When Francis of Assisi referred to nature as his sister, he was being deeply Christian. There are three options for viewing the natural world: it can be our mother, our whore, or our sister. Paganism gives us mother nature; the earth itself, not a transcendent God, is the generator of mankind. It is therefore to … More Sister Earth
This is not for pleasure reading. Most people can race through their favorite pulp fiction writers in no time flat. But to read long or dense works, while infinitely rewarding, requires some ground rules. #1. Have a tangible reason This might seem like a no-brainer. Of course, you are reading to better yourself, gain knowledge, … More Five Rules for Reading Better
What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? … More The Glory of God in Man
Nathaniel Hawthorne — The House of the Seven Gables, The Scarlet Letter (3rd reading) Plato — The Republic, Theaetetus, Timaeus, Sophist, Statesman John Steinbeck — Cannery Row Justin Martyr — First Apology L. M. Montgomery — The Blue Castle (2nd reading), The Story Girl (2nd reading), The Golden Road (2nd reading), Anne of the Island … More Books I Read or Listened to in 2022 📚
There is such a thing as ‘the good life.’ No living person has entirely lived it, some may be closer to it than others. The goal all seek is this good life. It is seen from afar and proves elusive to many. People fill their lives with chasing the wind in this cause; those who … More Essence and the Good Life
Rules: Find a book for each of your initials (Alexander C. Young): Anna Karenina — Leo Tolstoy City of God — St. Augustine The YOUNG Fur Traders — Ballantyne Count your age along your bookshelf: what book is it? The Major Works of Anselm of Canterbury Pick a book set in your city/country: Images of … More My Life in Books blog tag
On going to the grave of my great-grandparents one of the first things I did was to reach out and touch the cold granite headstone, bearing their names and dates. Thomas boastfully stated that he would not believe unless he touched the risen Christ, and John records of Jesus that, “(Him) we have looked upon, … More Communion and the Physical
This book is about how, as a culture, saying, “I am a woman trapped inside a man’s body,” seems to make sense to many. What had to take place in a culture for that bit of nonsense, or at least that which would have seemed nonsense to most human beings across history, to be … More The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Book Review
Aristotle was the most influential student of Plato. He was born in the half Greek kingdom of Macedon, and at a young age studied at Plato’s academy. He was a philosopher, scientist, and researcher who left his finger prints on most academic interests, from the digestion of animals, to theories of ethics and metaphysics; he … More Notes on Aristotle
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics can be outlined, as Aristotle himself states in the text, “the excellences, the forms of friendship, the varieties of pleasure… [and] the nature of happiness.” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, The Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume Two Princeton University Press, 1984. Page 1854.) This is a book not only on moral theory, but one … More Review of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Reflective Wanderer 