As students and teachers return to schools, many of us (those within the educational system and without) may be inspired to revisit what it means to lead an intellectual life. What is the intellectual life? And how does a person whose career exists outside of academia pursue it? For some of us, the term “the intellectual life” may bring to mind vague images of men smoking pipes, all of whom look a bit like Chesterton or Lewis or Tolkien, discussing some lofty concepts that are never brought down to earth. In an effort to make this idea more concrete, we’ve compiled a list of a few books to begin to explain and inspire the intellectual life in any stage of life. 

1. The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods by A. G. Sertillanges, O.P.

This small book is an obvious inclusion in any discussion on the intellectual life. It sets out the goals and methods of the intellectual life; that is, how to pursue truth for the sake of the One who created it. What area within which a person pursues truth will be determined the specific individual and their interests and skills. This book also devotes a significant amount of time to practical suggestions, from how many hours a day should be devoted to study (although this can be adapted for those in different circumstances) to suggestions on how to take and organize notes. This is an excellent choice for anyone looking to better understand the concept and practicalities of the intellectual life. 

2. Happiness and Contemplation by Josef Pieper

In this short but profound work, Pieper gives voice to the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as many others in the Greek and medieval philosophy tradition. The first half of the book examines the nature of happiness: what it is and how it can be sought. In the next, he shows the connection between happiness (beholding God) and contemplation of this highest good. He closes by laying forth arguments against his theses, explaining his counterargument to these and finally, by defending the value of contemplation in our modern world.

3. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

A Canticle for Leibowitz is a fictional novel set in a post-apocalyptic time. It begins close enough to the apocalyptic event that the world is still set in a primitive state and follows the progression of civilization through several hundred years. Although the book does not have a main character due to the great leaps in time between the three acts, it centers around an order of Catholic monks. The mission of this order of monks is the collecting, protecting, and handing on any bits of pre-apocalypse knowledge they can find and save.  It will inspire reflection on why learning and knowledge are important, what our responsibility is in using the knowledge we gain, and our reason for developing knowledge.

4. Five Dialogues by Plato

These dialogues, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, and Phaedo, are an excellent introduction to Plato’s philosophical thought.  They take the form of conversations between Socrates and his peers and each often focuses on a particular theme. The whole can be useful to those pursuing the intellectual life, but a search for and focus on Socrates’ commitment to truth would be particularly beneficial. Although Plato was, of course, not a Christian, his conviction to truth is inspiring, especially in Socrates’ final trial.  

5. The Power of Silence by Robert Cardinal Sarah

This book could be an edifying choice as a companion read to Happiness and Contemplation. Cardinal Sarah gives us a breath of fresh air in this antidote to the “dictatorship of noise” that has overtaken our modern society. There can be no contemplation, intellectual life, or even cohesive thoughts if there is no silence. The world makes a desperate and unending attempt to steal silence from us, filling our days with noise from all corners. These distractions, in whatever form we choose, fill our hours with fluff: empty, vacuous, and superficial noise can take all our attention, if we let it. This leaves us with nothing left to devote to the pursuit of truth. 

Practicing an intellectual life can feel overwhelming to those of us with unrelated jobs or small children (or children of any age!). However, when we see the intellectual life as pursuing truth because God Himself created truth, hopefully it begins to seem a little less daunting. We can begin by cutting out some of the unnecessary noise that fills our days, whether that be social media, news, TV, or idle gossip. In the space that leaves us, let us turn our minds to higher things: for some that may be a pure contemplation of theology, for others a dive into a particular topic that interests them, remembering that God created this world for us to enjoy.