Insight Forum

Posted On November 2, 2011

Reading Lonergan’s Insight: A Study of Human Understanding: Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm, alternate Saturdays. See Calendar for details.

This seminar meets live at the Lonergan Institute and online via the Internet, which allows Dr. David Fleischacker to conduct the seminar remotely from Bismarck, North Dakota. Dr. Ron Vardiman and Br. Dunstan Robidoux assist at the Institute in Washington, DC. The meetings begin on alternate Saturdays at 10:30 am and end at noon. To participate online via Skype, or to attend the seminar, please contact Br. Dunstan Robidoux. Below please find the weekly notes and podcasts from past seminars. Insight: A Study of Human Understanding by Bernard Lonergan, S.J.

Regular Participants: Dr. Ron Vardiman, Br. Dunstan Robidoux, Terrence Carlson, Kieran Dickinson and John Kohl in Washington, along with Ron Shady, Tony Russo, and Dr. David Nordquest online.

Podcasts and Outlines on Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

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October 19, 2013 Podcast Metaphysics, Myth, and the Third Stage of Meaning
June 1, 2013
May 11, 2013
April 27, 2013
April 20, 2013
April 6, 2013
March 16, 2013 Podcast Examining “degrees of freedom” (Insight 8.6) in terms of schemes of recurrence, conjugate forms, central forms, and various metaphysical notions.
January 26, 2013 Podcast Relating concrete inferences of classical laws, primary relativity and secondary determinations, and schemes of recurrence.
November 3, 2012 Podcast Metaphysics as Science: The Metaphysics Meaning of Relations — Intrinsic and Extrinsic relations, Concrete Relations
October 20, 2012 Podcast Metaphysics as Science: The Metaphysical Meaning of Relations — Relations within an explanatory context.
September 29, 2012 Podcast Metaphysics as Science: The Metaphysical Meaning of Distinctions
September 8, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: How the chapter built on the previous ones, Lonergan’s Contribution to the Field, Building on Aristotle and St. Thomas.
August 18, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: Contrasting Positions
July 14, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: Human Development, three levels, the final illustration of genetic method.
June 30, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: Psychic and Intellectual Development
March 24, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: Organic Development and Genetic Method. Good quality audio.
March 10, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: Genetic Method (“Genetic” = Developmental). Good quality audio.
February 25, 2012 Podcast Elements of Metaphysics: The Notion of Development
October 29, 2011 Podcast Outline Successive autonomous sciences and successive higher viewpoints, counter positional philosophy and reduction to the lowest science.
October 15, 2011 Podcast Outline
September 24, 2011 Podcast Outline Chapter 15, “Explanatory Genera and Species.” This session initiated a fundmental change in the discussions. Fleischacker is trying a commentary style on the text itself. The outlines reflect the questions of each section.
September 10, 2011 Podcast
July 16, 2011 Podcast (Elements of Metaphysics)
- [Podcast of recording that only contains voice of Fleischacker]. Unfortunately, the connection was poor, so this supplement might help to clarify some points that were missed on the institute side of the recording.
- May 28, 2011 Podcast [The Institute session was not working, so this discussion regarded the elements of metaphysics and included Tony Russo and Ron Shady–however it is a recording of Fleischacker only]
- June 4, 2011 Podcast [Br. Dunstan was in South Korea, so this session was a discussion between Tony Russo, Ron Shady, and David Fleischacker on Metaphysics, however it is a recording of Fleischacker only]
May 15, 2011 Podcast PowerPoint (Conjugate Potency, form, act)
March 26, 2001 Podcast (Introduction to Metaphysics)
January 29 2011 Podcast (Judgment)
January 15, 2011 Podcast
January 8, 2011 Podcast
December 11, 2010 Podcast Notes
November 20, 2010 Podcast Chapter 10 Notes
October 23, 2010 Podcast
October 9, 2010 Podcast Summary 8 Emergent Probability Things
September 25, 2010 Podcast
May 8, 2010 Podcast. INSIGHT 8.4 and 8.5 (“Things within Things” and “Things and Emergent Probability”).
April 17, 2010 Podcast.
March 27, 2010
March 13. 2010
February 27, 2010 Podcast.
January 16, 2010 Podcast. Outline.
December 5, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
November 14, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
October 17, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
September 26, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
September 19, 2009 Podcast. Recap. Outline.
June 13, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
April 25, 2009 Podcast.
March 14, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
February 28, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
February 21, 2009 Podcast. Schematic 1. Schematic 2.
January 31, 2009 Podcast. Outline.
December 6 , 2008 Podcast. Outline.
November 22, 2008 Podcast. Outline.
November 8, 2008 Podcast. Outline. Diagram.
October 25, 2008 Podcast. Outline. Insight Chapter 5: Concrete Space and Time. Frames of Reference.

