Simple Gifts

C. S. Lewis’ ”Historicism,” Part 1

The movement of historicism as a dangerous attitude pervading the modern and contemporary world is here analyzed. For those familiar with the Christian Atheist podcasts on Hegel, you will find a great deal of value in Lewis's explication of this intellectual movement, and probably greater clarity of expression than I manage!
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W B Yeats: Three Poems of loss, violence and hope

In "Easter 1916" Yeats commemorates the failed Irish Nationalist uprising of April 24, 1916. Its participants are
All changed, changed utterly:   
A terrible beauty is born.
 
In "Death" the poet muses on the nature of human consciousness as unique and tragic: creative, noble, brave and self-aware.
In the sonnet, "Leda and the Swan," Yeats recounts Zeus's rape of Leda, mother of the Trojan war. This is one of Yeats' most celebrated poems.
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George Orwell’s 1984. Part 2, Chapter 8, Part 2

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net

Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 9, Part 4

Book 9 of REPUBLIC begins by addressing the psychological makeup of the tyrant. It is remarkable for it psychoanalytical depth and insight. Using the content of the previous 8 books, Socrates argues that the tyrant is the most miserable of men, and his opposite, the philosopher-king, the most blessed and just.
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The Alamo Letters

The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) became an iconic moment in American history. "Remember the Alamo" was a battle cry meant to inspire us with the honor and bravery of those who defended it with their lives.
James Bowie's letter (yes, that James Bowie who invented the Bowie knife) was sent on February 2nd, 1836. It is perhaps both amusing and comforting to note that he designated the year as 1835 in his letter. You know how difficult it is to make the transition when a new year comes around! The most famous words from the letter are these:
"Col. Neill & Myself have come to the solemn resolution that we would rather die in these ditches than give it up to the enemy. These citizens deserve our protection and the public safety demands our lives rather than to evacuate this post to the enemy."
The second selection, the Travis letter, is also a plea for reinforcements. Sent a day after the siege of the Alamo had begun, it ends with the iconic declaration, "victory or death."
 
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W B Yeats: Three Poems

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was Irish, and is one of the great English poets. We center his poetry this month, beginning, appropriately, with love poetry.
In this month of Valentine's Day, each poem I read speaks of my love for my Jenny, and Yeats is fertile ground!
In "Words" the poet muses on his hard-won gift for poetry. He references what T. S. Eliot calls the "intolerable wrestle with words and meanings," the discipline of the poetic diction. It is a struggle, he declares, to be understood, to express the deepest meanings of the heart and mind. While fighting the battle, the poet "grew weary of the sun," until he succeeds, he thinks, in making his thoughts "plain" to his beloved - "I have come into my strength / And words obey my call." Alas, each success is also failure, but had SHE yielded to his suit:
I might have thrown poor words awayAnd been content to live.
 
In "The Two Trees," Yeats contrasts reality and self-perception, Time and eternity , and the eternal internal truth with the infernal internal lie. We nurture with our attention each thing that grows in our soul, and the fruit we reap follows upon that fertilizing attention. As in our podcast, The Christian Atheist, our self-reflection requires our choice and direction.
 
One of Yeats' most famous poems, "Sailing to Byzantium," written in 1926 is rich with poetic metaphor, and expresses well those years l'entre deux guerres. It is a journey well worth taking. Enjoy!
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 8, Part 1

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 9, Part 3

Book 9 of REPUBLIC begins by addressing the psychological makeup of the tyrant. It is remarkable for it psychoanalytical depth and insight. Using the content of the previous 8 books, Socrates argues that the tyrant is the most miserable of men, and his opposite, the philosopher-king, the most blessed and just.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Speech

On January 17th, 1961 President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to the nation on TV. He had served two full terms, from 1953, and was at the time the oldest president in history, handing down the reins of government to the youngest man to serve, John F. Kennedy. It was prescient and timely, and is perhaps best known for coining the term of warning, "the military industrial complex."
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C S Lewis’ ”Ethics,” Part 3

