Learning to how to participate in the Christian Classical Tradition (CCT) has meant taking a giant leap into conversations that offered me an assessment of what I actually knew and what I didn’t know. I attended a typical American university that did not have an expansive classics department; however I was offered a classical tutorage under my Latin professor, Dr. Robert Wolverton. He gave me some great books to explore like the Odyssey, The Story of Civilization (series), and the Aeneid. The philosophy classes I took were more of heavy reading and little exploring, so needless to say, I have had a steep learning curve when entering into conversations on the sources for the CCT.
Noet is a company that pursues digital scholarship. The collections Noet puts together are a carefully selected core of works surrounding a topic. For me personally, this is exciting. I don’t have the time or funds to go back into college. Besides, isn’t the classical tradition about taking the initiative to self-educate. Noet provides the option for a digital library to continue learning even when we are wrestling small souls into their cosmic obligation.
My first impressions:
I chose to download the app to my computer since I do most of my research or explorations from my desktop sitting in my squeaky but comfy chair. The instructions from the Noet website were easily to follow providing clear directions for the most common operating systems. Overall, the time from install to the library completing loading was an hour. I could use my computer to do other work while it uploaded; it may cause some slowdown when using other programs. However, it wasn’t noticeable for me to stop working while the library downloaded.
The app has a variety of features that help to organize and maintain an ease of use for the massive amount of material. Some of my favorite features include the reading plans, auto-citations, and the ability to “clip” passages for later reference or commonplacing. My biggest pet peeve about reading online is that it’s hard to commonplace from what I am reading; however, the “clip” feature makes my computer reading more fruitful. Another beneficial feature is “collections’. This feature allows you to make a collection based around what you are researching.
One of the benefits of Noet is the cross referencing that is available. I can search for terms across many sources with minimal time exerted. Even though I am no longer working on university papers, as a mom with four young children, I don’t have the time to dig through massive amounts of material without knowing if I will find a deeper understanding.
Have I mentioned the collaboration aspect, yet? Its fabulous! If you have a group that is interested in learning and working together, Noet has a features that assist you in building a group, a group reading plan, and sharing research with one another. You can even see what other people are highlighting! How great would that be for us highchair scholars!?!
The Products:
I was given the Humanities Research Library to review. It includes the Classical Studies Research Library, Philosophy Research Library, Literature Research Library, and Biblical Greek Research Library. This collection is a powerhouse of original texts paired with translations that is suited for an advanced study of Homer, Virgil, etc. in the historical, philosophical, literary, and Biblical context.
If you are new to a scholarly study of the classics, Noet provides an “Introductory Series” that includes the Iliad, the Odyssey, Plato’s Dialogues, and several more classical works. There are smaller libraries as well that cover specific topics, so if you are interested in a specific time period of philosophy, literature, history, etc. you could find a match.
For the average homeschooling family or someone who is just acquainting themselves with the classics, Noet could be overwhelming. However, I think Noet is accessible and possibly necessary in time for those who want to delve deeper into the source material on which the current Classical Tradition is based. Regardless of where you are in your classical education, the exciting part is participating in the Tradition. Sometimes that means a conversation; sometimes, it’s reading a book; sometimes it’s taking that chance on letting go in order to give control back to God letting him lead your education. Noet has the potential to be a great option for this endeavor. Learn more at Noet.com, you will not be disappointed!
I’m Ashley, I blog over at Between the Linens, where I write about classical homeschool and liturgical living and am a Co-Host over at The Classical Homeschool podcast. I am a Catholic, a wife, a homeschooling mother, and a lover of wisdom. I grew up here and there eventually settling in Mississippi to finish out my bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. I graduated with a concentration in anthropology and classical studies. I loved academia, and I would have loved to pursue a position in the ranks. However, God had a much different plan. I left a master’s degree and a PHD offer to become a wife and mother. Last year, I was privileged to participate in the Circe Atrium where I was able to dive deeper into the principles of the Christian Classical Tradition. I believe that classical education is not just for our children. We are the parents and the primary educators of our children. As such, we have to be willing to heal our own organs of truth perception.
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