"The human race is just chemical scum on a moderate size planet, orbiting round a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a billion galaxies." - Stephen Hawking, 1995, in "Reality on the Rocks: Beyond our Ken." I saw the movie version of Hawking's perspective yesterday. Melancholia, a highly praised film from Lars Von Trier, follows the imploding lives of the … [Read more...]
Conspiracy Theory
Many today are obsessed with conspiracy theories. They believe that hidden from view those with great power and influence manipulate everything for their personal gain. Behind wars, economic disasters, disease lies the guiding hand of an unseen group of politicians and bankers who really rule the world. They think there is a double-game; a powerful group of kingmakers and … [Read more...]
"Insurgent": Wars, Factions, and Forgiveness
“You said you were waiting?” says Caleb. “What were you waiting for, exactly?” “For the world to fall apart,” Edward says, “And now it has.” _________________________________________________________________________ Veronica Roth’s Divergent introduced us to a utopia gone terribly wrong. Society has been divided into factions, each focusing on a particular character quality or … [Read more...]
"Divergent"
“My father says those who want power and get it live in terror of losing it. That’s why we have to give power to those who don’t want it.” _________________________________________________________________________ Divergent, the first book in the amazingly popular YA trilogy by Veronica Roth, spent months on bestseller lists and was voted "Favorite Book of 2011" in the … [Read more...]
Bitterblue: Kingdoms of Truth and Lies
Kristin Cashore's recently released Bitterblue, the sequel to Graceling, premiered at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. If early reviews and previous successes are any indication, the list of accolades will be impressive – and deservedly so. Ms. Kashore is a gifted writer who spends years honing her books, and it shows. THE BASIC PREMISE The story takes place … [Read more...]
Evolution, Morality, and Transformers
Recently I saw the movie "Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon". I almost made it through the whole thing without a single thought about worldviews, philosophy, or apologetics. But, alas, near the end, something happened that my mind couldn't ignore (I pulled out my phone and immediately started taking notes). For those who are unfamiliar with the Transformers' basic … [Read more...]
Graceling: On Monsters and Grace
Publishers Weekly listed Graceling,the debut novel from Kristin Cashore, in its Best Book of the Year list in 2008. Since then, Cashore has published a sort-of prequel called FIre and a sequel titled Bitterblue. Here's Wikipedia's list of awards: Graceling was shortlisted for the ALA's William C. Morris YA Award, is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, was a Cybils finalist … [Read more...]
Zombies, Meth, and Games With Thrones
Two of the most popular current television shows are also two of the most grim: AMC's "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead." If you want to go for a really depressing TV trifecta, throw in "Game of Thrones," which is not yet as grim as it’s going to be. Trust me. All three of these stories come from brilliant people with amazing talent. (I saw Vince Gilligan of "Breaking … [Read more...]
Media Review: Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a video (available in DVD and Blu-ray formats) by Illustra Media about the amazing biological transformation process from caterpillar to butterfly. The main feature is a little over an hour long and there is a good amount of bonus material. The main feature is so packed with information, that this review is only going to scratch the surface. I am not a … [Read more...]
"The Road": Morality and the Secular Apocalypse
The apocalypse as described in various religious traditions tends to reassert the sovereignty of the gods over the realm of morality. In the Christian tradition, for example, the second coming of Christ, in a final disambiguation of who is good and who is evil, will bring perfect justice to a fallen humanity. And in the Oresteia, a long string of violence and death results in … [Read more...]