the voice of reason

I'm more interested in reading books I disagree with than books I agree with, at the moment. I just finished reading How Woke Won by Joanna Williams. I was thinking about what I want to read next and looking through my Kindle and my physical books. After a while I thought - I have to read Biblical Critical Theory by Christopher Watkin. I bought it recently, and I've been really keen to read it. I just had to finish How Woke Won first and then I was going to read it. 

But instead, I decided to read The Fall of a Superpower by Michael William, which is actually a box set of 4 books: Brexit Means Brexit: How the British Ponzi Class Survived the EU Referendum, The Ponzi Class: Ponzi Economics, Globalization and Class Oppression in the 21st Century, The Genesis of Political Correctness: The Basis of a False Morality, and Turbo Brexit: and the case against Brino. 

I have a desire to engage deeply with these arguments. I don't know why that's more interesting to me than learning more about something I feel positive about. I suppose that, in some ways, it's a good intellectual exercise. Whether they are arguing for one side or the other, if they can engage my mind, that's a worthwhile use of my time. 

That's something worth seeking. Sam Harris is a good example of what I'm talking about. Years ago, I read part of his book, The End of Faith, and I thought, like Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion, it was shrill and weak and pathetic. There's always a kind of petty nastiness that comes out in books like that. The writers are just, from the start, on the attack. There's no real consideration of the other side. But then, more recently, I watched a video and Sam Harris was in it and he was talking about something - I can't even remember what - and I was struck by his profound intelligence and reasonableness. He was measured and thoughtful and interesting....all the qualities that I didn't find in The End of Faith. The combination of humanity and intelligence is really attractive. And since then, that impression has only grown.