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Wednesday morning dawned with promises of more Euclid demonstrations for students on the One-Week California Great Books Program. Well-rested after Tuesday night’s dorm parties, they met up in the Coffee Shop before classes to get in some last-minute practice. Prefects had prepared refreshing iced matcha and cold brews topped with flavored cold foam, and students sipped and chatted, discussing their upcoming Euclid demonstrations and plans for the day. 

At 9:30 a.m., they all made their way back to their classrooms in St. Gladys Hall, where they demonstrated Propositions , , and from Book I of Euclid’s Elements. This morning’s props proved the side-angle-side theorem — how to bisect a given angle, and how to bisect a finite straight line — all from first principles. “I really like how Euclid proves something and then keeps building off himself,” Bridget C. shared. 

Following class, many students made their way to midmorning Mass before dining on a tasty lunch of burgers, fries, and apple walnut salad. Then, at the day’s second class, students received their first taste of philosophy in TAC’s academic program by examining the extant works of the pre-Socratic philosophers — fragments of writings from the movers of thought from before Socrates’ time.

Writers such as Empedocles, Democritus, and Epicurus began shaping the way ancient thinkers viewed various matters, including physics and metaphysics, generation and corruption, and even a small glimpse into atomic theory! The Pre-Socratics, in all their fragmented glory, are a challenging read, and the students worked hard to piece together what these different ideas might mean. Tomorrow, they will have the opportunity to compare these writings to Sacred Scripture’s account of Creation in Genesis, which is sure to spark a great discussion. 

Having mulled long and hard over these thinkers in the land before Socrates, students exited class at 2:30 p.m., ready for another full afternoon of swing dancing and recreation, including a basketball tournament! This evening also brings the much-anticipated open-mic night, with a stacked lineup of talent to be seen.

Come back to the Summer Program Blog tomorrow morning to hear all about Wednesday’s activities! 

More photos from the High School Summer Program

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