More Dante Now, Please! (Part 2): Let’s Hear It for Free Will!

More Dante Now, Please! (Part 2): Let’s Hear It for Free Will!
Detail of a miniature of Dante and Virgil witnessing Satan, with his three mouths, devouring Cassius, Judas (center), and Brutus, who betrayed their masters, in an illustration of Canto 34 of the "Inferno." Priamo della Quercia, between 1444 and circa 1450. British Library Catalogue of Iluminated Manuscripts. Public Domain
James Sale
Updated:
In Part 1 of this article, we spoke of the importance of young minds being exposed to great literature—though the point is true for all people of whatever age. Great literature can provide an antidote to “woke” virtue signaling, and also provide a context within which some real thinking about life, the meaning of life, and our purpose can be explored.

And we made the point that classic texts are those which have proven their worth over centuries, even millennia, not the latest and fashionable books spouting clichéd memes. Dante, we said, is a good example of just such an author who is valuable to read and, further, to study. Indeed, although he died 699 years ago, his work is as topical and relevant now as it was then.

James Sale
James Sale
Author
James Sale has had over 50 books published, most recently, “Mapping Motivation for Top Performing Teams” (Routledge, 2021). He has been nominated for the 2022 poetry Pushcart Prize, and won first prize in The Society of Classical Poets 2017 annual competition, performing in New York in 2019. His most recent poetry collection is “StairWell.” For more information about the author, and about his Dante project, visit EnglishCantos.home.blog
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