In Search of Truth and Beauty

Delightful, even for the skeptic

Revisado: 05-17-21

I'm an atheist and often bristle at titles that start with strong theological assumptions. But Trueman's book is a really happy exception. This is a riveting intellectual history that is a delight to listen to. Trueman is a really artful writer and does a masterful job of translating various intellectual traditions into easily accessible ideas. Although he is trying to defend Christian traditionalism, he never comes across as bombastic, dismissive, or combative with those he doesn't agree with. This is really a model of thoughtful discourse.

My only quibble with the book is the lack of self reflection in its own central thesis. Trueman uses contemporary debates over transgender identity as the theme showing how the liberal intellectual tradition created a certain dynamic for the self that often gets expressed through identity politics. That is all well and good. But what he never delves into is why so many conservative Christians are so preoccupied with sexuality in the first place. Perhaps this is self evident to his intended audience, but I would have appreciated a little more self reflection on his part amidst his searing critique of the evolution of the modern self.

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Writing is too complex for an audio book.

Revisado: 05-17-21

I was really excited for this title as I'm keenly interested in the subject. I thought it would be great to listen to. But this book is written at a level that is far too complicated for audio. It employs a lot of complex terminology and is written in a highly technical form. This isn't bad if you're looking for a science text book, where you can take your time going through the sentences. But an audiobook carries you along at its own pace and if you don't have Ph.D. in biology, this pace is probably too fast. This is not a knock on the content of the book which is fine but I would strongly recommend buying the print version instead of the audible one.

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