Light & Truth

Episode 1 - The Liberal Arts: The Key Harnessing AI

In this episode of Light & Truth, University of Dallas President Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD, reflect on one of the defining questions of our time: How should we respond to the promises and perils of artificial intelligence? As headlines swing between fear and hype, Sanford argues there’s a steadier path forward—one that doesn’t begin with machines, but with the human person.

Rather than submitting to anxiety or utopian expectations, Sanford makes the case that we can prepare to master AI instead of being mastered by it by cultivating the habits that technology can’t replace: clear thinking, strong writing, real conversation, lasting friendship, and the virtues of responsible citizenship that help us pursue the good in our communities and our country.

That’s where the liberal arts come in.

This episode introduces a new series that unpacks what a liberal arts education truly means—and why, in an age of automation, it remains more necessary than ever.

What it means to remain human in a technological age
The “habits of mind and character” that build wise leaders
Why the liberal arts are a practical preparation for the future

Dare Students Go Amish on the Topic of AI?

Written for Word on Fire by Chad Engelland, PhD, professor of philosophy at the University of Dallas and author of Phenomenology (MIT 2020) and Ostension: Word Learning and the Embodied Mind (MIT 2014)

AI: From Agnostic to Anti-Gnosticism

Written for The Pillar by Daniel Lipinski, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and Pope Leo XIII Fellow on Social Thought, University of Dallas

Pope St. John Paul II Conference Panel - AI & Catholic Social Teaching

This panel which took place on October 30, 2025, features Fr. Michael Baggot, L.C., S.T.L., Ph.D., Professor Aggregato of Bioethics at Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum

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Light & Truth: Reflections on Education and Culture Today

Light & Truth is a newsletter by President Jonathan J. Sanford of the University of Dallas that reflects on the purpose of education in today’s culture. Rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, it explores the enduring value of a liberal arts education and classical education as pathways to human flourishing. Through reflections shaped by Christian humanism and virtue ethics, President Sanford addresses contemporary questions with clarity and hope, emphasizing the role of civil discourse, freedom of speech, and the formation of free and thoughtful persons in the pursuit of truth.

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Reflections on Education and Culture Today