Episode:

With daily headlines on AI's effect on culture I've begun to wonder if we ought to be less concerned about powerful computers passing the Turing test or more worried about weak humans failing it. AI has begun to colonize our hearts, minds, bodies, expression/communication, environment, integrity, and the limp response is alarming. Alarmists want to explicitly ban it, compromisers want to cautiously allow it, and cynics want to let it voraciously conquer us. But I think bolstering and defending those things that make us human is the only way to stop the steady, subtle, and stealthy encroachment of AI's influence in our humanity. I've read a lot about this and have several ongoing conversations within my creative community and English department. I would draw on the work of Matthew Crawford, Paul Kingsnorth, George Zarkadakis, and Gary Marcus in my comments on this.

About Natalie Scarlett

Former English instructor at Liberty Common High School, Natalie is a writer and director with a background in the performing and literary arts. She has spent her career exploring how creativity and culture shape the human experience.

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• Liberty Common School Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.libertycommon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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