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Coming Soon:

The following books by Robert Paul Wolff are available on Amazon.com as e-books: KANT'S THEORY OF MENTAL ACTIVITY, THE AUTONOMY OF REASON, UNDERSTANDING MARX, UNDERSTANDING RAWLS, THE POVERTY OF LIBERALISM, A LIFE IN THE ACADEMY, MONEYBAGS MUST BE SO LUCKY, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF FORMAL METHODS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY.
Now Available: Volumes I, II, III, and IV of the Collected Published and Unpublished Papers.

NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON KANT'S CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for "Robert Paul Wolff Kant." There they will be.

NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON THE THOUGHT OF KARL MARX. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for Robert Paul Wolff Marx."





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Saturday, December 12, 2009

THE BEAUTIES OF THE INTERNET

I was sitting at my desk this morning, thinking about what I might post on my blog, and brooding that the news had me in something of a funk. "I am in the Slough of Despond," I thought. That provoked me to wonder about the source and real meaning of that familiar phrase. I knew that it came from John Bunyan's famous work, Pilgrim's Progress, of course, but since I have never actually read Pilgrim's Progress, I was not sure exactly what meaning Bunyan had ascribed to it. I tried Wikipedia, which, as always, was instantly helpful, and that in turn led me to click on the link in the article to the Wikipedia article on Pilgrim's Progress itself.

I read the entire synopsis of Parts One and Two, and was overwhelmed by its beauty. I had just been reading Freud"s The Future of an Illusion, and fuming at his utter tone-deafness to religion. The contrast was extremely powerful. As I read the synopsis of Bunyan's work, I found tears coming to my eyes.

I guess I shall have to pay my lapsed dues in the local Society of Unbelievers to maintain my credibility as the Village Atheist.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Your reputation is safe among the Society of Unbelievers. To be moved to tears by a powerful story is only "human." Making good use of Wikipedia is also a sign of appreciation of human collaboration (contrary to the faculty guidelines for student references at my college, nonetheless!).