What Aristotle Got Wrong About Work (and What Christ Set ...

What this episode covers

Dr. Jacob Imam of The College of St. Joseph the Worker and New Polity joins Jason to talk about a school that refuses to choose between the life of the mind and the life of the hands. The College of St. Joseph the Worker trains men in both the Catholic intellectual tradition and the skilled trades, graduating students with two certifications and no debt.In This Episode, We Cover:Dr. Imam's origin story: raised by a lapsed Muslim father and an evangelical Protestant mother in Seattle, and the conversion that followedThe founding vision of the College of St. Joseph the WorkerThe ancient pagan contempt for manual labor, from Aristotle's Politics to Cicero's On Duties, and how Christ's years at a carpenter's bench eradicated all of itWhy the liberal arts and the manual arts don't compete but strengthen each otherThe crisis in American construction, the rootlessness at its root, and the debt every graduate carries back to the community that formed himChapters:00:00: Introduction01:29: Jacob Imam's Origin Story13:09: What Is the College of St. Joseph the Worker?16:41: How Higher Education Has Failed19:56: The Ancient Case Against Manual Labor—and Why Christ Changed Everything28:45: The Active and Contemplative Life32:37: Students Arriving at the College35:33: The Trades Crisis: Why Now37:28: Why Modern Homes Are Built to Fail49:42: Going Away to Come Back BetterResources Mentioned:College of St. Joseph the WorkerNew PolityJOIN 2500+ MEN READING SERIOUS, YET ACCESSIBLE ESSAYS ON VIRTUE, CULTURE, AND LIVING WELL: https://fraternus.org/sword-and-spade/Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Sword&Spade?

This episode is 57 minutes long.

When was this Sword&Spade episode published?

This episode was published on April 30, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Dr. Jacob Imam of The College of St. Joseph the Worker and New Polity joins Jason to talk about a school that refuses to choose between the life of the mind and the life of the hands. The College of St. Joseph the Worker trains men in both the...

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

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