Is there a possibility of having a print and audiobook version of the essays and letters every so often? I am ready to preorder volume 1. Thanks for the peace you both bring me, I love your words.
Jordan Peterson has been trying to get people to answer/define discernment by the Holy Spirit. He really grilled John Rich on his podcast to define what discernment looks like on a very practical/definable level more than "I just felt it!"....I'm curious about how the Great Klavans might define spiritual discernment or when things are confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit
I recently finished Paradise Lost and it was probably the toughest book I've read. After the first section or two, I had to supplement my reading with SparkNotes, which improved things significantly. How do you prepare for first time read-throughs for something like this? Dante's Divine Comedy is next. Hopefully, it won't be quite the same struggle.
This topic comes up frequently in your conversations, but I wanted to focus on a very practical element. What ways do you think will be effective in reigniting young men's interest in literature, the arts, and the Bible? Klavan the Elder says young men create the new culture, and Klavan the Younger talked in an essay from a few months ago about how our modern solutions will have to look different. As much as I value this Substack for my personal edification, I am skeptical that online group chats/book clubs and subscribing to channels on YouTube will have an impact in a way that seeps down into normal, everyday ways men interact with one another. So, maybe the simple way of asking is this: How do I get my friends to care about Shakespeare instead of just wanting to watch TikToks?
I’m 50 and a lot of my friends and relatives are childless, cat ladies. Not all of them, but most of them, are innately unhappy. I usually remove black holes of negative energy from my life but if I stop hanging out with the unhappy, older, childless women I’ll lose a significant portion of my community. I’m not sure where to go from here. I have 3 kids who keep me busy but not busy enough to not have friends.
My question is this: have you ever experienced really thinking you knew what God wanted you to do after prayer and letting time pass and then having taken “the direction” you been spectacularly baffled and confused? I think I made up a plan and inserted “the will of God” where it wasn’t….
Two years ago I left Los Angeles and moved to Naples, Florida. Not a good thing at all for me. I know what everyone says about California and I was one of them. But for me… I miss it so much that it physically hurts sometimes.
Ay-up, sir bald one & sir buff one, What are things you would suggest looking for in a woman for marriage or what are deal breakers in your mind? Does she have to be a Christian ? Does she have to be conservative? What if she doesn’t want to be a stay at home mom for example ? What are things you could sort out overtime versus what are things you just couldn’t accept. I’m just curious what the wisest of them all would suggest for a young man trying to find his way in the world so please give me tomorrows wisdom today. cheers and God bless my friends! Thank you for all you guys do!
Here’s a question mainly for Andrew. In your memoir, The Great Good Thing, you describe an experience you had where by simply saying the words “no God”, the world suddenly became vibrantly alive and present to you. That story really stands out to me because I am currently experiencing something very similar. In the book and in this Substack, you briefly mention that it had something to do with past trauma and misconceptions about God, but in both you move on from it pretty quickly. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what you think specifically led to that experience, and what advice you would give to someone going through the same thing.
Oh and not to get greedy with the questions, but can we please have the Cameron Winter series on kindle in the UK? I know you think you killed us all but the English still exist.
And if I may be so bold as to ask a second question of the Kouncil of Klavan… I am catching up on YH Iliad episodes as I’m writing this, and I am wondering that if the Greeks have Achilles and Odysseus, the Brits have Arthur, does America have a mythical/semi-historical hero? Is it Huck Finn? Tom Sawyer? Davy Crockett? And what is the significance of our myth heroes not being great men like kings and warriors?
Have you ever read any books by Dallas Willard, especially "The Divine Conspiracy"? I think you would both find them intellectually stimulating and spiritually inspirational. And right up your alley.
You'll often bring up Motherhood and the importance of that role in your podcast and elsewhere. As a father of two under two, I'm curious what your thoughts are on Fatherhood? Specifically, what it means to be a "good" father to a boy vs a girl? How did you navigate these waters with your son (no relation) and daughter? Spencer - perhaps you have a take?
A second, unrelated question, if I may: What is a typical day in the life of a Klavan Man? Between writing, podcasting and interviewing, not to mention prep work for all of that and then recreation time, it's hard to imagine how a day is structured.
