Mother Teresa, M.L.K. Jr., and Gandhi stand out as a few of the most influential conduits of charity to the 20th century world. Though not perfect, such philanthropic leaders, whether bringing material or spiritual or ethical goods to many people, are recognized by general consensus to have brought an outsized proportion of good to theContinue reading “The Capacity for Good of an Ordinary Man”
Author Archives: Christian Poole
3 Ways to Systematically Read the Great Books
Approaching the great books of the West (or East for that matter) is a daunting task, especially for those with little experience in the arts and sciences that regularly sample this vast body of works. While there are a variety of lists of great books – all of them instructive to peruse in themselves –Continue reading “3 Ways to Systematically Read the Great Books”
The Aim of Technology from a Christian Perspective
Have you ever asked why create new technologies? Every year, companies and governments around the globe spend billions of dollars on the research and development of new technologies. The most common answer to the question will invariably be “technology makes life easier”, and it does that very well in most cases. However, is ease aContinue reading “The Aim of Technology from a Christian Perspective”
10 Great Libraries of the World
Before the advent of computers, libraries were the preeminent aggregators of human knowledge and art. Besides that of the church, no other building occupies such an exalted station in the opinion of civilized peoples. Libraries attract the curious, humble the studious, challenge the most acute, and foster a rare but welcoming tranquility. The library remainsContinue reading “10 Great Libraries of the World”
The Dark Side of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT is an AI language model that has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate and access information. However, it also has negative impacts on society that need to be considered. In this essay, we will explore some of the most significant negative impacts of ChatGPT on society. One of the most significant negativeContinue reading “The Dark Side of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence”
Great Books of Christianity: The Medieval Period
Christianity is no stranger to the great books of the West and stands out among the great books as the inspiration for many of the foundational works of philosophy, literature, and science. Thus, there are a subset of great books in the West that aim to study Christianity itself. The Medieval period (~600 AD –Continue reading “Great Books of Christianity: The Medieval Period”
The Expansion of Group Identities: From the Village to the Globe
For most of history, the far away problems occupied relatively small spaces in the minds of the average person. The challenges facing the village, city-state, or empire hundreds of miles away had little impact on our ancestor’s tight-knit community that faced challenges of its own: drought, crime, disputes with neighboring communities, a poor crop yield,Continue reading “The Expansion of Group Identities: From the Village to the Globe”
ThinkingWest on YouTube: 12 Great Books of Western History
In this episode, I highlight a dozen of the most influential works of history, spanning from the Ancient Greeks to the 20th century. While many more works could be included, particularly from the authors of antiquity, I attempted to draw from authors across diverse time periods and to cover a breadth of history. For example,Continue reading “ThinkingWest on YouTube: 12 Great Books of Western History”
Pertinax and Politics: One Good Leader Cannot Save a Nation
Election season is well underway in the United States with the midterm elections ending just days away. The United States has always been a country of sweeping emotions, whether of the brave spirits of the pilgrims, or of the freedom-loving cowboys of the West, or of college football fandom, or of the citizen entering theContinue reading “Pertinax and Politics: One Good Leader Cannot Save a Nation”
12 Great Books of Western History
Much of what we know of the past three thousand years relies largely on the great historians of the millennia. Through excellent scholarship, tedious compilation, clear prose, and entertaining color commentary (sometime at the expense of accuracy), these historians and their famous works have shaped the western world’s ideas about its development. Though the bulkContinue reading “12 Great Books of Western History”