Tea at Trianon: The Physics of Imagination

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

The Physics of Imagination

From Under the Peach Tree:

Science class in a classical school should teach a story - the human story. This is not only necessary, but I believe it is a moral imperative in a world in which the movies are becoming real: RoboCop and Hal are no longer science fiction.
A classical education should, at its heart, integrate the intellectual, moral, and spiritual, and in the sciences, we rarely see that accomplished well. Either the focus is devoid of theory and application, and leans so heavily on primary sources and their analysis, that students who may have a charism for the sciences find themselves at a disadvantage when trying to pursue the field after high school. Or, the subject matter is taught as a freestanding subject, somehow isolated from the others - and possibly even in opposition to the humanities. Those tend to be primarily focused on application. Many teachers have told me that the sciences, like mathematics, are ‘factual’ and aren’t really meant to be taught ‘classically.’ At a conference with other Catholic science teachers, many echoed that sentiment arguing that it is impossible to teach all that a higher level science class requires and add in any form of discussion. I have always taught the sciences as something that needs both an understanding of history, as well as an experiential aspect, and is incomplete without the ethical and spiritual. In fact, not teaching science ‘classically’ is partially to blame for our dystopian realities, and it does not take any more time to teach in this manner than it does a standard honors science class.
In fact, it may actually take less time, and produce better outcomes.
In science classes, teachers have the unique opportunity to help bridge the gaps by integrating a world often viewed as the antithesis of the spiritual world with the humanities, and asking students to wonder. St. John Newman wrote, “religion is here, and science there, and young men converse with science all day, and lodge with religion in the evening. …young men eat and drink and sleep in one place, and think in another: I want the same roof to contain both the intellectual and moral discipline.” How do we do that in the science class?
A classical education should develop students’ curiosity and help them articulate truths beautifully. Ultimately, education should shape and create a moral foundation. In our modern world, it is essential that highschool science teachers embrace this integration, so that students can articulate and advocate for a moral future in which the sciences will control ever more of our realities. We need nurses who can make ethical decisions, physicists who know where to draw the line on invading digital privacy, and an educated public capable of articulating an informed answer to AI, bots, and modern technological and medical advances. (Read more.)