Francis Berger's Blog, page 177
May 30, 2017
Biblical Series II: Genesis 1: Order and Chaos
The second installment in Dr. Jordan Peterson's thought-provoking series.
May 29, 2017
Universities Are Killing the Humanities; The Dying Humanities Are Undermining Our Civilization
The second part of the title above is taken from a Jordan Peterson tweet that got me thinking about the tragic circumstances that have befallen the humanities. It is a problem that has preoccupied me for years and I explored it in my novel The City of Earthly Desire. Rather than rattle on about it here, I'll take an extract from the novel that touches on the subject:
“Columbia. Another eminent citadel of darkness!”
Reinhardt winced after Verge said this. “Why do you call Oxford and Columbia citadels of darkness?”
“Isn't it obvious? Never in the history of the world has the planet been flooded with many so-called educated and enlightened individuals clutching their precious little degrees, yet what has this expansion of education and enlightenment brought us?” Verge paused for a moment and waited for an answer to his question; when none was forthcoming, he continued, “Why, a perishing society, of course!” He swirled his cognac again. A bemused expression spread across his face. “The absolute triumph of mediocrity under the flag of humanism. They have drowned us all in an infinite sea of vulgarity – that, my dear friends, is the lasting testament of the citadels of darkness. Bless them in their effort to enlighten us!”
“Columbia. Another eminent citadel of darkness!”
Reinhardt winced after Verge said this. “Why do you call Oxford and Columbia citadels of darkness?”
“Isn't it obvious? Never in the history of the world has the planet been flooded with many so-called educated and enlightened individuals clutching their precious little degrees, yet what has this expansion of education and enlightenment brought us?” Verge paused for a moment and waited for an answer to his question; when none was forthcoming, he continued, “Why, a perishing society, of course!” He swirled his cognac again. A bemused expression spread across his face. “The absolute triumph of mediocrity under the flag of humanism. They have drowned us all in an infinite sea of vulgarity – that, my dear friends, is the lasting testament of the citadels of darkness. Bless them in their effort to enlighten us!”
May 21, 2017
Jordan Peterson: An Introduction to the Idea of God
Jordan Peterson has kicked off his series of lectures on the Bible in Toronto. The lectures will span the summer. Lucky for us, he is posting them all online thanks to his Patreon supporters.
Bruce Charlton's absence was, thankfully, a short one.
Thankfully, Bruce Charlton did not suspend his blogging for very long. In fact, he has been posting quite regularly over the past few months. His most recent blog post is especially profound. If you are concerened about the current malaise the West is mired in, I encourage you to read it.
http://charltonteaching.blogspot.hu/2017/05/a-viable-future-of-west-must-be.html
http://charltonteaching.blogspot.hu/2017/05/a-viable-future-of-west-must-be.html
May 17, 2017
Thanks to those who dowloaded the novel
Many thanks to those individuals who downloaded my novel during the kindle e-book giveaway. I sincerely hope they will enjoy reading it.
May 9, 2017
Free From May 11-15: The City of Earthly Desire - Kindle Edition
I humbly invite you to download a kindle version of my novel, The City of Earthly Desire, free on Amazon from May 11 to May 15. Click here to visit Amazon and download.
March 26, 2017
A Brief Thought on the Current State of Free Speech in the West
As a writer, freedom of speech is of immense importance to me. I am one of those increasingly rare individuals who believes that all speech, be it written or spoken, should not only be openly permitted, but also vehemently encouraged and rabidly protected regardless of how offensive, untrue, or misguided some may deem those spoken or written words to be. I will not launch into a long-winded ode singing the praises of freedom of speech or list the many obvious reasons why people must have the right to say or write anything they damn well please. Instead, I will say only this - an infringement upon the right to speak freely is an infringement upon humanity.
Having said this, I must admit that I find recent and current trends in the protection of free speech in the West quite alarming to say the least. Developments such as motion M103 and the possible legislation compelling the use of non-binary gender pronouns in Canada together with the frequently viotrolic SJW protests seeking to silence speakers at universities, the draconian censorship most Western European governments use to muffle their citizenry, and the creeping restrictions and bans levelled against dissident voices on social media, I offer the following postulation:
Free speech in the West is stuck between Islam and a safe space.
February 26, 2017
The Most Frustrating Thing About Writing
The way you see the story in your head - a little rough around the edges, but overall fairly sublime. 
The way the story ends up after you transcribe the vision in your mind onto paper.
February 15, 2017
Bruce Charlton Signs Off
Stating that "at present I have nothing much to say (and linked with this) no imaginative sense of an audience," Bruce Charlton has announced that he is suspending his blogging at
Bruce Charlton's Notions.
Though I respect Dr. Charlton's decision, I would be lying if I said I will not miss reading his blog on a daily basis, which I have done for the better part of four years. As with any blog, I did not always agree with everything Dr. Charlton posted, but nearly all of his posts contained kernels of wisdom and insight that forced me to think more deeply. I contacted him personally on a few occasions over the years; his replies were always prompt, courteous, and thoughtful.
I hope Bruce's absence will not be permament. Regardless, I wish him the best and thank him for the exceptional work he posted on his blog.
Though I respect Dr. Charlton's decision, I would be lying if I said I will not miss reading his blog on a daily basis, which I have done for the better part of four years. As with any blog, I did not always agree with everything Dr. Charlton posted, but nearly all of his posts contained kernels of wisdom and insight that forced me to think more deeply. I contacted him personally on a few occasions over the years; his replies were always prompt, courteous, and thoughtful.
I hope Bruce's absence will not be permament. Regardless, I wish him the best and thank him for the exceptional work he posted on his blog.
Walking to the Train
I am in a place I have not been for many years. I do not know what to call this place, since it is not an actual place at all, but rather a place in the mind. After many years of dormancy, my imagination is awakening again. I am beginning to conceptualize ideas, characters, and themes that are slowly being structured into a narrative framework. In the coming months, I imagine I will begin recording the narrative in writing.
In the meantime, I am allowing these initial surges of creativity to play out. I do not spend much time consciously thinking about them - I simply let them all permeate. The best ideas or notions come to me as I walk to and from the train station before work and after my day at the university is done. It's a half-hour walk each way and during that time I let my mind wander as I traverse the farm fields that separate Fertőendréd, where I live, from Petőháza, the town in which I catch the train. I pass a cemetery, two churches, a stone statue of the Virgin Mary, and many houses and small-town businesses as I walk to and from the station, but I barely notice these things on a conscious level. I began walking to the train shortly after Christmas as part of an effort to get back and shape and keep myself fit, but physical exercise is no longer my primary motivation for walking to the train and walking home. During these walks, I am purely in the world of imagination. It's good to be back in this place of the mind again and I'm curious to know what the result of this most recent creative stirring will be.
In the meantime, I am allowing these initial surges of creativity to play out. I do not spend much time consciously thinking about them - I simply let them all permeate. The best ideas or notions come to me as I walk to and from the train station before work and after my day at the university is done. It's a half-hour walk each way and during that time I let my mind wander as I traverse the farm fields that separate Fertőendréd, where I live, from Petőháza, the town in which I catch the train. I pass a cemetery, two churches, a stone statue of the Virgin Mary, and many houses and small-town businesses as I walk to and from the station, but I barely notice these things on a conscious level. I began walking to the train shortly after Christmas as part of an effort to get back and shape and keep myself fit, but physical exercise is no longer my primary motivation for walking to the train and walking home. During these walks, I am purely in the world of imagination. It's good to be back in this place of the mind again and I'm curious to know what the result of this most recent creative stirring will be.
