“Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made.” No new thing can be without God and, sometimes, he waits for our cooperation.
Lord of yhe rings was developed by 3 women in wurtsboro NY in was a child and watched it written. The maps were the idea of a laundry atgendenf she came up with the name of fire drake and thrain was train with a letter added to the name. The man that wrote down the women's ideas said he would split the money with them but then after the script is sold he refused to split the money. Bag end was a bag they brought chinese food the bag was emptied the end of the bag bag end. The bag was paid in its side and the laundry attemdent said a hobbit should live in it surrounded by flowerstje three women did not know about each other each in love with the recorder of the book yhat I understood to be tolkiens son. A supposed vietnam vet. He gave each woman a ring and later screaming at them violently demanded the rings back which of course the offended women each refused he this immoral unscrupulous man led these woman to believe he cared for then when in fact he only used. And abandoned them in thi Er destitution with badly enough food to survive . people in our community went without food dailey. That man did not write the story he wrote down the story others came up with promising to split the money then never did. The man with the axe in his head is greedy robbins the hobbit with stone countinence at the gable is donald platt
@@karimghazal1531 I'm not convinced that Leftists are as smart as they would like you to believe. Evil does not require a high intellect to be exhibited. Which is self evident. We can all clearly see what these wackos are doing. Now the reason as to why we don't do much about it is another matter entirely and one I would argue that does not prove any sort of intelligence in the ranks of evil people. Our laziness is not proof of strength for the ideologues. It's just cultural complacency, a result of being too comfortable in the modern world's wealth which is a result of the progress of science and of the lack of any major military conflicts on a global scale. Perhaps we need a little bit of conflict to get ourselves off the couch and be responsible citizens again.
@@kaizokujimbei143 Yes. In LOTR story the good is in the action of people. Fellowship is good because they act and dont just sit around complaining about evil getting stronger. If hobbits decided to stay at home doing nothing they wouldnt become evil but they wouldnt become good either and eventually loose to evil powers that would rise and overpower them. The same is similiary happening in our world as you say and as we all see. But we dont have ancient magical ring and a Gandalf who tell us what to do exactly to defeat evil. Or do we?
For me, LOTR was shot through with my favorite Bible verse: “God works all things together for good, to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). If Bilbo hadn’t found the Ring, he never could have given it to Frodo. If Frodo hadn’t been late in leaving the Shire, they might never have met Aragorn. If they had made it over Caradhras Pass, Gollum wouldn’t have found them in Moria. If Gandalf hadn’t fallen in his battle with the Balrog, he never would have become the White, with enough power to defeat Saruman. If Boromir hadn’t tried to take the Ring, Frodo would never have gone to Mordor, Merry and Pippin would never have gone to Rohan, the Ents would never have been awakened to destroy Isengard, Theoden would never have been freed by Gandalf, Rohan never would have ridden to the rescue of Helm’s Deep _or_ Minas Tirith, and Aragorn might never have gone the way of the Paths of the Dead to deliver the winning blow at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. If Gondor hadn’t won that first encounter, they never would have been able to send an attacking army to Mordor to distract the Enemy long enough for the hobbits to reach Mt. Doom. And finally, if Gollum hadn’t survived everything he went through and followed Frodo and Sam all the way to the Cracks of Doom: “The Quest would have failed, even at the bitter end.” Frodo of the Shire In short, _everything_ that happened worked together to achieve the desired end: victory for the West, and defeat of the Dark Tower and its allies. What an incredible story.
" *God works all things together for good* " If he's almighty, he's responsible for *both* good and evil. At least Eru wasn't almighty, not literally. " *If Bilbo hadn’t found the Ring* " The evil would have triumphed even more, which is all good, since it makes "the story" better. That's the excuse for evil? A better story? I can't read Tolkien anymore, I'm serious. He's childish.
Excellent video. Lots to ponder. If this "divine providence" philosophy can be widely seen and practiced in other traditions, then it shows itself and true and universal. I believe it can and I deeply appreciate Tolkien for not having overt Christian allusions. I love this excellent video and I am choosing not to subscribe because I don't want more Christian themed channels, not because there is any quality lacking in ideas or production. . Thanks again for a well done video.
@@InspiringPhilosophy Honestly, the real problem with Arrya Stark, Rings of Power Galadriel and the Whole Nietzschean standard protagonist, is that they look sound and behave like they're doing all this out of personal gain and gratification.
Best commentary out there on the real difference between the show and Tolkien’s work. It’s not just the lore that is wrong. It’s the entire morality, philosophy, message that is wrong.
I think Tolkien's philosophy unpacked here is also clearly seen in Star Wars, specifically, when Obi-wan tells Anakin "Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now . . . until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy." Just as IP is describing in this video about Sauron or Saruman, Anakin starts off wanting a better world for his friends, to protect Padme, and to defeat the sith. In episode 2, in his conversation with Padme he hints at the idea that a person in a position of power forcing their will on people is the best way to bring peace. Of course his lust for power comes to its peak in episode 3 where Palpatine offers him power to save Padme, his friends, and to bring peace to the galaxy which he eventually gives in too and becomes Darth Vader.
