When the power of technology is put at the service of the power of pride, there can only be one outcome. Indeed, for those with eyes to see, the writing is already on the wall. “The high tide!” King Alfred cried. “The high tide and the turn!” G. K. Chesterton (The Ballad of the White [...]
The more that we learn the language that beauty speaks, which is ultimately the language of the Logos, the more will our subjective preferences converge into the objective presence of goodness, truth and beauty Himself. The claim that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is an expression of philosophical relativism. It confuses and [...]
How can the use of reason lead to so much wrong-headedness? The answer is that wrong-headedness is always connected to wrong-heartedness. It is pride, the absence of love, which poisons the intellectual faculties, thereby preventing reason from serving its purpose of pursuing objective truth. There is a world of difference between wisdom and cleverness. In [...]
Yes indeed. My dear friend and fellow imaginative conservative, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, is every inch a Dwight in shining armour. I was amused to discover, upon perusing the comments appended to my recent essay, “Dwight in Shining Armour”, that most readers had assumed that it would be about my friend and fellow contributor to the [...]
The TV series "Dwight in Shining Armor" needs to be seen to be believed. What is most delightful about the series is the freshness and innocence of the spirit which animates it. One imagines that the multifarious imaginary plots are akin to the sort of humorous adventure stories that would entertain real-life hobbits were we [...]
The whole point of "The Lord of the Rings" is that true heroism is inseparable from true humility, and that true humility is inseparable from true love. The spirit of Amazon’s "Rings of Power" is the very reverse of this. Heroism is inseparable from pride, and pride is inseparable from self-empowerment. What would happen if [...]
Insofar as the principle of subsidiarity enunciated by the late Queen Elizabeth represents a recognition of ancient wisdom and a “most neglected subject,” we can hope that the United Kingdom might move forward rooted in reinvigorated local government and local economies. This would indeed be a momentous move in the right direction. Any reference to [...]
For the past few years, I’ve been co-hosting the FORMED Book Club with Father Fessio and Vivian Dudro of Ignatius Press. Each week, we record a half-hour discussion on whatever book we happen to have selected to read. This past week we commenced the discussion of a new book, which is entitled Faith and Reason: [...]
The spirit of good nationalism is inseparable from the spirit of humility. It loves its neighbours. A good nationalist loves the good nationalists in other nations because they love their country as he loves his. A good nationalist knows that bad nationalism is merely imperialism wearing a patriotic mask. Nationalism has a bad name and [...]
If the twenty-first century is to produce more great men and more great books, it will have to restore a true education; and a true education is an education as if truth mattered. The title of this essay, “Education as if Truth Mattered,” is taken from the subtitle of Christopher Derrick’s book, Escape from Scepticism: [...]
It would be possible to read Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" as a pro-life narrative that invites us to see the dignity of the human person beneath the ugly surface. But such a reading would violate the true spirit of the work which, as the author confesses, is animated by narcissistic self-pity and is an outpouring of [...]
In essence, “true England” is the England which has been true to the truth itself or, more correctly, the England which has been true to the Truth Himself. Luisella Scrosati interviews Joseph Pearce. LS: Your book, Faith of Our Fathers: A History of True England, is focused on the key idea of a true England, [...]
Is civilization worth defending? Should we aim to conform to it so that we can be considered civilized? Should we aim to bring our children up according to its norms so that they can also be considered civilized? Should we try to make our country and our world as civilized as possible? The chances are [...]
Joseph Pearce's collection of conversion stories, "Literary Converts," is not only an inspirational read but also a commentary on the intellectual, spiritual, and literary struggles of the last century, which should inform and enlighten the encroaching darkness of our own times. More than once an enthusiastic religious woman has glided up to me after a [...]