Not all great books lists are created equal. Just as education can’t happen in a value-neutral environment, great books lists are always created with reference to their creator’s worldview. While all great books lists include Homer, Plato, Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare, they also include more idiosyncratic choices. Which brings us to Jeff Baldwin’s choice for the work of literature that had the biggest impact in history and is largely ignored today: Piers Plowman by William Langland. Christians need to know about this book! Jeff explains why in the first half of this episode, and then he and Bill Jack argue more about e-books and the Kindle.
Monthly archives for April, 2011
Predictably Irrational
Do you make rational economic decisions? If you do, you’re in the tiny minority according to Predictably Irrational, a book that co-host Jeff Baldwin just finished reading. The truth is, most people are very easily manipulated, and most tend to follow the herd no matter how irrational the herd’s behavior. Do these fascinating revelations about human nature have special ramifications for Christians? Should the Body of Christ be content to occasionally behave irrationally? Co-host Bill Jack provides an excellent sounding board as Jeff processes this disturbing book.
Does “Lost” Create a New Worldview?
Yes, Jeff and Bill have already lambasted the last episode of the hit TV show Lost, but now Jeff’s two oldest children are watching the DVDs, and Jeff’s had an epiphany: Lost perfectly articulates the absurdity of existence if the Bible is not true. But even though its message is wishy-washy universalism, Lost‘s willingness to openly undercut the meaning attached to each and every human decision makes it something more than just a dressed-up version of the New Age movement. So what exactly is this terrible, apt picture of the meaninglessness of human “choice” apart from God?