One of my favorite stand-alone essays by C S Lewis. His usual incisiveness is evident here, cutting through the noise and smoke and grounding the discussion in fundamentals.
In our pluralistic society we fancy that our "modern" understanding has revealed a variety of discrete ethical codes from which we might choose. This is a lie. There are no new ethics:
"Let us very clearly understand that ... it is no more possible to invent a new ethics than to place a new sun in the sky. Some precept from traditional morality always has to be assumed.... New moralities can only be contractions or expansions of something already given. And all the specifically modern attempts at new moralities are contractions. They proceed by retaining some traditional precepts and rejecting others: but the only real authority behind those which they retain is the very same authority which they flout in rejecting others. Of course this inconsistency is concealed; usually ... by a refusal to recognize the precepts that are retained as moral precepts at all."
The impulse to limit, or pare down morality by exalting one injunction above the others leads to ideology, to identity politics as we see it so prevalently in today's world. This impulse, Lewis rightly tells us, is built on a lie concerning the nature of morality itself, which is universal, not particular. It is a built-in feature of the cosmos, and if it is not that, it is nothing at all:
"You are deceived in thinking that the morality of your father was based on Christianity. On the contrary, Christianity presupposed it. That morality stands exactly where it did; its basis has not been withdrawn for, in a sense, it never had a basis. The ultimate ethical injunctions have always been premisses, never conclusions. Kant was perfectly right on that point at least: the imperative is categorical. Unless the ethical is assumed from the outset, no argument will bring you to it."
The ideological view of morality that makes it relative and consequentialist finds its modern foundation in the philosophy of Hegel. I invite all my listeners to my extended treatment of Hegel in the Christian Atheist podcast. Christians must become aware both of the origin and the nature of the threat to theism in our modern world.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net

Happy Valentine’s Day, Jenny! An original love poem for my BEAUTIFUL wife!

Qu'ils sont beaux les pieds, "How Beautiful are the Feet" (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15) is my love song to my Jenny this Valentine's Day! My love has only grown exponentially since we married. My one earthly goal is to spend every available second with her!
Yeats' poem "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" was my foundational poetic influence in writing this piece, but there were many, many more, some of which I trace out in this episode.
Happy Valentine's Day to the love of my life!
 
         Qu’ils Sont Beaux Les Pieds
 
I have spread my dreams under your feet
For they speak to me of Golden Mean
Of swirls and curly fractal stream
Scent, sight, tactile complete
Complement-whorl in all ways meet
 
You, transcendent cloth in immanent flesh-
I, being poor, naught can commend
But dreams of you I receive and send -
The clothes of heaven in poverty dress
Unless thus enrobed your feet shall press
              Upon my dreams
 
Tread softly, my Love, for what dreams may come
Through which our mortal coils may travel
Roads taken & not taken ravel & unravel
Though past is past, it is not the sum
 
For Time is not an unbroken arrow
Parallel treks we’ve trod in struggle
Converge in One a history double
Time-tethered we, within our marrow,
Revise what was through what will follow
 
From Pieds Beaux you spiraling rise
Tripped too often by syncopated schism
Now dance with me in measured rhythm
To theme-captured melody from your eyes
Woven with dreams in cloths of skies
 
© John Wise, February, 2022
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 7

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 9, Part 2

Book 9 of REPUBLIC begins by addressing the psychological makeup of the tyrant. It is remarkable for it psychoanalytical depth and insight. Using the content of the previous 8 books, Socrates argues that the tyrant is the most miserable of men, and his opposite, the philosopher-king, the most blessed and just.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell Address, 1951, Part 2

On April 10th, 1951 President Harry Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur from his command in the Pacific. MacArthur's vision of an escalated conflict in Korea in which the increased Chinese involvement be effectively countered in its communist military expansion, stood in contrast to the Truman administration's policy of Europe-first, and, some might say, appeasement of the Communist threat. In a letter to the Republican House minority leader (March 20th, 1951), MacArthur had said:
My views and recommendations with respect to the situation created by Red China’s entry into war against us in Korea have been submitted to Washington in most complete detail. Generally, these views are well known and clearly understood, as they follow the conventional pattern of meeting force with maximum counterforce.... It seems strangely difficult for some to realize that here in Asia is where the Communist conspirators have elected to make their play for global conquest and that we have joined the issue thus raised on the battlefield; that here we fight Europe’s war with arms while the diplomatic there still fight it with words; that if we lose the war to communism in Asia the fall of Europe is inevitable, win it and Europe most probably would avoid war and yet preserve freedom. As you pointed out, we must win. There is no substitute for victory.
Relieved of his command, his military service over, MacArthur gave this farewell to service speech to the Congress on the 18th of April, 1951.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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C. S. Lewis’ ”Ethics,” Part 2

