Orthodoxy
by Gilbert Keith Chesterton · first published 1874
63% recommend34% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Witty, paradox-rich defense of Christianity that teaches readers to question assumptions, including secular materialist ones. Praised for Chesterton's way with words; suits skeptics, atheists, and curious non-believers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
<p><i>Orthodoxy</i> is <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/g-k-chesterton">G. K. Chesterton’s</a> response to his critics’ assertion that his earlier collection of essays, <i><a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/g-k-chesterton/heretics">Heretics</a></i>, had “merely criticised current philosophies without offering any alternative philosophy.” In his intellectual journey from pagan to agnostic to positivist philosopher, he had attempted to build a philosophy “some ten minutes in advance of the truth.” But when he compared his modern philosophy with Christian theology, he realized t
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2025The Everlasting Man
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 1712 recommend · 17 mention12 recommend · 1712 recommend
2015–2025Heretics
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 105 recommend · 10 mention5 recommend · 105 recommend
2021–2025What's wrong with the world
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, CrossReach Publications
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 72 recommend · 7 mention2 recommend · 72 recommend
2015–2018On Becoming a Person
Carl Rogers
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2012–2022Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, Lily Hopp Kingsolver
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2018–2024The heart of the Buddha's teaching
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2018–2023The Celestine Prophecy - An Adventure
James Redfield
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
2010–2025Self-reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Recommended by 25 · mentioned by 3825 recommend · 38 mention25 recommend · 3825 recommend
"Orthodoxy" - GK Chesterton "The Abolition of Man" - CS Lewis "The Master and Margarita" - Mikhail Bulgakov "The Brothers Karamazov" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗…Fiddler's Green, from Sandman -- down to the sword-cane, rotundity, paradoxes, and booming laugh. I greatly enjoy The Man Who Was Thursday (I find that the denouement still works, if you've never read it), Orthodoxy, and some others, and he was my first exposure to distributism. Oddly, I've always felt that he shared with Pratchett the pathological wittiness that makes him hard to read at length: he's so damn pithy…
on “A Convivial Chap Led Easily Astray: On G. K. Chesterton” ↗Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read in 2020?” ↗…gift. He somehow gets inside his subjects to an astounding degree. Varied Types has about 15 short pieces on contemporary/recent figures, e.g. the first is on Charlotte Brontë. I love the first half of Orthodoxy—before it (unsurprisingly) gets too Christiany. I find his usual brilliant arguments often turn into very lazy, stupid ones where his religion is the topic. But every writer has their blind spots. An…
on “A Convivial Chap Led Easily Astray: On G. K. Chesterton” ↗How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton? Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library. I would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book. If you like history, David…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗…I'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis Walden by Thoreau A few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes…
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗Not sure if it counts as psychology of religion, but "Orthodoxy" by Gilbert Keith Chesterton is something not to be missed if you are looking for one of the finest works of christian philosophy in XX century. some quotations here https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Orthodoxy_(book).…
on “Ask HN: Best books on the psychology of religion?” ↗…Santayana[0], but decided against including any of that. I'm a huge Nietzsche fan so answering properly would take a while; I decided your remark wasn't worth it. Sorry.) [0] Chesterton's Heretics and Orthodoxy contain good (and funny) critiques of Nietzsche, as do many of his other works, e.g. Varied/Twelve Types and GBS. Santayana's wonderful Egotism in German Philosophy has chapters on Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
on “A new book about Nietzsche: tethering philosophy to the mess of daily experience” ↗Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George Orthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton The Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗A few have yes. Off the top of my head both fiction and non-fiction, Feyerabend's Against Method, Capital Marx, Orthodoxy Chesterton, Blood Meridian McCarthy, VALIS P.K. Dick, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas Le Guin, Sirens of Titan Vonnegut, Finite and Infinite Games James P. Carse, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning Girard,…
on “Ask HN: Which book/essay changed your life?” ↗Related, I highly recommend Orthodoxy by Chesterton, especially to protestants and atheists. You miss out on the best parts of the philosophy when you occupy either of those two camps, though, they're really the same camp. Protestantism…
on “Ethiopian quest to re-create ancient manuscripts” ↗…which is in the Bible (everything is not in the Bible alone - e. g. the list of the books of the Bible isn't in the Bible) Mere Christianity by Lewis is a pretty good introduction to the idea, as is Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.
on “The strange disappearance of Mrs Agatha Christie (2022)” ↗…administrative state — and after coming to hate the west and Christianity as a consequence of this indoctrination, I really found the following books to be the ultimate mindfucks: - Heretics by GK Chesterton - Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton - Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America by Mary Grabar - A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell - Dominion: How the Christian Revolution…
on “List of books that will induce a mindfuck” ↗I am very thankful for librivox. I have listened to "Heretics", "Orthodoxy", and "Against Eugenics and Other Evils" by G.K. Chesterton. I've also listened to some works of St. Patrick read by librivox contributors, quality has been very high (exceptional when you consider that…
on “Free public domain audiobooks” ↗…do things that seem antiquated apply now? Well, some parts of it -are- antiquated, in that they were meant for a specific time, and not now. Chesterton had a number of beautiful assertions in his book Orthodoxy, to the effect that Christianity is necessarily paradoxical, because -people- are paradoxical. To take that here, from my perspective (and there are many) morality can be both absolute and relativistic;…
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