A Little Update...Mostly About Books

by Hiram R. Diaz III

So things around here have been somewhat quiet for a while now, but I've been busy at work.  A lot of my time has just been spent doing regular dad and husband things, but I've also managed to pump out an album (check it out here), two articles for Thorn Crown Ministries (On the Moral Duty and Necessity of Going to Work, Some Answers to Pertinent Questions from a Friend), and have managed to get a good deal of reading done. These books cover a range of topics, and could be very useful, so I thought I'd list them.

1. Pseudopandemic: The New Normal Technocracy - I heard about this book while listening to The Corbett Report (a politics/geopolitics podcast well worth your time if you're interested in actual news), and have been greatly pleased by the book's meticulous documentation of its sources. It is a long read, but if you're interested in understanding how and why the covid fauxpocalypse is just that, a pseudopandemic, this is a great read. It's also available for free in ebook format.

The author, Ian Davis, is an engaging writer whose blog is worth following in its own right. Check out the blog, and get the book, here.

2. COVID-19 and the Agendas to Come: Red-Pilled - This book, written by James Perloff, was recommended to me by a brother in Christ some time ago. It too focuses on the COVID-19 fauxpocalypse, but is considerably shorter. Here is the official overview of the book's content -

Drawing on statements of numerous scholars from around the world-virologists, epidemiologists, immunologists, pathologists, microbiologists, infectious disease specialists, including Nobel Prize winners, as well as front-line ER physicians and family practice MDs-veteran journalist James Perloff asks hard questions about the global response to COVID-19. Are the virus's health risks greater than those posed by the lockdowns?, What does the science say about masks and social distancing?, Why were no lockdowns imposed for previous pandemics of comparable magnitude?, How accurate are the death numbers attributed to COVID-19?, Is the virus completely natural, or could bio-engineering have played a role?, Should the world's population take a Covid vaccine developed at 'warp speed'?, Why is Bill Gates formulating health policy, even though he has no medical credentials?, How might a 'second wave' be different?, Is the Covid crisis being exploited to push us into an Orwellian future of mass surveillance, digital IDs and cashless transactions?, 

Perloff draws from mainstream publications and official government sources such as the CDC, as well as independent researchers whose work is increasingly hard to find online due to censorship by tech giants like FaceBook, Google and YouTube.

If you want to know more about James Perloff, check out his website here.

3.  The Right to Know: Epistemic Rights and Why We Need Them - I often listen to the New Books in Philosophy podcast in order to stay abreast of what the newest trends in philosophy are or will be, and this is where I found about philosopher Lani Watson's book The Right to Know (you can listen to the podcast here). I was excited to hear a philosopher give some consideration to "who has the right to what information, who is responsible for the quality and circulation of information and what epistemic duties we have towards each other" (source). There are many good things this book accomplishes overall. For instance, it draws our attention to the responsibilities that knowledge holders who are considered experts have to those who are not experts. Watson's focus on the opioid epidemic, a crisis which was wrought by the intentional propagation of false information about the safety of opioid use (immediate release as well as time release pills) is a helpful reminder that pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and scientists can, and do at times, lie and manipulate data in order to achieve particular ends (e.g. making billions of dollars). This is a much needed reminder today as the cult of Fauci daily grows in its membership.

While I don't agree with Watson on a number of important points, I do think this book is a great resource for philosophers, theologians, and others who have an intuitive understanding that as knowers we are entitled to certain types of knowledge, especially as regards knowledge that is, as it were, not within our wheelhouse. She provides a great starting point for further reflection and study, using language that is well defined, precise, and easy to follow.

4. Paul and the Giants of Philosophy - This book is comprised of multiple scholarly essays exploring "Paul's interaction with Greco-Roman philosophical thinking on a particular topic, such as faith, slavery, gift-giving, and the afterlife" (source). There is much that is good in this book, information about the philosophical schools prevalent in Paul's day, as well as reevaluations of some of the common assumptions scholars tend to make about Paul's "dependence" on Stoic and Epicurean ethical philosophers.

Additionally, if you want to know what contemporary scholars are thinking about Paul and his relationship to the ancient philosophers this is a good introductory book. I think this goes with saying, but if you read this book scrutinize it in light of the teaching of Scripture. There are some places where the authors present ideas that are out of line with the clear teaching of Scripture. Remember that Scripture is the source of our doctrine, not tentative historical reconstructions.

5. Paul and the Thessalonians: The Philosophic Tradition of Pastoral Care - I'm about halfway done with this book, so I don't want to give an overall review of it. It is an interesting so far, and I recommend it as an academic resource which may help you get a broader understanding of elements of Paul's day that may contribute to other considerations. This is from the book's intro:

This book deals with Paul's practice rather than his theology. It especially traces the way in which Paul established a church in the important city of Thessalonica, the capital city of the Roman province of Macedonia, maintained contact with it in order to ensure its continuing nurture, and instructed its members on how to care for one another. Rather than simply organize a church, Paul founded, shaped, and nurtured a community. In so doing, he was sensitive to the needs of individuals within the community who had committed themselves to new beliefs and a new way of life. Paul was, in fact, engaged in pastoral care, although he does not describe the enterprise in that manner.

Fin?

There are other books in que, as well as scores of scholarly articles (primarily on Paul and the philosophers), that I could have mentioned here. But if I did that, finishing up my reading would take even longer! In any case, I hope you find these books helpful in providing you with stuff to think about, even if you don't wind up reading them. Being introduced to the very notions these authors bring up can spur you on to thinking, and that's not a bad thing.

-h.