One of my favorite stand-alone essays by C S Lewis. His usual incisiveness is evident here, cutting through the noise and smoke and grounding the discussion in fundamentals.
In our pluralistic society we fancy that our "modern" understanding has revealed a variety of discrete ethical codes from which we might choose. This is a lie. There are no new ethics:
"Let us very clearly understand that ... it is no more possible to invent a new ethics than to place a new sun in the sky. Some precept from traditional morality always has to be assumed.... New moralities can only be contractions or expansions of something already given. And all the specifically modern attempts at new moralities are contractions. They proceed by retaining some traditional precepts and rejecting others: but the only real authority behind those which they retain is the very same authority which they flout in rejecting others. Of course this inconsistency is concealed; usually ... by a refusal to recognize the precepts that are retained as moral precepts at all."
The impulse to limit, or pare down morality by exalting one injunction above the others leads to ideology, to identity politics as we see it so prevalently in today's world. This impulse, Lewis rightly tells us, is built on a lie concerning the nature of morality itself, which is universal, not particular. It is a built-in feature of the cosmos, and if it is not that, it is nothing at all:
"You are deceived in thinking that the morality of your father was based on Christianity. On the contrary, Christianity presupposed it. That morality stands exactly where it did; its basis has not been withdrawn for, in a sense, it never had a basis. The ultimate ethical injunctions have always been premisses, never conclusions. Kant was perfectly right on that point at least: the imperative is categorical. Unless the ethical is assumed from the outset, no argument will bring you to it."
The ideological view of morality that makes it relative and consequentialist finds its modern foundation in the philosophy of Hegel. I invite all my listeners to my extended treatment of Hegel in the Christian Atheist podcast. Christians must become aware both of the origin and the nature of the threat to theism in our modern world.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net

W B Yeats: Three Love Poems

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was Irish, and is one of the great English poets. We center his poetry this month, beginning, appropriately, with love poetry.
In this month of Valentine's Day, with each love poem I read I am suffused with my love for my own 'pearl of great price,' my Jenny. Stay tuned, as next week I will present an original love poem that I wrote for her this Valentine's day, inspired by Yeats' poetry. See if you can find resonances from these three poems in Jenny's poem next week!
To my Jenny: each and every day is magic with you in it! You ARE my heart!
In "The White Birds," an early poem, Yeats wistfully contemplates the eternality of love in a time-bound and limited framework. He wrote it a day after being rejected in his first marriage proposal to his lifelong "unrequited love," Maud Gonne. I love this poem, as it displays how for the poet the particular becomes the universal (Maud loved seagulls).
In "The Lover Tells of the Rose in His Heart," Yeats contrasts the perfection of love with the imperfection and pain in the world, wishing he could remake it to match the beauty and perfection he finds in the Ideal.
"The Cap and Bells" will speak for itself.
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 6

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 9, Part 1

Book 9 of REPUBLIC begins by addressing the psychological makeup of the tyrant. It is remarkable for it psychoanalytical depth and insight. Using the content of the previous 8 books, Socrates argues that the tyrant is the most miserable of men, and his opposite, the philosopher-king, the most blessed and just.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell Address, 1951, Part 1

On April 10th, 1951 President Harry Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur from his command in the Pacific. MacArthur's vision of an escalated conflict in Korea in which the increased Chinese involvement be effectively countered in its communist military expansion, stood in contrast to the Truman administration's policy of Europe-first, and, some might say, appeasement of the Communist threat. In a letter to the Republican House minority leader (March 20th, 1951), MacArthur had said:
My views and recommendations with respect to the situation created by Red China’s entry into war against us in Korea have been submitted to Washington in most complete detail. Generally, these views are well known and clearly understood, as they follow the conventional pattern of meeting force with maximum counterforce.... It seems strangely difficult for some to realize that here in Asia is where the Communist conspirators have elected to make their play for global conquest and that we have joined the issue thus raised on the battlefield; that here we fight Europe’s war with arms while the diplomatic there still fight it with words; that if we lose the war to communism in Asia the fall of Europe is inevitable, win it and Europe most probably would avoid war and yet preserve freedom. As you pointed out, we must win. There is no substitute for victory.
Relieved of his command, his military service over, MacArthur gave this farewell to service speech to the Congress on the 18th of April, 1951.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#unitedstatesofamerica #worldwartwo #worldwarii #worldwar2 #worldwariigeneral #general #wargeneral #coldwar #koreanwar #communism #freeworld #macarthur #douglasmacarthur #douglasmacarthurspeech #macarthurswansong #macarthurretirement #china #congressionalspeech #messagetocongress

