The Great Books

One of my goals for the next year is to complete a survey of world history via the great books. I am currently up to the Roman Empire. Hopefully, the next ten months or so will see me through the Early Church, Medieval literature, Enlightenment philosophy, the Revolutionary war, all the way up to Marx, Darwin, Nietzche and Freud.

Shadows in the Cave: Plato's Allegory in C.S. Lewis

Since it was first published, C.S. Lewis’s series for children, The Chronicles of Narnia, has gained worldwide acclaim. However, the ideas contained within the Chronicles’ pages are far from average storybook fare. In the seventh and final book, The Last Battle, Lewis introduces the concept of Shadowlands: that this physical world is only a reflection of actual reality, and that Heaven will be the fulfillment and perfection of the good we see on earth. This idea is powerful and inspiring on its own, however, as the reader’s literary experience grows, new depths of meaning to this idea appear. His oft-repeated statement, “It’s all in Plato,” sheds light on the origins of the philosophy behind the concept of Shadowlands. On the basis of a passage in Plato’s Republic, C.S. Lewis constructed a profound view of reality in this world and the next.

"The Law," Government Regulation, and Personal Responsibility

Today, the United States government regulates almost every sector of its citizens’ lives. It supports citizens that cannot or could not support themselves. It funds public schools to ensure its citizens know what it determines they should. It even monitors marriage. Within the past several months, it has paid out $700 billion in taxpayer money to bail out the mortgage industry, and then proposed spending almost 800 more on a stimulus package. In the midst of all this activity, few people have stopped to ask whether the government should actually be doing any of these things. Fortunately, Frederic Bastiat answered this question over a century ago in his treatise, The Law. In particular, he masterfully addresses the distinction between the roles of government and society, and in particular why the law should enforce justice and not other sectors of society.

The Word is Alive

Looking out from His throne,

the Father of light and of men

Chose to make Himself known

and show us the way back to Him.

Speaking wisdom and truth

into the hearts

of peasants and kings,

He began to unveil

the Word that would change

the course of all things.

Musicals as Literature

"Midnight. Not a sound from the pavement. Has the moon lost her memory? She's smiling alone. In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet, and the wind begins to moan." This lyric is famous as a part of the incredibly popular solo "Memory," from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, "Cats." It is an emotional and impressive piece. However, how many people actually stop and just think about the words?