Heretics
20 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 14 years ago - ★★★★★ - 39 ratings"Heretics," a series of essays by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. First published in 1905. Read by David "Grizzly" Smith.
Chesterton had a sense of humor, had a sense of drama, and had sense. He was a man of strong opinions, and quite willing to argue vehemently for his own opinions, even with his friends -- and they remained his friends -- like George Bernard Shaw and Rudyard Kipling. Seems to me that's hard to find anymore.
He wrote prolifically. He wrote humor. He wrote mystery novels, the Father Brown mysteries in particular. But he also wrote his opinions, his religious opinions and his opinions about religion. "Heretics" is a book about religion and politics, theory and fact, morals and efficiency.
What I most admire about "Heretics," written a bit over a century ago, is that his arguments are exceptional, and that so many of them are still quite recognizably true. He argues that the weakening and devaluing of religion has also weakened and devalued heresy. He argues that people should be able to speak freely -- but that freedom of speech has actually decreased people's willingness to speak about important issues. And so much more.
The one disclaimer I feel I must offer is that this book was "timely." Some of the people and events he mentions will be familiar. Many other people and events would have been familiar to you, if you'd lived in England at the beginning of the last century.
The ideas he opposes, however, are either regaining popularity, or have never lost it. And his arguments are as valid and wise now as they were. In some ways, he was ahead of his time. You may disagree with him, but you can't deny his intelligence and wisdom.
This isn't the book you might expect it to be. I think you'll enjoy it, and maybe even learn something. Even if you disagree.
Book Theme: "Thaxted," written by Gustav Holst, arranged by Kevin MacLeod
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Heretics 20 - Thank You
March 15, 2010 15:54 - 2 minutes - 1.85 MBEpisode 21 - Thank you. If you liked this book, I hope you'll listen to the several others I've recorded for Podiobooks.com...
Heretics 19
February 28, 2010 04:47 - 33 minutes - 31 MBPart 20, "Closing Remarks on the Importance of Orthodoxy"
Heretics 17
February 22, 2010 13:39 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBPart 18, "The Fallacy of the Young Nation"
Heretics 15
November 16, 2009 00:08 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBPart 16, "On Mr. McCabe and a Divine Frivolity"
Heretics 14
October 29, 2009 19:27 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBPart 15, "On Smart Novelists and the Smart Set"
Heretics 13
October 23, 2009 20:36 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBPart 14, "On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family"
Heretics 11
October 10, 2009 04:33 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBPart 12, "Paganism and Mr Lowes Dickinson"
Heretics 09
September 24, 2009 05:30 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBPart 9, "The Moods of Mr. George Moore" Part 10, "On Sandals and Simplicity"
Heretics 08
September 17, 2009 23:09 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBPart 8, "The Mildness of the Yellow Press"
Heretics 03
July 07, 2009 08:46 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBPart 3, "On Mr. Rudyard Kipling and Making the World Small"
Heretics 01
July 03, 2009 23:10 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBPart 1, "Introductory Remarks on the Importance of Orthodoxy"