C S Lewis’ ”Ethics,” Part 1

One of my favorite stand-alone essays by C S Lewis. His usual incisiveness is evident here, cutting through the noise and smoke and grounding the discussion in fundamentals.
In our pluralistic society we fancy that our "modern" understanding has revealed a variety of discrete ethical codes from which we might choose. This is a lie. There are no new ethics:
"Let us very clearly understand that ... it is no more possible to invent a new ethics than to place a new sun in the sky. Some precept from traditional morality always has to be assumed.... New moralities can only be contractions or expansions of something already given. And all the specifically modern attempts at new moralities are contractions. They proceed by retaining some traditional precepts and rejecting others: but the only real authority behind those which they retain is the very same authority which they flout in rejecting others. Of course this inconsistency is concealed; usually ... by a refusal to recognize the precepts that are retained as moral precepts at all."
The impulse to limit, or pare down morality by exalting one injunction above the others leads to ideology, to identity politics as we see it so prevalently in today's world. This impulse, Lewis rightly tells us, is built on a lie concerning the nature of morality itself, which is universal, not particular. It is a built-in feature of the cosmos, and if it is not that, it is nothing at all:
"You are deceived in thinking that the morality of your father was based on Christianity. On the contrary, Christianity presupposed it. That morality stands exactly where it did; its basis has not been withdrawn for, in a sense, it never had a basis. The ultimate ethical injunctions have always been premisses, never conclusions. Kant was perfectly right on that point at least: the imperative is categorical. Unless the ethical is assumed from the outset, no argument will bring you to it."
The ideological view of morality that makes it relative and consequentialist finds its modern foundation in the philosophy of Hegel. I invite all my listeners to my extended treatment of Hegel in the Christian Atheist podcast. Christians must become aware both of the origin and the nature of the threat to theism in our modern world.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net

George Orwell’s 1984 Part 2, Chapter 5, part 2

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 8, Part 4

When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.
Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:
"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness.""What are they?" he said. And I was going to speak of them in the order that each appeared to me to pass from one to the other.
There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).
There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!
Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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George Washington’s Farewell Address, Part 4

Our first President of the United States was certainly ONE of the greatest, and arguably THE greatest we've ever had. Even today politicians turn to his Farewell Address for support and inspiration. It is certain that he saw clearly many of the pitfalls into which we fell, ignoring the advice given here. Let us listen again with fresh ears and open minds. Perhaps timeless wisdom can help us overcome the foolishness of our time.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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C S Lewis ”On Church Music”

A brief essay on the value and function of church music by Lewis.
 
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Poems by Robert Frost, Part 4

We end our month of Robert Frost's poetry with two well-matched poems:
"The Trial by Existence" is a longer poem, and one of my favorites. In the Christian Atheist podcast, one of our themes is that Truth is best discerned by living it. This poem expresses that point with great elegance. The life we live is the life we choose, or to put it as Jean-Paul Sartre would say it, we are our choices, even when we are ignorant of the choice.
"Reluctance" is the complementary opposition to our first selection, as it speaks of the human propensity to constantly push the boundaries of our lives, to question, to seek. As a philosopher the eternal drive to transgress our limits is both noble and fraught, and my soul is the moth to that flame.
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 5, Part 1

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 8, Part 3

When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.
Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:
"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness.""What are they?" he said. And I was going to speak of them in the order that each appeared to me to pass from one to the other.
There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).
There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!
Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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#plato, #socrates, #platoandsocrates, #socratesandplato, #republik, #republic, #westerntradition, #philosophy, #rationality, #drjohndwise, #philosopher, #philosophical, #philosophicalauthor #westerntraditionphilosophy, #traditionalphilosophy, #foundations, #foundationalphilosopher, #foundationaltext, #platosrepublic, #philosophy, #dialogue, #dialogues, #greekphilosophy, #ancientgreekphilosophy, #athens, #platonicdialogue, #platonic, #ancientgreeks, #ancientgreece,#hellen, #hellenistic, #athenian, #atheniantradition, #greekcivilization, #greeksociety, #greekhistory

