That is how Dr. Jeff Mirus describes Dale Ahlquist's new book,
The Complete Thinker: The Marvelous Mind of G.K. Chesterton, in a just posted review on the CatholicCulture.org:
Here is a book which took me by surprise: Dale Ahlquist’s explication of the thought of G. K. Chesterton in The Complete Thinker. Subtitled “The Marvelous Mind of G. K. Chesterton”, Ahlquist’s book explains Chesterton’s writing not only through many apt quotations but also by successfully distilling his varied writings into their key elements so that the reader has a clear framework of appreciation. Because Dale Ahlquist is a fine writer in his own right, the book is as enjoyable as it is enlightening. ...
For those who have found themselves in this unenviable position, this position of being on a walking tour while desiring air travel, The Complete Thinker provides a very well-structured introduction in a lively and entertaining style, without sacrificing GKC’s immense quotability. For those who have enjoyed Chesterton but have not had time to read even a small portion of his immense body of work, The Complete Thinker packs a great deal into a small space. And for those who are wondering if they should get started with Chesterton at all, reading Ahlquist’s appreciation will answer that question, probably by whetting the appetite.
Read the entire review at www.CatholicCulture.org. Ahlquist was interviewed by Catholic World Report a couple of months ago about the book; here is a taste:
CWR: You state, “Chesterton’s great accomplishment is that in addition to writing about everything, he puts it all together. He is a complete thinker.” How, in light of Chesterton’s writings, does one go about being a complete thinker?
Ahlquist: Chesterton says, “Thinking means connecting things.” Chesterton is the complete thinker in that he connects everything. It is, ironically, why he is so hard to categorize as a writer. He is bigger than all the categories. He keeps spilling over into different subjects that we would prefer to be kept watertight. We want religion kept out of politics. We want it kept out of economics. Well, we want religion kept out of everything! But we have also separated meaning from art, and art from beauty. We have separated health from human dignity, and have separated the family from the home. We have separated the big questions from the little questions and neither is getting answered very well.
As the Complete Thinker, Chesterton is the model thinker. One becomes a complete thinker by thinking like Chesterton!



































































































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