The Wise Men Know What Wicked Things Are Written on the Sky [Audio Cassette]

Russell Kirk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

In a series of 11 essays, Russell Kirk explores the question, "Is the American Republic descending into decadence, or are the American people entering upon a renewal of belief and hope?" 5 cassettes.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786100605
• ISBN-13: 978-0786100606
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,940,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 5, 2000

By 

Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wise Men Know What Wicked Things Are Written on the Sky (Paperback)

Russell Kirk was one of the most brilliant conservative thinkers of the 20th century. This book -- a collection of lectures given between 1982 and 1984 -- provides an excellent introduction to his thought. The topic of the lectures is: "Is the American Republic descending into decadence, or are the American people entering upon a renewal of belief and hope."

Kirk's analysis is as accurate now as it was then. For example, in writing about US foreign policy and "human rights," his insights are just as applicable today to US meddling in other countries, such as the foolish war against Serbia. Or, his case against the use of computers in education is all the more valuable when getting the internet into every class is proclaimed a national policy. I particularly liked the story of how he threw the TV in the trash when he found his family watching it.

But this book isn't just grumbling about the state of American culture. It is a deep reflection on what Kirk considered America's mission: "to reconcile the claims of order and the claims of freedom: to maintain in an age of ferocious ideologies and fantastic schemes a model of justice."