Since making public my half (if not indeed fully) mad idea of reading the entirety of the St. John’s College Academic Program Reading List, I have received a couple of questions that I think it is important not simply to answer privately but publicly so that there are no misunderstandings about what I am doing and why.
1. Is St. John’s College in any way involved with this project?
No, other than the fact that they are kind enough to publish their entire Academic Program Reading List on their website for the benefit of any who care to examine it, no one connected with St. John’s College is supporting, promoting, or for that matter – to the best of my knowledge – in any way even acknowledging this endeavor. I have spoken with one person on their staff once in order to clarify a point about their list but other than that I have never had any connection with the college.
2. Is the point of this project to prove that you don’t need to attend St. John’s College; that you can just read the books in order to obtain the education they offer?
No – indeed far from it. I have long held St. John’s College in the highest esteem. Would that I had the money, either when I was younger and choosing an undergraduate college or even now as they also offer courses of graduate study, I would most certainly wish to enroll as a student in order to reap the benefits of studying under the guidance of their faculty as well as the collegiality of other students also engaged in the contemplation of these great books. Lacking these things, even if I succeed in reading each and every book on the list I will still only achieve a pale shadow of the education that would be possible had I had the opportunity to have studied at the college.
