A week was just spent at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The occasion was the 2017 Summer Classics/Science Institute and the topic was Infinity in Mathematics. The seminar consisted of 14 people and 2 tutors all sitting around a huge wooden table in Evans Science Lab Room 126. 4 hours per day (10a-12p and 2p-4p) spent discussing the topic of infinity by such people as Aristotle, Euclid, Proclus, Galileo, Carroll, Cantor, Oresme, Brouwer, and Hilbert. The 2 Tutors (what Professor’s are called at St. John’s) were Peter Pesic and Philip Lecuyer. It is not worth the time to go into the details of their accomplishments but believe me when I say that these are absolutely brilliant and accomplished scholars. The seminar participants included a 17-year old from Los Angeles attending with his father and an Indian guy, Mr. Marasinghe, who was an accomplished Mathematician. Both had a really strong hold on the topic at hand and they said they understood about 70% of what we were dealing with. I understood about 35% of the topics and could see how they worked in my head. This is not the same as understanding and feeling comfortable with the topic. It was a pure joy being surrounded by humans that were oh so much smarter than I am and the concentration that it took just to follow the discussion was both exhilarating and exhausting. At one point on Thursday we spent 3 hours covering the information contained in 3 pages.

Learning at St. John’s is based on questions and discussions exploring those questions. There are no lectures and the Tutors do not lecture. They guide the discussion in a way that allows the seminar participants to think on a different level. Every comment and question is valued and at no time is anybody told that they are wrong. Someone may disagree with them but that is the entire point. To be challenged by and learn from others. The seminars are formal and there is no raising of hands. It is a discussion. Everybody, including the Tutors is called Mr. Brethouwer, Mr. Pesic, Ms. Jones, etc. If one of the Tutors has 2 Ph.D.’s they are still referred to as Mr. ” ” It is respectful and about equality and the formality leads to a deeper discussion taking place around the table.

There was a small amount of time when not in seminar spent riding a bike and going for a hike or two. The pure joyful benefit of Summer Classics is the time that is available to simply read, writing, and study. Over the course of the week I was able to known down 988 pages in various books and journals. This was done under a tree, in the library, in the cafeteria while eating, and in the dorm room. Pure time to read without interruption.

I just got home yesterday but I am already anxious for the 2018 catalog listing the courses that will be offered. In the meantime it is time to read as much as possible and pay down the credit card so that Summer Classics can once again happen.