George Washington’s Farewell Address, Part 3

Our first President of the United States was certainly ONE of the greatest, and arguably THE greatest we've ever had. Even today politicians turn to his Farewell Address for support and inspiration. It is certain that he saw clearly many of the pitfalls into which we fell, ignoring the advice given here. Let us listen again with fresh ears and open minds. Perhaps timeless wisdom can help us overcome the foolishness of our time.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Poems by Robert Frost, Part 3

We begin with "The Road Not Taken," perhaps Robert Frost's most iconic and well-known poem. All three poems this week are representative of what is most loved in his work, representing well the conversational poetic idiom that is so striking, and the natural and rural archetypes that strike the heart-strings so powerfully, and engage the intellect so deeply.
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a hauntingly beautiful and vaguely menacing, contemplative poem. I was first introduced to this poem as a child in the Charles Bronson movie "Telefon." I know ... Charles Bronson? Really? There is no accounting for our childhood influences, but I am grateful for that influence nonetheless! I love this poem!
In "A Late Walk," less known but utterly gorgeous and evocative, we have a beautiful love song filtered through a vague unspoken sadness. Nature herself is a quiet character in the background here, and lends an atmosphere of pensive thoughtfulness.
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 4, part 2

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s Republic, Book 8, Part 2

When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.
Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:
"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness.""What are they?" he said. And I was going to speak of them in the order that each appeared to me to pass from one to the other.
There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).
There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!
Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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George Washington’s Farewell Address, Part 2

Our first President of the United States was certainly ONE of the greatest, and arguably THE greatest we've ever had. Even today politicians turn to his Farewell Address for support and inspiration. It is certain that he saw clearly many of the pitfalls into which we fell, ignoring the advice given here. Let us listen again with fresh ears and open minds. Perhaps timeless wisdom can help us overcome the foolishness of our time.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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#unitedstatesofamerica #revolution #independence #washington #georgewashingtonfarewell #foundingfather #americandocuments #foundingdocuments #unitedstatespresident #unitedstateshistory #americanhistory #unitedstates #foundingideals #spiritualaspirations #georgewashington #thomasjefferson #colonialamerica #colonies #liberty #greatestpresident

CS Lewis, ”Religion: Reality or Substitute,” Part 2

One of my favorite essays by CS Lewis. A highlight from the perspective of the Christian Atheist:
"I am not now saying that no one's reason and no one's experience produce different results. I am only trying to put the whole problem the right way round, to make it clear that the value given to the testimony of any feeling must depend on our whole philosophy, not our whole philosophy on a feeling. If those who deny the spiritual world prove their case on general grounds, then, indeed, it will follow that our apparently spiritual experiences must be an illusion; but equally, if we are right, it will follow that they are the prime reality and that our natural experiences are a second best. And let us note that whichever view we embrace, mere feeling will continue to assault our conviction. Just as the Christian has his moments when the clamour of this visible and audible world is so persistent and the whisper of the spiritual world so faint that faith and reason can hardly stick to their guns, so, as I well remember, the atheist too has his moments of shuddering misgiving, of an all but irresistible suspicion that old tales may after all be true, that something or someone from outside may at any moment break into his neat, explicable, mechanical universe. Believe in God and you will have to face hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality: disbelieve in Him and you must face hours when this material world seems to shout at you that it is not all. No conviction, religious or irreligious, will, of itself, end once and for all this fifth-columnist in the soul."
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Poems by Robert Frost, Part 2

Three poems by one of America's greatest poets:
"In Time of Cloudburst," "Desert Places ", and "On the Heart's Beginning to Cloud the Mind."
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George Orwell’s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 4, part 1

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato’s REPUBLIC, Book 8, Part 1

When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.
Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:
"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness.""What are they?" he said. And I was going to speak of them in the order that each appeared to me to pass from one to the other.
There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).
There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!
Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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George Washington’s Farewell Address, Part 1

