Thursday, April 26, 2018
Why Liberalism Failed
by Patrick J. Deneen
I wonder how many conservatives decided to read this book based on its title. I also wonder how they reacted to it. When Professor Deneen uses the term "liberalism", he's not talking of the left wing of American politics. Instead he's talking about the underlying ideology that encompasses both the "liberals" and "conservatives" of the modern political scene. Professor Deneen claims that, around five hundred years ago, European philosophers got it into their heads that the ancient concept of "liberty"--freedom from tyranny through the fostering of virtue--was off base, that it was rooted in irrational beliefs and social structures. They and their intellectual descendants instead sought the freedom of individual thought and action by trusting in competing self interests to keep would be tyrants at bay. Fast forward to 2018. The breakdowns were seeing in our society? They're not bugs, they're features. He argues that liberalism carries the seeds of its own destruction.
Not being all that political, I don't have an opinion on how valid this book is or not. Some parts definitely rang true, however. There have been plenty of times I wondered why neither the right nor the left seem able to accomplish their full agendas. ("Just the parts I don't like," he said cynically.) Of course, if he is correct, there are no quick, easy solutions. One thing just about everyone, right and left, can agree on is that we don't want to go back to the Middle Ages. So a better ideology and society will need to be worked out bit by bit in the years (decades? centuries?) to come.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
I wonder how many conservatives decided to read this book based on its title. I also wonder how they reacted to it. When Professor Deneen uses the term "liberalism", he's not talking of the left wing of American politics. Instead he's talking about the underlying ideology that encompasses both the "liberals" and "conservatives" of the modern political scene. Professor Deneen claims that, around five hundred years ago, European philosophers got it into their heads that the ancient concept of "liberty"--freedom from tyranny through the fostering of virtue--was off base, that it was rooted in irrational beliefs and social structures. They and their intellectual descendants instead sought the freedom of individual thought and action by trusting in competing self interests to keep would be tyrants at bay. Fast forward to 2018. The breakdowns were seeing in our society? They're not bugs, they're features. He argues that liberalism carries the seeds of its own destruction.
Not being all that political, I don't have an opinion on how valid this book is or not. Some parts definitely rang true, however. There have been plenty of times I wondered why neither the right nor the left seem able to accomplish their full agendas. ("Just the parts I don't like," he said cynically.) Of course, if he is correct, there are no quick, easy solutions. One thing just about everyone, right and left, can agree on is that we don't want to go back to the Middle Ages. So a better ideology and society will need to be worked out bit by bit in the years (decades? centuries?) to come.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Redemption
by Pete Abrams
The 13th collection of Sluggy Freelance completes the tale, started in volume 12, about Torg trapped in the "Dimension of Lame" which has been taken over by the demons from the Dimension of Pain. It's about this time in the history of the strip that long running plotlines became more prominent than laugh-out-loud shenanigans. But Redemption still offers plenty of giggles.
It's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link
The 13th collection of Sluggy Freelance completes the tale, started in volume 12, about Torg trapped in the "Dimension of Lame" which has been taken over by the demons from the Dimension of Pain. It's about this time in the history of the strip that long running plotlines became more prominent than laugh-out-loud shenanigans. But Redemption still offers plenty of giggles.
It's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf, PeteAbrams, SluggyFreelance
Sunday, April 15, 2018
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
by Alexander McCall Smith
Book 8 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. My thought after finishing this was that, despite the series name, it was more of a soap opera than a detective novel. But then, I had to admit, the mystery portion of the series has always been sparse. The real appeal of these books is the humorous interactions of the characters. Alas, despite some attempts at conflict and change, those, too are kind of flat and predictable. As waiting room material, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive succeeds, but that's about it.
LibraryThing link
Book 8 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. My thought after finishing this was that, despite the series name, it was more of a soap opera than a detective novel. But then, I had to admit, the mystery portion of the series has always been sparse. The real appeal of these books is the humorous interactions of the characters. Alas, despite some attempts at conflict and change, those, too are kind of flat and predictable. As waiting room material, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive succeeds, but that's about it.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AlexanderMcCallSmith, No1LadiesDetectiveAgency, WaitingRoomMaterial
Sunday, April 08, 2018
Sexual Morality in a Christless World
by Matthew Rueger
I grabbed this one because an ad piqued my interest. It promised a comparison between the sexual morality of the ancient world into which Christianity was born, and that of our modern age. Dr. Rueger delivered on that one. He actually presents the reader with two ancient worlds, looking at both the ancient Jewish culture from which Christianity sprung and the Greco-Roman culture within which to grew. It was a bit of an eye-opener. When reading it, I noticed that I have a bad habit of filling my ignorance of other cultures with late 20th Century American culture. The worlds Dr. Rueger presented were definitely not what I was assuming. 'Twas a slight shock, but the comparisons to Biblical teachings were interesting. Of course, as a pastor, Dr. Rueger is not writing to satisfy my curiosity. He then proceeds to bring in 21st Century American culture and likewise compare it to the teachings of the Bible. Again, it was interesting and helpful for those of us who want to try to live out those teachings in our daily lives.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
I grabbed this one because an ad piqued my interest. It promised a comparison between the sexual morality of the ancient world into which Christianity was born, and that of our modern age. Dr. Rueger delivered on that one. He actually presents the reader with two ancient worlds, looking at both the ancient Jewish culture from which Christianity sprung and the Greco-Roman culture within which to grew. It was a bit of an eye-opener. When reading it, I noticed that I have a bad habit of filling my ignorance of other cultures with late 20th Century American culture. The worlds Dr. Rueger presented were definitely not what I was assuming. 'Twas a slight shock, but the comparisons to Biblical teachings were interesting. Of course, as a pastor, Dr. Rueger is not writing to satisfy my curiosity. He then proceeds to bring in 21st Century American culture and likewise compare it to the teachings of the Bible. Again, it was interesting and helpful for those of us who want to try to live out those teachings in our daily lives.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
The Dark Frigate
by Charles Boardman Hawes
First read in January 2007.
It's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link
First read in January 2007.
It's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf
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