Part 19 - Goethe's Faust and The Myth of Progress

Dr. David Allen White discusses Goethe, the greatest of German literary figures and an enormous influence on the nineteenth century. Goethe's Faust and the "Faustian" temptation that lies behind the modern myth of "Progress" is examined. Dr. White underlines the anti-Christian and downright demonic character of that modern substitute of faith. 

Part 20 - Wagner and Redemption

 Wilhelm Richard Wagner is another enormous influence on a century that excelled in musical accomplishments. He also illustrates the Faustian temptation, though often in the language of redemption. But what, exactly does redemption mean for the great composer? Dr. David Allen White comments on Wagner's life and Operas in this context.  

Part 21 - Dostoevsky and The Mystery Of Russia

Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the great religious and counterrevolutionary writers of the nineteenth century. He saw Russia and Russian Orthodoxy as being central to the battle for Christianity and Order. Why? Dr. David Allen White, through commentary on his novels, discusses Dostoevsky's Slavic mysticism, dislike of Roman Catholicism, and loathing of modern Leftism and Nihilism. 

Part 22 - A Philosophical Critique of Darwin

Dr. Jeffrey Bond focuses his sharp logic on the truly anti-scientific and anti-philosophical argumentation of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. He shows how much this involves a false act of faith in a drab, reductionist vision of life contributing mightily to the political and social problems of our times.

Part 23 - The Political Philosophy of Pope Leo XIII

Dr. Jeffry Bond shows that someone interested in a truly serious philosophical, scientific, and historical study of the problem of man in the modern world must examine the work of Pope Leo XIII. Here, he treats of Leo's discussion, in his many encyclicals, of the role of the Catholic in the modern political and social world. 

Part 24 - Kant, Romanticism, and the Construction of Reality

The Enlightenment's focus on the need to build life on the basis of observation of nature opened a Pandora's Box. Observation revealed diversity and endless diverse interpretations of nature and morality. How can objective Truth and unity be maintained in the midst of the chaos that this diversity threatens? Father Richard Munkelt explores the powerful answers--and admissions of defeat--that come from Kant on the one hand and Rousseau and other representatives of Romanticism on the other.  

 Part 25 - A Critique of Marx

Dr. Jeffrey Bond begins with an assault on the reductionism of Karl Marx. Again, his approach is one that emphasizes not only the anti-Christian character of Marxism, but also its anti-philosophical and anti-historical nature.

 

Taken from: Phoenix in a Fiery World: Church in the 19th Century - 1999 VonHildebrand Institute