Our first President of the United States was certainly ONE of the greatest, and arguably THE greatest we've ever had. Even today politicians turn to his Farewell Address for support and inspiration. It is certain that he saw clearly many of the pitfalls into which we fell, ignoring the advice given here. Let us listen again with fresh ears and open minds. Perhaps timeless wisdom can help us overcome the foolishness of our time.
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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#unitedstatesofamerica #revolution #independence #washington #georgewashingtonfarewell #foundingfather #americandocuments #foundingdocuments #unitedstatespresident #unitedstateshistory #americanhistory #unitedstates #foundingideals #spiritualaspirations #georgewashington #thomasjefferson #colonialamerica #colonies #liberty #greatestpresident

C.S Lewis, ”Religion: Reality or Substitute,” Part 1

One of my favorite essays by CS Lewis. A highlight from the perspective of the Christian Atheist:
"I am not now saying that no one's reason and no one's experience produce different results. I am only trying to put the whole problem the right way round, to make it clear that the value given to the testimony of any feeling must depend on our whole philosophy, not our whole philosophy on a feeling. If those who deny the spiritual world prove their case on general grounds, then, indeed, it will follow that our apparently spiritual experiences must be an illusion; but equally, if we are right, it will follow that they are the prime reality and that our natural experiences are a second best. And let us note that whichever view we embrace, mere feeling will continue to assault our conviction. Just as the Christian has his moments when the clamour of this visible and audible world is so persistent and the whisper of the spiritual world so faint that faith and reason can hardly stick to their guns, so, as I well remember, the atheist too has his moments of shuddering misgiving, of an all but irresistible suspicion that old tales may after all be true, that something or someone from outside may at any moment break into his neat, explicable, mechanical universe. Believe in God and you will have to face hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality: disbelieve in Him and you must face hours when this material world seems to shout at you that it is not all. No conviction, religious or irreligious, will, of itself, end once and for all this fifth-columnist in the soul."
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal to romanschapter5@comcast.net
 
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Poems by Robert Frost, Part 1

Three poems by one of America's greatest poets:
"Nothing Gold Can Stay," "Leaves Compared with Flowers," and "Mending Wall."
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Christmas Message 2021

Please listen to our Simple Gifts podcast throughout the month of December for classical Christmas storytelling, beginning with Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and including "The gift of the Magi," and Eliot's "Journey of the Magi," along with "The Man Who Missed Christmas," "Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect" "The Other Wise Man," and the Luke 2 Christmas story.

George Orwell‘s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 3, Part 2

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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Plato‘s REPUBLIC, Book 7, Part 4

Book 7 of REPUBLIC is arguably the most well-known, important and foundational texts in all of Western letters, and no educated person can remain unfamiliar with its teachings. The book opens with the famous Allegory of the Cave, which Plato says is about the education of the soul, its journey from ignorance to knowledge. It must be added to the former allegories of the Line and the Sun to complete the picture of Plato's metaphysics and epistemology:
"This entire allegory ... you may now append ... to the previous argument; the prison-house [Cave] is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world.... [M]y opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of [the] good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed."
Education, Socrates asserts, is a conversion process, of turning away from what is less real toward that which is more real, toward the transcendent eternal and unchanging realm of the Forms. Our guardians, then, must be taught to "see" the truth of transcendent reality by an ascending process of understanding, culminating in the discipline of dialectic, philosophical reasoning which allows us to "achieve a unified vision." In this way our true guardians will rule the city in the best manner possible, being able to model True Being here in the imperfect realm of becoming. We must, then, discover the disciplines that will lead our philosophers toward Being. It turns out that paradox, those disciplines and experiences that strike our understanding with oppositions that cause us to explore the ideals that lay beyond the mixed-up realm of becoming.
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Anne Bradstreet: ”Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666”

In this season of Thanksgiving, we remember those famous Pilgrims who dared to leave comfort, home, family and the safe structures of society to establish a new life in a new world. This month we celebrate and remember the courage, love and devotion, the strength and sacrifice that founded our country.
In this poem, Anne Bradstreet recounts the terror and loss of her home to fire and her complex reaction to that loss, recalling the words of Job.
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George Orwell‘s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 3, Part 1

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!!
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Plato‘s REPUBLIC, Book 7, Part 3

