Heretics

Heretics is the first book and afterwards comes Orthodoxy. Nevertheless you don't need to read it first in order to understand Orthodoxy; even more I would recommend to read Orthodoxy first and if you like it then try Heretics. Orthodoxy is about the personal choices of Chesterton, it's timeless because it uses experiences we all experience; Heretics deals with reflections about the ideas of others and is populated with many names, those related to arts, literature or essays are still known, but there are other names, as politicians, that requires to invoke the X-Ray option and even so that doesn't say much. Another difficult point to me was to understand the word "heretics" as the chapters treat different themes, so far my rustic understanding is that Chesterton means how what was once traditional and time proofed, a rich understanding of humanity, is being replaced by a trend that condemns its past, while using progress as a label to disguise just to make old mistakes ... is it not familiar? It is because is what happens today : )This book is absolutely relevant to understand where are we in this century, In very few parts I disagree (and it could because I have not giving enough though to those ideas), but mostly Chesterton's light is almost blinding, each page has something earth-shattering while at the same time felt as true as if I knew it all along but is the first time we read it in its proper words. If you liked Orthodoxy this book will be an amazing adventure too.The AmazonClassics Edition is wonderful, probably the best edition available. I didn't detect mistakes, as mentioned there is X-Ray which fortunately has entries for many (although not all) of names mentioned. The book is old but feels like written this morning thanks to the professional formatting and modern typography, and, last but not least, without nosy introductions, studies or additions. The text is pure and I would recommend it over the usual public domain editions.

G.K. Chesterton wrote HERETICS c. 1905. Yet this book is still timely in that popular gurus change opinions and social theories very quickly never realizing how dated the newest fad becomes. Chesterton had the rare ability in exposing many new fads as actually some varient of some ideas that were in vogue during Ancient History.Chesterton never engages in ad hominem arguments. He is careful to metion the merits of those with whom he disagrees. Chesteron focuses on the logical fallacies of his critics and never engages in bitterness or smear tactics.Readers should carefully read Chesterton's cirticisms of G.B. Shaw. Chesterton asserts the validity of Shaw's Socialism. Chesterton does not argue with Shaw's socialist views per se. He does critisize Shaw's tendenacy toward a mechanical view of society and politics. One should note that in spite of their repeated debates and crticisms of each others' work, Chesterton and Shaw remained life long friends.Chesterton has some interesting comments on political power. Chesteron was probably not a democrat, and his views beginning on page 168 are note worthy. Chesterton remarks condemns those who pick a Caesar. He remarks that people falsely look favorably on such an individual because he, the Strong Man or the Caesar, is not an ordinary man. In other words, men may domocratically opt for someone whom ordinary think is better. This is a form despotism or slavery where the ruler has the sanctions of the victim. Other rulers hold position by heredity right whereby men accept this notion only because of the social order rather than false praise or respect for someone who may be evil and take advantage of men's sychophantic blind obedience to self appointed knaves.Chesterton has good insight regarding the abuse of language and different rules for social classes. If some poor soul is arrested for stealing, he/she is accused of theft. If some who is wealthy is arrested for the same crime, the comment is that the wealthy person has an illness called kleptomania. To paraphrase Chesterton, the wealthy want to make laws ( or in their case excuses)while decent people want to obey the law and expect everyone to do the same.G.K. Chesterton writes well and uses reason as his guide. He did not get angry when his critics attacked him for his personal appearance. He was a large man. Chesterton could laugh at himself. However, he got angry when men attacted honesty and truth. Chesterton was a champion of himself or his work. He was a champion of reason, truth, and honesty. Whether one disagrees with him, Chesterton is well worth reading for his prose, knowledge, and logic.

Chesterton is a particularly insightful and witty writer, and fully winsome in the good and proper sense of that word (unlike the TGC ilk who constantly want to co opt that word for their own purposes). He doesn’t mince words, he’s not afraid to call something out as heretical, or in other words, flat out wrong, and he’s not afraid to actually put his money where his words are and back his claim up.But there is a jolly, jubilant, joyful nature to him, he is happy, he is not incensed, well they are to call him the joyful fighter, and he knows very well the truth that more often than not, a heart is won before a head is won, and we must win people’s hearts to the beauty and glory and goodness of our opinion before they see the rightness of it (in fact it’s beauty is its rightness).Now this doesn’t mean that Chesterton is right on every matter in this book, indeed I think he is quite wrong on certain matters, being a Catholic, but being generally of the Christian worldview, he is imminently right about many many things, the vast majority of what he writes about even. And much like every able-minded Christian owes it to himself to read C. S Lewis and Will be much the better for it, understanding more about the world and man as a whole, despite C.S Lewis serious theological deficiencies, every Christian worth his salt, particularly the Protestants, owe it to themselves (and everyone else) to read and wrestle with, fight with, learn from, agree with, interact, and vehemently disagree with Chesterton, he will make you a better man, a better pastor, a better friend, a better thinker, even if you do agree with him in all places…particularly when you do not agree with him in all places.What he will definitely do is help you understand the world as it actually is better, and how all the heretics out there sommaire there novel ideas are distorting our image of how the world is.

Il testo acquistato per un regalo è stato molto apprezzato. Sicuramente un autore da scoprire.

Profound, well thought, well written, prophetic in many ways that I think Chesterton himself probably didn't predict. Worth every minute.

Chesterton es un maestro de la escritura. Pareciera ser que no todos los temas son particularmente relevantes para el lector moderno; pero eso sí: sin importar de qué se trate el artículo, uno encuentra joyas valiosas cada cierto número de párrafos. Hay artículos muy buenos, y otros regulares; sin embargo, la destreza literaria de Chesterton hace que uno pueda encontrar mucho que rescatar en todo lugar.

I've read multiple of G.K Chesteron's works, and while the content is always thought-provoking, often the formats are rather strange. The trim size is rather large, and the text very small. Other than that, the essays within are great for anyone who wants to get a deeper appreciation for Chesterton's ideas and their place within the broader culture and figures of his time.