Archive for September, 2021

Is is Is

Posted September 30, 2021 By John C Wright

I have noticed of late that when an atheist is confronted by one of the several paradoxes of logic that haunt atheism, instead of addressing the issue, the atheist finds it simpler to jettison logic. In such sad attempts, the atheist employs the very laws of logic he denies.

What desolation atheism eventually produces in the soul!

In the dry, dim, gray world where life has no author, hence no meaning, no purpose, no point, no escape, is a world so empty and unwelcoming that eventually even immaculate Reason herself gathers her white robes, quenches her bright torch, and wings away.

A short reminder of the law of logic is in order, and perhaps a word as to why, despite their great boast to be unsentimental and clear-eyed paragons of reason, those who abandon God find it increasingly difficult not to abandon nature, human nature, human virtue, and human reason as the implications of that first abandonment play out.

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Lone Soldier in Paradise — One: Counting the Hours

Posted September 29, 2021 By John C Wright

Note: the following is a tale of the Golden Oecumene, as seen in my trilogy THE GOLDEN AGE. Previously unpublished, it is fated first to appear in  ALL MEN DREAM OF EARTHWOMEN AND OTHER AEONS, and is made available here in preview, as a courtesy to my readers.

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Lone Soldier in Paradise is now posted.

In the Golden Age, when all the dreams and ambitions godlike men can reach have been achieved, and war is a forgotten dream, one solitary soldier stands watch over the dreamers.

Atkins talks to ghosts of glory, and counts his coins of time.

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Drollery for Today

Posted September 28, 2021 By John C Wright

The Babylon Bee has taken inspiration from GK Chesterton’s MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY in addressing the pressing issues of the day.

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A Marvel Moment

Posted September 28, 2021 By John C Wright

In a recent discussion in this space, it was questioned whether or not the Marvel Universe is ruled by a Supreme Being.

Let us hear what the cosmic superbeing The Watcher says on the matter:

From Fantastic Four (1961) issue #72.

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The Nature of Nature

Posted September 27, 2021 By John C Wright

An irony of the modern age is the growing absence of reason and the growing predominance of mysticism among the atheists.

Witchcraft is popular among the Woke.

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Maricopa County Audit

Posted September 25, 2021 By John C Wright

After long last, the Maricopa County Ballot Audit results were reported to the Arizona senate. As expected, the number of phantom votes, duplicate ballots, ballots with missing signatures, or ballots without proper chain of custody far exceeds the margin of victory for the purported victor of the ballot count.

Those alleging voter fraud have been entirely vindicated. You will not hear this from any mainstream media outlet, nor will normal search engines find this news. The unwary will never hear of it.

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Nurturing Islamic Science Fiction

Posted September 25, 2021 By John C Wright

This is from an article entitled HOW ISLAM NURTURED SCIENCE FICTION, which actually says nothing much about how Islam nurtured science fiction, and makes no mention of Julesbrahim al-Verne or Herbdul Jibril al-Wells or even Jalalibad W. al-Campbell, Jr., and how their devotion to the faith of the Prophet drove the growth of modern speculative fiction.

No, the article is actually meant to encourages (presumably Mohammedan) science fiction writers to write within the Islamic world view. This encouragement takes the form of drawing very strained analogies between Koranic verses and Sciffy tropes. Here are the core paragraphs:

Science fiction has been described as a literature of ideas. Knowledge and reflection are the source springs of ideas. As far as I know, no other religion in the world puts more emphasis on seeking knowledge, pondering and reflecting than Islam does.

[…]

The very first Sura (Chapter) of the Qur’an Al-Fateha states:  (All praise is God’s, the Lord of the worlds). The plural “worlds” should be noted. Obviously, ours is not the only world with intelligent life. There are other worlds out there – extraterrestrial life, ripe for the imaginations of science fiction writers.

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SF to Muggles: We Warned You

Posted September 24, 2021 By John C Wright

From the ever insightful Dave Cullen…

SF writers should be grateful that we are not Prophets and that we are not in the prophecy business. Prophets usually die by being stoned.

But it is sad when we are right.

