54 Are We Living in George Orwell’s 1984? (Part 2)

As we worked through Chapter 9 of part 2 of George Orwell’s 1984 it was clear that we had too much material to complete the discussion we began last week in a single episode. You can listen to the whole novel on our Simple Gifts Podcast, uninterrupted with my commentary. This episode and the two following were drafted as a unit, but had to be divided into manageable portions; these ideas should be presented and digested together, as they form a single narrative This week we begin with the theme that structures the remainder of these episodes. As Jenny and I walk our neighborhood each week, we see sign after sign proclaiming ”Science is Real.” It is meant as a provocation, but properly understood it is emblematic of what Orwell calls DOUBLESPEAK. As we mentioned last week, these episodes are meant to introduce an episode (or series of episodes) of the Christian Atheist we are entitling ”The Evident, Evidence, and Faith.” I thought it might be useful to illustrate what I believe to be the opposing side to the positive faith-based vision that structures Western liberal society - the Hegelian vision I have been attempting to explicate here at the Christian Atheist for our entire existence, which I have been trying to understand all my life. George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, is, I think, the best example in literature of the logical outplaying of the post-Hegelian logic in practical politics. It is disheartening to compare today’s Woke culture (and its ideological history/development) to Orwell’s Oceania. Join us, and let me know what you think of the parallels. If you’d like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]