Monday, September 15, 2025

All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular World

All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular World by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly

From the introduction, this seems like it was going to be a great book. Alas, it became too full of itself and got lost in the mud trying to appease all. The authors try to use classics to help explore meaning in the world. They discuss how events like Woodstock seek to change the paradigm of culture. However, that didn't last. Very few have really changed things - the two examples they gave are Jesus and Descarte. They discuss how David Foster Wallace struggled for meaning and how Dante used the reference religiosity of his time. There are bits and pieces that are good, but it gets a bit too lost in the weeds. In trying to provide "meaning" to modern times it tries to be all things to everyone, and thus succeeds in nothing.

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