Light & Truth

Episode 4 - Human Knowledge in an AI Age

In Episode 4 of The Liberal Arts, University of Dallas President Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD, continues the conversation about why the liberal arts are a decisive answer to the anxieties of an AI future. The goal isn’t to reject technology, but to ensure AI serves human knowing—rather than replacing it.

Returning to Aristotle’s Parts of Animals, President Sanford explores a surprising lesson about human knowledge: a truly free education requires direct encounter with real things—unmediated, attentive, and formed by sound judgment. Aristotle contrasts the grandeur of studying the heavens (astronomy) with the apparent humility of studying animals (zoology). Why spend time on the “small” or “lowly” subjects?

Aristotle’s answer is that we should not recoil from humble realities, because every realm of nature is marvelous. In even the smallest creatures, we can discover beauty, order, purpose, driven by a sense of wonder that leads us to gaze on the heavens. This habit of marveling—paired with disciplined inquiry—trains the mind to discover deep truths, form clearer judgment, and enjoy greater freedom.

This episode is an invitation to recover the foundations of real knowledge: the kind that forms character, strengthens discernment, and helps us live freely in service of the common good.

In the next episode, President Sanford will unpack what he calls the path to genuine wisdom.

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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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)

Here's How we can Live with Artificial Intelligence without Losing Our Humanity

Written for Fox News by Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD, President and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas

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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