Reviews for Platitudes Undone

The average rating for Platitudes Undone based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-10-23 00:00:00 Chad Whiting "In 1955, in a used bookstore in San Francisco, Dr. Alfred Kessler, an avid collector of the works of G.K. Chesterton, uncovered a rare treasure-Chesterton's personal copy of a privately published edition of Holbrook Jackson's Platitudes in the Making (1911) with original responses by Chesterton written in green pencil between the lines of Jackson's book." -From the inside cover. Those of us who know and love Chesterton for his Father Brown mysteries will enjoy his clever repartee to Jackson's assertions. This brief book is filled with, in my opinion, extremely arrogant platitudes by Holbrook Jackson, a man I had never heard of before and probably with good reason. People like him deserve to be obsolete. Most of his "pearls" are unproveable nonsense that show a contempt for mankind while trying to appear clever. Why read this book? Because G.K. Chesterton has written his personal responses to Jackson's platitudes which show Jackson's wisdom to be farcical while demonstrating Chesterton's authentic humor and insight. Here are a couple of examples: Jackson: As soon as an idea is accepted it is time to reject it. Chesterton: No: it is time to build another idea on it. You are always rejecting: and you build nothing. J: A lie is that which you do not believe. C: This is a lie: so perhaps you don't believe it. J: Familiarity breeds not contempt, but indifference. C: Bu U (sic.) can breed surprise. Try saying "boots' ninety times J: The god of theology: a power that creates to destroy. C: No: that is obviously the god of modern science.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-03-15 00:00:00 Max Eric A hilarious way to consider responding to philosophers — especially modern thinkers — in their own text. The best case of modern marginalia we have.