Essays of a Catholic

Rating:
Summary: Top Drawer Thinking
Review: Absolutely brilliant. Belloc's essays are just as timely today as when first published in 1931. Every selection contains challenging ideas and is exceedingly well reasoned. I was happy to find a wit and humor in his style that hadn't surfaced in other books of his I've read. A couple highlights:

He begins with a look at how the West is plummeting into paganism: not the enlightened paganism from which Christianity sprung, but an evil paganism determined to undo Christianity. Since the Reformation, our fragmented faith has left us nearly defenseless against the onslaught of modern self-indulgence and fatalism. The grim process, which Belloc detected early on, has only gained momentum. It is disheartening to note that he holds out little hope for a reversal. One would think this assessment would discourage him, but such is not the case. His steadfast faith fortifies him against the vagaries of human affairs; secure in the knowledge that Christ's Church will prevail even against the gates of Hell, he writes with humor, confidence, and a reassuring calmness. This, I think, is why Belloc can inspire as well as inform.

The provocatively titled "Science as the Enemy of Truth" explores the evils of modern science; though his argument is far less controversial than the title would suggest, it offers real food for thought. Belloc says science in the abstract is good, but our modern scientific community applies scientific principles where they don't belong and does so irrationally. He argues that scientific innovation is good only when it serves the needs of the human soul, but modern science views progress as a good thing regardless of its effect on the soul. In Belloc's time the questionable moral contribution of science manifested itself in such things as eugenics, evolution, and radio. Today we face the same questions with regard to cloning, the Internet, weapons of mass destruction, etc. Belloc's answers are emphatic and fresh.