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Defining the Indefinable, Defending the Indefensible

Posted September 24, 2021 By John C Wright

This is a column from ten years ago, whose point is timely and timeless enough to bear repeating. Reprinted here as a courtesy to readers who did not see it before:

In many a column written in this space, your author will use the word “Leftist” to describe the enemy of God and Man with whom all honest souls are locked in mortal struggle, variously called a Culture War, a Cold War, a World War, a Holy War.

This raises the question of how to define the Enemy. Who or what is a “Leftist”? Is it a garden variety member of the Democratic party or something more sinister?

This is a proper question to address. A call for a definition is always in order, since most disagreement is based on improperly defined terms.

Alas, I am not defining the word Leftist. I cannot. They have spent so much of their time and effort to avoid, elude, evade, and weasel out of defining themselves, that no mere mortal has any ability to find a label that can fit on them.

I do not think the movement, for which I have no satisfactory name, can be defined.

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Gnosticism, or, The Return of Simon the Magician

Posted September 23, 2021 By John C Wright

This is a column from ten years ago, whose point is timely and timeless enough to bear repeating. Reprinted here as a courtesy to readers who did not see it before:

It may strike some as a paradox that a science fiction writer, who pens space operas about optimistic futures filled with shining technological marvels, should at the same time voice such discontent with the modern day, and yearn for days of yore. How can a man so delighted with the miracles of aerospatial engineering and biotechnology, television and motor cars and flush toilets, have his heart at home in the Middle Ages?

My answer is that the miracles of modern technology were not created ex nihilo by Thomas Edison, but were the outgrowth of medieval developments in logic and natural philosophy, the institutions of the university. The Middle Ages had as vibrant an intellectual life as that of Ancient Athens.

In any case, it is not the technology of the Modern Age I find disquieting about it, it is the theology.

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Judgement Eve: Verse 8 Antediluvians

Posted September 22, 2021 By John C Wright

Judgement Eve Verse 8 Antediluvians is now posted.

In which the Judgment comes, and these events move to their tragic and inevitable end. Worlds fail, but the human spirit endures.

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A new tale from another aeon, near or far, will be posted in this space next week.

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Feds Arrest Feds

Posted September 20, 2021 By John C Wright

There was allegedly a rally of Trump supporters this week, dubbed the “Justice for J6” rally, gathering to protest the abominable treatment of the political prisoners arrested on January 6th for trespassing in the Capitol and held without bond in solitary confinement.

I say, “allegedly” because Trump, in an interview with the Federalist, called the rally “a setup” and said media would use it as an excuse to bash Republicans regardless of its outcome. Likewise, the Proud Boys discouraged their members from attending.

Indeed, while I follow the news rather closely, I heard no rumor of this rally among the news sources and comments I haunt. The first I heard of it was rumors among rightwingers that it was, indeed, a setup, asking folk not to attend.

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Greatest Book Sale of the Year

Posted September 18, 2021 By John C Wright
My books, those of Mrs. Wright, and other friends and associates are going up for sale, courtesy of Hans Schantz. Please take a look.

Greatest Book Sale of the Year!

Dozens of excellent science fiction and fantasy works for .99 or FREE! Visit the BasedCon book sale today!

Yes, it is that time again, Hans Schantz’ Totally Based Book Sale–just in time for Based Con!

Even if you cannot attend the brand new convention BasedCon, you can participate in its debut by visiting the Great BasedCon booksale!

Visit the BasedCon book sale today!

Dozens of excellent science fiction and fantasy works for .99 or FREE!

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Spear and Distaff

Posted September 18, 2021 By John C Wright

It is not for nothing that the female half of a lineage is called the “distaff side” and the male “spear side.” The domestic and the warlike instincts of the sexes differ, and domesticity requires and encourages conformity as well as patience and forgiveness and soft emotions that soothe conflict and bring healing; where the competition of war or commerce needs conflict, so it requires and encourages aggression and team-spirit, which, in turn, requires and encourages stoicism and discipline.

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Flintlock Fantasy: Witchy Eye by D J Butler

Posted September 17, 2021 By John C Wright

This may be of interest to my readers, and I would be personally grateful if you look over Butler’s work:

 Witchy Eye by D J Butler

THE DRAGON AWARD NOMINATED SERIES

A brilliant Americana flintlock-fantasy novel set in a world where Appalachian magic works.

Read the review by Publisher’s Weekly
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