Heretics

G K Chesterton

Posting a letter and getting married are among the few things left that are entirely romatic; for to be entirely romantic a thing must be irrevocable.

And under all this vast illusion of the cosmopolitan planet,with its empires and its Reuter's agency, the real life of mangoes on concerned with this tree or that temple, with this harvestor that drinking-song, totally uncomprehended, totally untouched.And it watches from its splendid parochialism, possibly with a smile of amusement, motor-car civilization going its triumphant way,outstripping time, consuming space, seeing all and seeing nothing,roaring on at last to the capture of the solar system, only to findthe sun cockney and the stars suburban.

I apologize to the rationalists even for calling them rationalists.There are no rationalists. We all believe fairy-tales, and live in them. Some, with a sumptuous literary turn, believe in the existence of the lady clothed with the sun. Some, with a more rustic, elvish instinct, like Mr. McCabe, believe merely in the impossible sun itself. Some hold the undemonstrable dogma of the existence of God; some the equally undemonstrable dogma of the existence of the man next door.

I did not intend to use so many quotes to introduce this book, but Chesterton is one of the most quotable people I have ever read. Not only continually state the most shocking things as if they were obvious to a three year old, but he usually goes on to prove that they are indeed this obvious. I do not know how he works he wonders with words, but wonders deserve to be read none the less.
Heretics is an expansive discussion of early twentieth century thought, from the perspective of one of the last men who really understood ancient thought. Chesterton has an eye for pointing out in Heretics the many assumptions our often pompous sense of being modern has hidden from us. While it is primarily concerned with specific issues of English society in the 1900s, Heretics manifestly applies to our own current situation as well.
Some people might find his confidence to be prideful, but it is nothing more than the confidence of a man who thinks he is right. And as Chesterton explains in towards the end of Heretics, any man who rights better damn well think he is right or else he is merely wasting everybody's time. In addition to a broad discussion of issues, Heretics also addresses the beliefs of such authors and thinkers as H. G. Wells, G. B. Shaw, and Rudyard Kipling, just to name a few. Chesterton is wonderfully correct in his outright criticism of them, so much so that one finds oneself slipping from kind, gentlemanly words of deference and outright praise to sudden contradiction and accusations of confusion (if not idiocy). Chesterton has a way with addressing people without ever letting you guess that he intends to sacrifice them to his cause in a few minutes.
Lastly, one of the aspects of Chesterton's writing which I admire most is his love of paradox. Throughout Heretics he continually confronts the readers with things which are contradictory and yet which we know to be true. Chesterton also loves to lead you on with a sentence which should, as you imagine, end a certain way, but will inevitably spring a complete switch on you just before the period. While this is unsettling, it only makes the reading better. Heretics will make your brain hurt, but it will also make you a wiser person.
9/10