MM#252--Lincoln + Euclid = A Reason To Read & Study The Classics

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, i am David and welcome back to another Mojo Minute Now. Last week we talked about St Thomas Aquinas and our many philosophy 101 course Be sure to check that out And we chatted that day about our 16th president of the United States, abraham Lincoln, who had a unique approach to learning the law through, of all things, mathematics Not. Lincoln was a man of many talents and among them was his ability to practice law, which he learned through self-study. A fascinating topic, in fact. Let's grab our first pull quote from Carl Sandberg's monumental biography about Lincoln, the Prairie Years. And before we do a little backstory, sandberg wrote the popular multi-volume biography Abraham Lincoln the Prairie Years two volumes in 1926, which we're going to go to for our quote today. But if you're a nerd like me, this is kind of a big deal. You can get this book now on Kindle And that's just fascinating. So all book nerds unite behind the classics and these great biographies that were written well before the digital revolution, and now we are getting that stuff on Kindle. So that is very, very exciting. So I wanted to share that little tidbit with you as a little mini nugget of wisdom that can be a little bonus for you. So with that let's go to the book to learn about Carl Sandberg and how he wrote about Lincoln studying mathematics. Lincoln bought a book on logic, studied how to untangle fallacies and derive an exorbitant conclusion from established facts On the circuit. When, with other lawyers to embed eight or ten in one hotel room, lincoln read Euclid by the light of candle after others had dropped off to sleep, herndon and Lincoln had the same bed one night and Herndon noticed his partner's legs pushing their feet out beyond the footboard of the bed as he held Euclid close to the candle light. And later on we learned that when Lincoln was running for president in 1860, they picked up on Euclid again and asked him about it. Going back to the book, john Locke Scripps, a Chicago Tribune editor, had a long interview with Lincoln and on his request Lincoln wrote for his use a 2,500 word autobiography. From this Scripps wrote a 32 page close print pamphlet titled Life of Abraham Lincoln. Scripps wrote to a brother I've been getting out a campaign, life of Lincoln for the million, which is published simultaneously by us, the Chicago Tribune, and by the New York Tribune. Those Scripps was rushed and wrote against time. He produced a little book pack with a charming, readable story, having documents and dignity. Now, a million copies at five cents apiece meant millions of readers now had a few answers to who and what is this Abraham Lincoln guy? Who are his folks, his ways, his looks, his home, his beliefs and policies? his education Was he never in college or in an academy as a student and was never in fact inside of a college or an academy building until he had commenced the practice of law? He studied English grammar after he was 23 years of age, and then we get the nugget of wisdom. He studied the six books of Euclid after he had served a term in Congress and when he was 40 years of age, amid the pressure of an extensive legal practice. He knew about hard work, from splitting rails, pulling the crosscut in the whipsaw, driving the frow or the plowing, harrowing, planting, hoeing, harvesting. he knew about sports and wrestling, jumping, running, throwing them all and pitching the crowbar. He always stood first among those of his own age, wrote John Locke Scripps. So that was a fascinating little tidbit of the 32 page close print pamphlet titled Life of Abraham Lincoln, which was written after the convention and for the 1860 presidential election. Again, we got that quote from Carl Sandberg's Lincoln the Prairie Years, which was written again in 1926 and then, some 13 years later, sandberg would complete the rest of the total of six volumes. So he would complete the other four volumes titled Abraham Lincoln the War Years. He did that in 1939. It's known collectively as the best-selling, most widely read and most influential book on Lincoln. And then in 1954, samberg distilled all six volumes, thankfully, into one volume edition, and you can get that on Kindle as well. But back to Lincoln and Euclid. Lincoln believed that studying mathematics would aid him in learning the law and improve his analytical thinking and logical deductions By reading Euclid's elements to prepare himself for legal reasoning and argumentation. Now, euclid's elements are a collection of mathematical axioms and theorems that teach its readers to reason by using logic. Lincoln saw the overlap between mathematical deduction and legal argumentation and therefore he applied Euclidean that's a word I thought it was, so I included it Euclidean reasoning in his legal practice. Using math skills in his legal practice helped Lincoln become one of the most effective advocates in American legal history and, for that matter, in American history. We see that in his speeches, especially during the Civil War, he learned the importance of rigorous arguments, mastering the facts of the case and the value of concise and straightforward explanations. Lincoln's love for mathematics is a powerful reminder of the value of interdisciplinary learning. In fact, i make the case Lincoln is teaching us, he's giving us the example to study the classics. I know the classics are not in vogue, classics are not popular anymore, but they ought to be, and we at the Mojo Academy are going to make every effort to support that theory. We'll start doing reviews on some of the classics coming up in this next year. Now, to be successful in any profession, you need a broad range of skills, including analytical thinking and logical reasoning. Mathematics is an excellent tool to develop these skills. So in today's Mojo Minute, abraham Lincoln's approach to learning and his unique blend of mathematics and law paved the way for his success as a lawyer and ultimately as president. And he gives us the example. His legacy teaches us that studying the classics can lead to remarkable success and make learning a lifelong process. And making a lifelong process is putting you on the path to flourishing.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at team mojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your Mojo on.