Comments on: The Light That Never Went Out http://deviantmonk.com/2012/01/19/the-light-that-never-went-out/ i am a revolution Mon, 07 May 2012 21:02:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: deviantmonk http://deviantmonk.com/2012/01/19/the-light-that-never-went-out/#comment-5372 deviantmonk Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:04:08 +0000 http://deviantmonk.com/?p=3262#comment-5372 Andy- It will be the next book I procure. :-) It's interesting you should mention the Galileo affair- I just finished reading this book called 'The Sun in The Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories" which in part went into that, (along with a more balanced approach to it) but even more so how astronomy was actually facilitated in part by an attempt to determine the exact dates for Easter. At the time cathedrals were the only buildings long enough (and tall enough) to put meridian lines on the floors to measure the sun, and while people had varying degrees of success and failure, it was interesting at least to see the interplay. Unfortunately, there was a lot of geometry in the book that kind of went over my head, but the historical stuff was pretty fascinating. Andy-

It will be the next book I procure. :-)

It’s interesting you should mention the Galileo affair- I just finished reading this book called ‘The Sun in The Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories” which in part went into that, (along with a more balanced approach to it) but even more so how astronomy was actually facilitated in part by an attempt to determine the exact dates for Easter. At the time cathedrals were the only buildings long enough (and tall enough) to put meridian lines on the floors to measure the sun, and while people had varying degrees of success and failure, it was interesting at least to see the interplay.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of geometry in the book that kind of went over my head, but the historical stuff was pretty fascinating.

]]> By: Andy http://deviantmonk.com/2012/01/19/the-light-that-never-went-out/#comment-5348 Andy Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:53:36 +0000 http://deviantmonk.com/?p=3262#comment-5348 Yeah, I'd definitely recommend Hart's book - but I'd recommend any of them. I'm a huge fan. The first two chapters contain some fireworks, which are kind of fun, towards the new atheists, but the real interesting part of the book follows. He goes into great detail into a few historical areas and offers a correction to some of the historical misreadings that the popular atheists have used to base their rhetoric on. The end product, for me, left me with a sense that anytime you have history painted with broad brush strokes and in a simplified manner, you've probably missed some important things. One that sticks out is the famous, or infamous conflict between Galileo and the church turns out to be a bit different than is commonly portrayed. He then goes on to examine the unique contributions a Christian worldview added to our understanding of humanity - understandings we tend to take for granted today as folks rail against that evil thing known as "religion." You should be teaching a class at that church you're at. Yeah, I’d definitely recommend Hart’s book – but I’d recommend any of them. I’m a huge fan. The first two chapters contain some fireworks, which are kind of fun, towards the new atheists, but the real interesting part of the book follows. He goes into great detail into a few historical areas and offers a correction to some of the historical misreadings that the popular atheists have used to base their rhetoric on. The end product, for me, left me with a sense that anytime you have history painted with broad brush strokes and in a simplified manner, you’ve probably missed some important things. One that sticks out is the famous, or infamous conflict between Galileo and the church turns out to be a bit different than is commonly portrayed. He then goes on to examine the unique contributions a Christian worldview added to our understanding of humanity – understandings we tend to take for granted today as folks rail against that evil thing known as “religion.”
You should be teaching a class at that church you’re at.

]]> By: deviantmonk http://deviantmonk.com/2012/01/19/the-light-that-never-went-out/#comment-5346 deviantmonk Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:39:03 +0000 http://deviantmonk.com/?p=3262#comment-5346 Andy- thanks :-) Yeah, I have kind of felt the same way over the past few years, wondering how much of the things that get passed off as 'what happened' in the popular conception of things have any fidelity to reality, especially when it comes to these sorts of topics that have become a sort of religious whipping boy. I actually have that book (Atheist Delusions) on my wish list- would you recommend it, sans the title? I enjoy the articles that I get to read by him from time to time, so I am curious if the book is worth the purchase. In that same mode, I read one by Edward Feser entitled The Last Superstition, which I thought was pretty good. It's kind of polemic, which I enjoy, but I would imagine would differ somewhat from Hart's in that Feser approaches the subject matter from a Thomistic standpoint. At any rate, it was a fun read at least. I agree about the 'chronological snobbery' aspect of our age, and well, probably any age, to be honest, since it's probably endemic to human nature as a whole. I do think, however, that the over-connectedness to what is happening right now that characterizes our society and especially the rising generation can exacerbate that kind of thing. Thanks again for your comments and for reading! Stay tuned for an exciting installment of the use of judicial rhetoric in a probabilistic mode in circa 6th century Athens. ;-) Not actually joking. Andy- thanks :-)

Yeah, I have kind of felt the same way over the past few years, wondering how much of the things that get passed off as ‘what happened’ in the popular conception of things have any fidelity to reality, especially when it comes to these sorts of topics that have become a sort of religious whipping boy.

I actually have that book (Atheist Delusions) on my wish list- would you recommend it, sans the title? I enjoy the articles that I get to read by him from time to time, so I am curious if the book is worth the purchase.

In that same mode, I read one by Edward Feser entitled The Last Superstition, which I thought was pretty good. It’s kind of polemic, which I enjoy, but I would imagine would differ somewhat from Hart’s in that Feser approaches the subject matter from a Thomistic standpoint. At any rate, it was a fun read at least.

I agree about the ‘chronological snobbery’ aspect of our age, and well, probably any age, to be honest, since it’s probably endemic to human nature as a whole. I do think, however, that the over-connectedness to what is happening right now that characterizes our society and especially the rising generation can exacerbate that kind of thing.

Thanks again for your comments and for reading!

Stay tuned for an exciting installment of the use of judicial rhetoric in a probabilistic mode in circa 6th century Athens. ;-)

Not actually joking.

]]> By: Andy http://deviantmonk.com/2012/01/19/the-light-that-never-went-out/#comment-5331 Andy Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:25:45 +0000 http://deviantmonk.com/?p=3262#comment-5331 Alright! I was looking forward to this post. Glad you wrote it, and thank you. Ever since reading "The Atheist Delusions" (an unfortunately named book I think) by Hart, I have begun to question increasingly the broad brushed historical story that tells us how the enlightenment rescued us all from those superstitious dark ages. One side comment you made stuck out - wondering how different things are today - noting that for most people the concern is putting food on the table. I think our general utter lack of ability to really critically think as a culture as a whole, leaves us in a precarious position when we attempt to be overly critical of another time period. "Chronological snobbery" was what Lewis called it, I think. Alright! I was looking forward to this post. Glad you wrote it, and thank you. Ever since reading “The Atheist Delusions” (an unfortunately named book I think) by Hart, I have begun to question increasingly the broad brushed historical story that tells us how the enlightenment rescued us all from those superstitious dark ages.
One side comment you made stuck out – wondering how different things are today – noting that for most people the concern is putting food on the table. I think our general utter lack of ability to really critically think as a culture as a whole, leaves us in a precarious position when we attempt to be overly critical of another time period. “Chronological snobbery” was what Lewis called it, I think.

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