Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Modern Scholar: Classic Foundations  By  cover art

The Modern Scholar: Classic Foundations

By: Professor Carroll William Westfall
Narrated by: Professor Carroll William Westfall
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.75

Buy for $13.75

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In this engaging series of lectures, Carroll William Westfall, the University of Notre Dame's Frank Montana Professor of Architecture, delves into the classical principles of Western architecture. Exploring features such as ornamentation, decoration, and innovation, Professor Westfall shows how architecture is derived from the very principles that form the cornerstones of our civilization - and, with scholarly precision, he also demonstrates how this field of endeavor is rooted in nature itself.

©2012 Carroll William Westfall (P)2012 Crescite Group, LLC

What listeners say about The Modern Scholar: Classic Foundations

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Instructive but Boring

It can be very better if rearranged & re-narrated in a more enthusiastic voice. Recommended for early architectural students.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly fascinating!

Any additional comments?



In this short series of lectures, Professor Westfall brilliantly underscores the value of tradition in the fields of architecture and city building.  His points of view have clearly been polished by years of consideration and he integrates a variety of fields in his discussions: philosophy, history, political science, etc.

He succeeds in speaking of architecture without any illustrations.  Thus, though he largely shares the same positions, he comes out as the complement of Léon Krier who often expresses himself with drawings and very little text.

It must be pointed out that Professor Westfall, though critical of modernism,  is not at all closed to modernity.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poor Reviews got my Interest

When I read the poor reviews, I had to give it a listen to see what was so outrageous. The answer is, Westfall is not WOKE, which is apparently the offending factor. He is also old, white, and seems to believe in God... Outrageous.

The lectures where a refreshing discussion of how architecture developed with Western Civilization. Very interesting and profound. Also enjoyed the use of the male pronoun for mankind, music to my ears.

Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty that is all you need to know!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unstable foundation

More concerned with smoothing out architectural history and fighting modernist straw men than discussing Classical architecture.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Subject is interesting, delivery lackluster

I love looking at the arc of history and
it delivered on that. The hypothesis and conclusions are a bit muddy to me, but it is interesting to hear his point of view.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A gem of an articulate lecture

Was looking for the history and philosophy of architecture and came out with learning about a breadth of topics on not just architecture but also on urban planning and ultimately what it means to be a human living in a urban society. Even ended up buying a book written by Prof. Westfall to learn more about the subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!