I’m an artist. I’m a published music composer and write stories. I used to think that I had a time limit to try and produce art before I got to a certain age when no one cared to view my work. After listening to you both for a few years now and being a part of this Substack, I realize how that an artist actually improves as they age because they understand life better (if don’t right). Could you give me your thoughts on this?
A thought popped into my head yesterday when thinking about the lyrics to a song I wrote about Andrew Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. It quoted his line, which in turn quotes Maththew 26:24 “Woe to you, who cause those little ones to stumble. Better you had never been born”. I had heard this line many times before, but only yesterday did the thought pop into my head, “Even Jesus thought, there are situations in which it is better never to have been born”.
Whilst I clearly don’t believe Jesus is advocating abortion here, it does raise the questions:
1. Are there life circumstances that would warrant abortion?
2. What situation could be that terrible?
3. And most importantly, could the left use this line to twist the abortion debate?
I would love to hear your opinion on this. I think I have some answers in my head that satisfy my own questions but still thought you could add some of your own special insight for extra reassurance. Thank you.
I am interested in your thoughts about the video “Flatland and the 4th Dimension-Carl Sagan” on YouTube and whether it gives us insight into theology. In short, whether its science/reason-based discussion of spatial dimensions gives us insight into our faith.
For example, can Sagan’s explanation of the relationship between one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional entities give us insight into the mystery of the Holy Trinity (from a Catholic POV)?
Sagan implies a one dimensional line is still a distinct line yet it’s fully incorporated into a two dimensional square. Similarly, a two dimensional square is still a distinct square yet it is fully incorporated into a three dimensional cube. Assuming God can be understood as a being existing in a higher spatial dimension than our own (Heaven), does it stretch Sagan’s concept too far to draw an analogy to the Holy Trinity such that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are simultaneously distinct yet one in this higher dimension?
Other insights can be drawn from the video like the idea that God’s full nature is beyond human comprehension, similar to how Flatlanders can’t fully comprehend three dimensional objects, but I’ll leave it there for now.
Is there a possibility of having a print and audiobook version of the essays and letters every so often? I am ready to preorder volume 1. Thanks for the peace you both bring me, I love your words.
I second this 100%!
Jordan Peterson has been trying to get people to answer/define discernment by the Holy Spirit. He really grilled John Rich on his podcast to define what discernment looks like on a very practical/definable level more than "I just felt it!"....I'm curious about how the Great Klavans might define spiritual discernment or when things are confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit
I recently finished Paradise Lost and it was probably the toughest book I've read. After the first section or two, I had to supplement my reading with SparkNotes, which improved things significantly. How do you prepare for first time read-throughs for something like this? Dante's Divine Comedy is next. Hopefully, it won't be quite the same struggle.
This topic comes up frequently in your conversations, but I wanted to focus on a very practical element. What ways do you think will be effective in reigniting young men's interest in literature, the arts, and the Bible? Klavan the Elder says young men create the new culture, and Klavan the Younger talked in an essay from a few months ago about how our modern solutions will have to look different. As much as I value this Substack for my personal edification, I am skeptical that online group chats/book clubs and subscribing to channels on YouTube will have an impact in a way that seeps down into normal, everyday ways men interact with one another. So, maybe the simple way of asking is this: How do I get my friends to care about Shakespeare instead of just wanting to watch TikToks?
I’m 50 and a lot of my friends and relatives are childless, cat ladies. Not all of them, but most of them, are innately unhappy. I usually remove black holes of negative energy from my life but if I stop hanging out with the unhappy, older, childless women I’ll lose a significant portion of my community. I’m not sure where to go from here. I have 3 kids who keep me busy but not busy enough to not have friends.
My question is this: have you ever experienced really thinking you knew what God wanted you to do after prayer and letting time pass and then having taken “the direction” you been spectacularly baffled and confused? I think I made up a plan and inserted “the will of God” where it wasn’t….
Two years ago I left Los Angeles and moved to Naples, Florida. Not a good thing at all for me. I know what everyone says about California and I was one of them. But for me… I miss it so much that it physically hurts sometimes.