There's also a very big theme of redemption and the belief in the good in people as seen in Vader finally turning back to the light by sacrificing himself for his son, after all those years of evil.
It's hard to imagine someone actually watching that series and thinking it does not capture these themes. It captures them pretty well. They worked hard to do that, in fact.
@@Parableman My issue with is wasn't the themes that it did or didn't capture. I thought it was just boring and I didn't engage with it. Plus it didn't have much New Zealand scenery in it. The Lord of the Rings had heaps of New Zealand scenery in it and I found that awesome because I grew up in those places. :)
Man. The ending of “If you follow a false light, it becomes dark creature” have me chills. This is why the Devil is said to “disguise as an Angel of light”. Because he is actually darkness 😅😬 but over all, I find this really good. I actually want to use a Philosophy like this in..Many stories I want to write! Good job man!
" *If you follow a false light, it becomes dark creature* ” It feels good to know, that if I choose to idly sit on my bottom instead and consume, I'm perfectly fine. The "Good Master" has all of it figured out already, no need to do anything. Suits me well, since I'm lazy and lacking in ambition, which seems to be the only sin in Tolkien's world, so I'm bound to go to heaven. Even Theoden is totally excused from his inaction. He was "poisoned" you know, but very mildly. No harm done... (Few people murdered and enslaved? Well, it makes the story better and who cares about the lowborns anyway?) Oh, eff that. At least I plowed my field today. (Literally, I did that.)
@@bakters I think you're conflating the chasing of personal ambition above all else, with action or pursuit of any kind. In the analogy of the lights, you would still have to follow the light, sitting idle would cause you to sink. If the characters of Lord of the Rings had done nothing to fight evil, even though they didn't defeat it, Middle Earth would have fallen.
@@EmberBright2077 " *I think you're conflating the chasing of personal ambition above all else* " Boromir was not motivated by personal ambition, yet he was condemned as a sinner. " *follow the light, sitting idle would cause you to sink* " Bombadil sits idle and doesn't seem to look particularly sunk... Even Aragorn was doing some menial guard duties for a century or so instead of taking care of his people. He's not condemned. Anyway, it occurred to me that ambition is not the only sin in Tolkien. There is another one. Curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. Saruman is obviously "guilty" of that, Sauron himself too, actually. He got too curious and too knowledgeable, so he sunk into evil. Even Merry is shown to be a nuisance, because he's always curious. So you are supposed to "follow the light", which can be evil disguised as the angel, yet you are not supposed to investigate the said light. Brilliant...
@@bakters Boromir has his motives tainted by his love of glory, and would have been corrupted had he been pressed. Tom Bombadil was explicitly pointed out as someone not to go to for help on the matter of the ring, precisely because of his apathy. Not to mention he's a mysterious being and not human so I don't know how much he counts. Key word for Aragorn is "was". He was compelled by his responsibility to act, and that's what he did. The problem with Saruman was not a desire for knowledge, but disobedience and a desire for power. Sauron's issue was trying to alter the world to his own desires, not simply knowing things. Merry's problem was disobeying the warnings he was already given, when he should have known better. Simply knowing things or being a smart boy was never the problem in any of these cases.
@@EmberBright2077 " *Boromir has his motives tainted by his love of glory* " Where is it written so? He's shown as a humble person. He's the first to propose the retreat from Kharadras, because of halflings, while everybody else is like our current "Galadriel", willing to proceed no matter the consequences. He and Aragorn are the strongest fighters, where do we see him pointing it out? Is he challenging Aragorn at any point? Even in jest, even in your typical manly banter? I don't remember that. The *only* scene which makes us question the trust in him is when he sees the Ring as a weapon, which could save the people for the defense of whom he dedicated his life. Where is pride in that, though? " *Tom Bombadil* " Apathetic and excused. Thanks for agreeing with me. " *Key word for Aragorn is "was"* " Again, you seem to agree with me. He was barely doing anything, while his people were in steady decline, finally on the verge of collapse. Excused. " *The problem with Saruman was not a desire for knowledge* " Gandalf said something else. He explained, that Saruman was corrupted by palantir, which he used in order to *learn* about the enemy. Keep in mind, that even after he caused all the damage he did, he was *simply expelled* . In the movie they killed him, but Tolkien did not! " *Sauron's issue was trying to alter the world to his own desires* " Of course... He created the most powerful tools and he wanted to *use* them. The elves survived thanks to him, no less. The most ugly enemy you can ever imagine... " *Merry's problem was* " Curiosity. He's that kind of a person. In Tolkien's world, a sinner. Forgivable, but still a nuisance. Finally: "compelled", "disobedience", "disobeying" So, I was told that it was Sauron who demanded blind obedience from his subjects. Now it seems that Eru is no better, if not worse. Because the subjects of Sauron are aware of him, while the subjects of Eru never ever mention him, so we must assume many of them don't even know he exists. *That* is blind obedience, if I ever saw one. You are expected to obey without being told whom or for what purpose. What's worse, those who investigate get punished. At the same time they are expected to be wary of false angels of light. And that is nonsense!