Book 7 of REPUBLIC is arguably the most well-known, important and foundational texts in all of Western letters, and no educated person can remain unfamiliar with its teachings. The book opens with the famous Allegory of the Cave, which Plato says is about the education of the soul, its journey from ignorance to knowledge. It must be added to the former allegories of the Line and the Sun to complete the picture of Plato's metaphysics and epistemology:
"This entire allegory ... you may now append ... to the previous argument; the prison-house [Cave] is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world.... [M]y opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of [the] good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed."
Education, Socrates asserts, is a conversion process, of turning away from what is less real toward that which is more real, toward the transcendent eternal and unchanging realm of the Forms. Our guardians, then, must be taught to "see" the truth of transcendent reality by an ascending process of understanding, culminating in the discipline of dialectic, philosophical reasoning which allows us to "achieve a unified vision." In this way our true guardians will rule the city in the best manner possible, being able to model True Being here in the imperfect realm of becoming. We must, then, discover the disciplines that will lead our philosophers toward Being. It turns out that paradox, those disciplines and experiences that strike our understanding with oppositions that cause us to explore the ideals that lay beyond the mixed-up realm of becoming, are best suited to do this.
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Anne Bradstreet: ”To my Dear and Loving Husband” & ”Epitaph on a Patriot”

In this season of Thanksgiving, we remember those famous Pilgrims who dared to leave comfort, home, family and the safe structures of society to establish a new life in a new world. This month we celebrate and remember the courage, love and devotion, the strength and sacrifice that founded our country.
In "To my Dear and Loving Husband" Anne Bradstreet expresses the sort of love for her husband that few experience, and that true lovers instantly recognize. We see in these words a reflection of our own capacity to give and receive the richest of God's blessings on humanity, the powerful and undying love of a spouse.
In "Epitaph on a Patriot" we recognize a life of conviction, strength and commitment, values largely out of favor in today's marshmallow world. It is an epitaph I would gladly have spoken of me.
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George Orwell‘s 1984, Part 2, Chapter 2, part 2

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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Plato‘s REPUBLIC, Book 7, Part 2

Book 7 of REPUBLIC is arguably the most well-known, important and foundational texts in all of Western letters, and no educated person can remain unfamiliar with its teachings. The book opens with the famous Allegory of the Cave, which Plato says is about the education of the soul, its journey from ignorance to knowledge. It must be added to the former allegories of the Line and the Sun to complete the picture of Plato's metaphysics and epistemology:
"This entire allegory ... you may now append ... to the previous argument; the prison-house [Cave] is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world.... [M]y opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of [the] good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed."
Education, Socrates asserts, is a conversion process, of turning away from what is less real toward that which is more real, toward the transcendent eternal and unchanging realm of the Forms. Our guardians, then, must be taught to "see" the truth of transcendent reality by an ascending process of understanding, culminating in the discipline of dialectic, philosophical reasoning which allows us to "achieve a unified vision." In this way our true guardians will rule the city in the best manner possible, being able to model True Being here in the imperfect realm of becoming. We must, then, discover the disciplines that will lead our philosophers toward Being. It turns out that paradox, those disciplines and experiences that strike our understanding with oppositions that cause us to explore the ideals that lay beyond the mixed-up realm of becoming.
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Anne Bradstreet, ”The Flesh and the Spirit”

In this season of Thanksgiving, we remember those famous Pilgrims who dared to leave comfort, home, family and the safe structures of society to establish a new life in a new world. This month we celebrate and remember the courage, love and devotion, the strength and sacrifice that founded our country. The Poetry of Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) serves as the voice of our founding.
In "The Flesh and the Spirit" two sisters reason together "close by the banks of lacrim flood," that is, here in this veil of tears where our lives unfold, about the values that inform life. Flesh complains that Spirit's otherworldly concerns leave her bereft of the pleasures all about her on earth. Why give up the sure, real and immediate gratifications here given us for a future good based on faith alone?
Spirit's answer is that all she seeks, including the provisional pleasures available here on earth, is met in pursuit of what is highest. The struggle here presented is both that between the World and the Christian, and that within the Christian herself. To triumph over our lower desires may require both discipline and denial, but it also finds the rewards, even here on earth, to be real and satisfying.
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George Orwell‘s 1984, Part Two, Chapter 2, Part 1

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!
Enjoy ... and be vigilant!
If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at Romanschapter5@comcast.net
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