Ay-up, sir bald one & sir buff one, What are things you would suggest looking for in a woman for marriage or what are deal breakers in your mind? Does she have to be a Christian ? Does she have to be conservative? What if she doesn’t want to be a stay at home mom for example ? What are things you could sort out overtime versus what are things you just couldn’t accept. I’m just curious what the wisest of them all would suggest for a young man trying to find his way in the world so please give me tomorrows wisdom today. cheers and God bless my friends! Thank you for all you guys do!
Here’s a question mainly for Andrew. In your memoir, The Great Good Thing, you describe an experience you had where by simply saying the words “no God”, the world suddenly became vibrantly alive and present to you. That story really stands out to me because I am currently experiencing something very similar. In the book and in this Substack, you briefly mention that it had something to do with past trauma and misconceptions about God, but in both you move on from it pretty quickly. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what you think specifically led to that experience, and what advice you would give to someone going through the same thing.
Oh and not to get greedy with the questions, but can we please have the Cameron Winter series on kindle in the UK? I know you think you killed us all but the English still exist.
And if I may be so bold as to ask a second question of the Kouncil of Klavan… I am catching up on YH Iliad episodes as I’m writing this, and I am wondering that if the Greeks have Achilles and Odysseus, the Brits have Arthur, does America have a mythical/semi-historical hero? Is it Huck Finn? Tom Sawyer? Davy Crockett? And what is the significance of our myth heroes not being great men like kings and warriors?
Have you ever read any books by Dallas Willard, especially "The Divine Conspiracy"? I think you would both find them intellectually stimulating and spiritually inspirational. And right up your alley.
Please expound on areas of philosophical or religious disagreement either of you may have with Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life.
Mr. Andrew --
You'll often bring up Motherhood and the importance of that role in your podcast and elsewhere. As a father of two under two, I'm curious what your thoughts are on Fatherhood? Specifically, what it means to be a "good" father to a boy vs a girl? How did you navigate these waters with your son (no relation) and daughter? Spencer - perhaps you have a take?
A second, unrelated question, if I may: What is a typical day in the life of a Klavan Man? Between writing, podcasting and interviewing, not to mention prep work for all of that and then recreation time, it's hard to imagine how a day is structured.
I’m an artist. I’m a published music composer and write stories. I used to think that I had a time limit to try and produce art before I got to a certain age when no one cared to view my work. After listening to you both for a few years now and being a part of this Substack, I realize how that an artist actually improves as they age because they understand life better (if don’t right). Could you give me your thoughts on this?
Dearest Drew,
A thought popped into my head yesterday when thinking about the lyrics to a song I wrote about Andrew Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. It quoted his line, which in turn quotes Maththew 26:24 “Woe to you, who cause those little ones to stumble. Better you had never been born”. I had heard this line many times before, but only yesterday did the thought pop into my head, “Even Jesus thought, there are situations in which it is better never to have been born”.
Whilst I clearly don’t believe Jesus is advocating abortion here, it does raise the questions:
1. Are there life circumstances that would warrant abortion?
2. What situation could be that terrible?
3. And most importantly, could the left use this line to twist the abortion debate?
I would love to hear your opinion on this. I think I have some answers in my head that satisfy my own questions but still thought you could add some of your own special insight for extra reassurance. Thank you.
I am interested in your thoughts about the video “Flatland and the 4th Dimension-Carl Sagan” on YouTube and whether it gives us insight into theology. In short, whether its science/reason-based discussion of spatial dimensions gives us insight into our faith.
For example, can Sagan’s explanation of the relationship between one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional entities give us insight into the mystery of the Holy Trinity (from a Catholic POV)?
Sagan implies a one dimensional line is still a distinct line yet it’s fully incorporated into a two dimensional square. Similarly, a two dimensional square is still a distinct square yet it is fully incorporated into a three dimensional cube. Assuming God can be understood as a being existing in a higher spatial dimension than our own (Heaven), does it stretch Sagan’s concept too far to draw an analogy to the Holy Trinity such that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are simultaneously distinct yet one in this higher dimension?
Other insights can be drawn from the video like the idea that God’s full nature is beyond human comprehension, similar to how Flatlanders can’t fully comprehend three dimensional objects, but I’ll leave it there for now.
Here’s a link to the video: https://youtu.be/iiWKq57uAlk?feature=shared
Interested in your thoughts.