Showing results for "tolkien" in Philosophy

Discover the enchantment of Tolkien’s Middle-earth… “What are the costs of military victory? Is mercy sometimes too expensive? Can torture ever be justified? Are there any moral absolutes in a world of competing faiths and cultures? A Hobbit Journey traces these and many other issues...

Tolkien’s Requiem explores the tale of Beren and Lúthien as a doorway into the vast early history of Middle-earth, an era which forms the backdrop for the beloved stories of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, and Aragorn. For fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings hungry for more of Middle-earth, yet daunted by The Silmarillion’s complexity, Tolkien’s Requiem serves as a concise introduction to the themes and stories of the First Age.

At the heart of Tolkienian fantasy is "recovery," a "cleaning of the windows" of our perception that we may learn to see the world again in all its strange beauty. And, for Tolkien, to recover the world anew is to recover a sense of the world as a meaningful act of creation by a living and loving Creator. How does Tolkien accomplish this? Through "sub-creation" or mythopoeia, the "fashioning of myth." For it is in creating an imaginary world ourselves through poetry, fairy-story, and myth that we come to "see" our "primary world" as itself an act of creation. 

In popular imagination, Tolkien is a Luddite, but recent scholarship has identified Tolkien's extensive modern sympathies. Tolkien, Philosopher of War contributes to this growing literature. His is a modern critique of Enlightenment thinking, specifically those philosophies that wrest the initiative from God in divinizing man. His worry is apocalyptic politics—political movements that take Christ's word out of the realm of grace and make it a platform for political action.

In Letters from the Shire, Matthew J. Distefano invites listeners on a journey through Middle-earth with fresh eyes, curious hearts, and a deep longing for something more grounded than empire, consumerism, and despair. These letters, part literary criticism, part spiritual reflection, and part cultural commentary, explore the enduring relevance of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legendarium in a world increasingly marked by violence, division, and ecological collapse.

Each of us, even the most simple, is called to a journey. We may be asked to leave behind everything we have grown dependent on. And when this is the case, the tale of Frodo and his friends offers hope that we will be given the strength and the help we need to overcome every obstacle and defeat every foe. This book is meant to help you find the way.

Jared Lobdell examines Tolkien's methods and his worldview by following the thread of three influences: the Edwardian adventure story, the science of philology, or comparative languages, and Roman Catholic theology. The "Edwardian mode" of adventure story ( King Solomon's Mines, The Lost World) is one in which a small group of Englishmen make an expedition to foreign parts and find supernatural terrors awaiting them, finally returning home, mission accomplished.

Join brothers, Seth and Sam Moldenhauer on the walls of Isengard as they dissect the many works of Tolkien and discuss life. Enjoy this fun fellowship and be careful, as there's no telling where you will be swept off to.Email us your Tolkien Story at WECpodcast@gmail.com to be shared on the podcast.