Chapter 4 The Complementarity of Classical and Statistical Investigations

Section 1 Podcast. Outline. (Created March 8, 2008)
- Complementary Heuristic Structures
- Complementary Procedures
- Complementary Formulations
- Complementary Modes of Abstraction
- Complementary in Verification
- Complementary in Data Explained
Section 2.1 – 2.4 Podcast. Outline. (Created April 26, 2008)
- General Characteristics of the View
- Schemes of Recurrence
- The Probabilities of Schemes
- Emergent Probability
Section 2.5 Podcast. Outline. (Created May 10, 2008)
- Consequent Properties 1 and 2 of Emergent Probability
Section 2.5 Podcast. Outline. (Created May 24, 2008)
- Consequent properties 3-12 of Emergent Probability
Section 2.5 Podcast. (Created May 31, 2008)
- Emergent Probability
Section 2.5 Podcast. Human Examples. (Created September 13, 2008)
- Recap on Emergent Probability
- More Examples
Section 3 Podcast. Outline. (Created September 27, 2008)
- Emergent Probability in Contrast to Other World Views.

Chapter 3 Canons of Empirical Method

Sections 1 Podcast. Outline (Created September 29, 2007)
- Summary of Chapter 2
- Canon of Selection
Sections 2 and 3 Podcast. Outline (Created November 3, 2007)
- Canon of Operations
- Canon of Relevance.
Sections 4 and 5 Podcast. Outline. (Created November 17, 2007)
- Canon of Parsimony
- Canon of Complete Explanation
Sections 6.1 and 6.2 Podcast. Outline. (Created December 8, 2007)
- The General Argument for Statistical Residues
- The Notion of Abstraction
Sections 6.2 (continued) and 6.3 Podcast. Outline 6.2. Outline 6.3. (Created January 19, 2008)
- The Meaning of Abstraction
- The Abstractness of Classical Laws
Sections 6.5 Podcast. Outline. (Created February 2, 2008)
- The Existence of Statistical Residues

Chapter 2 Heuristic Structures of Empirical Method

Sections 1 – 2.3 Podcast. Outline. (Created April 14, 2007)
- Comparison of Mathematical and Scientific Insights
- Introduction to Classical Heuristic Structures
- Understanding the Nature of….
- Classifications based on sensible similarity vs. explanatory similarity.
Section 2.4 Podcast. Outline. (Created April 28, 2007)
- Differential Equations in Classical Heuristic Structures
Sections 2.5 and 2.6 Podcast. Outline. (Created May 12, 2007)
- Invariance in Classical Laws.
Section 3 Podcast. (Created June 2, 2007)
- Concrete Inferences from Classical Laws.
- Systematic and Non-Systematic Process.
Section 4.1 Podcast. Outline. (Created June 30, 2007)
- Systematic and Non-Systematic Process
- Contrast of Classical and Statistical Heuristic Structures
Sections 4.2 – 4.4 Podcast. Outline. (Created September 15, 2007)
- Inverse Insight and Statistical Method
- The Nature of Probability
- Analogy of Classical and Statistical Heuristic Structures

Chapter 1 Elements

Introduction Podcast. Outline. (created January 20, 2007)
Sections 1 and 2 Podcast. Outline. (created February 3, 2007)
- A Dramatic Instance
- Definitions
Sections 2 continued and 3 Podcast. Outline. (created February 17, 2007)
- Definitions
- Higher Viewpoints
Section 3 (cont) Podcast. Outline. (created March 3, 2007)
- Higher Viewpoints
Section 4 Podcast. Outline. (created March 17, 2007)
- Inverse Insight
Section 5 Podcast. Outline. (created March 31, 2007)
- Empirical Residue