This is fantastic. I have learned a bunch. I didn't even noticed that the new adaptation was inviting us to touch darkness. I didn't quite understand why many people were against it but now I do, I have been too much conditioned by the world of Game of Thrones philosophy that I missed to see evil when it was expressed in the Rings of Power. Thanks again.
I'm also reminded of something Theoden said (in the books): "Oft evil will shall evil mar" - the idea that evil devours itself. You can see it in Saruman's treachery against Sauron, when in diverting Merry & Pippin from being taken to Mordor actually brings them to Treebeard (leading to the destruction of Isengard); Sauron's blindness to the plan destroy the Ring (obsessing on Minas Tirith where some "mighty one" might suddenly emerge & not guarding his own lands), and even the Orcs killing each other in Cirith Ungol (which always felt a little too convenient, but fits this sub-theme). That Gollum, a creature totally consumed by his own lust for the Ring, inadvertently destroys the very thing he loves along with himself, makes sense within the reality of Providence.
perfectIy said, even the cirith ungoI part, except for goIIum, whom I don't feeI Iike he Ioves the rings, more than anything he craves it, and maybe he hates it too
@@Vladojica. The Ring held Gollum to his own oath, and just like Maedhros, his oath caused his own downfall into firey deeps. So the evil of Gollum by breaking his oath caused the destruction of the evil Ring. Evil devoured itself.
I am an Atheist but I still find enormous value in what Tolkien is trying to teach us. Accepting and be happy with what has been given to us instead of being obsessed with what we don’t have and what we can’t control is something everyone should learn to do regardless if the believe in God or not. I also like the idea that Evil is allowed because it can bring out greater good in others because without adversity and challenges we would never grow. Plus a perfect world without Evil would require absolute order with no free will and that would not be a very pleasant thing at all.
Indeed it would not be pleasant at all: it would be the very thing Sauron had in mind actually. Keep searching, for much of what you wrote here must in the end point towards the light of God. Pax Christi.
Wow! These words are gold. Also, Tolkien was an educated man. I wonder what he'd say about educated man with your views. So respectful and insightful despite the obvious difference of opinions. Great job!
Wow! You changed my mind about a problem I was struggling with for my whole life. I'm too naïve... I have talents that I've used to channel my frustrations and issues with this problem, but the answer was right in front of me. I just didn't want to look at it. I thought I could create fictional characters who dominate powerful enemies through the desire for will to power. "The ends justify the means", as the saying goes. I've been trying to sort this out for years -- but it turns out, no they don't. I've even asked myself the question "can the world be saved at the cost of my own salvation?" Terrible way to go about it, as the only escape I could think of was becoming an Ubermensch. I thought I could emulate this through my characters, who I made to be deeply flawed. But I was sorely wrong. Thank you a lot for posting this. I have some thinking to do!
Moral victories, my friend, it's an endless battle that we often fail, but as long as we remember what's really important (our soul) and don't stray from the path, that's what matters.
This is something I am looking forward to. Been a pastor for 11 years and can remember in college how so many talked about C.S.Lewis but rarely of Tolkien.
@@Mark-cd2wf there is an interview of Tolkien talking about C.S. Lewis and his coming to Christ. He saying how he felt such joy for his friend to come to Christ, but then learned he wasn't a Catholic. Tolkien was in part making a joke but he did play a role in Lewis conversion.
Wow. I never thought of LOTR this way. I thought the ring represented drugs or sin. This definitely puts things in perspective. If you think about this, some of Tolkien perspective have truth in it. In many of the wars of the 20th century, people sought power for good. However, once power was achieved it corrupted people.
"if you think about it *some* of Tolkien's perspective has truth in it" Lol, I think you'll discover much more than "some" truth to his work the more you think about it. I'd even say the amount of truth you'll discover there is perfectly correlated with the time spent thinking.
Good in general, and especially as an antidote to RoP. I am going to disagree about Éowyn, however. It isn't just rejection by Aragorn that leads her to despair; it is her belief that in choosing to take the Paths of the Dead, he is committing suicide. Why shouldn't she do the same, dying gloriously in battle? (This is in accordance with her culture, unlike merely falling on her sword.) Along the way, she picks up a similarly forlorn hobbit--and unwittingly gives herself a secret weapon to destroy the Witch-King. This act of sympathy and love begins her ascent from an otherwise deadly trap. On the battlefield, she is doing what she can to defend her uncle and king when she defies the Witch-King: again, an act of love leads to victory over evil. Merry in turn defends her out of love and respect for the damsel in distress who is also a great lady and valiant shieldmaiden. His patently suicidal attack enables her to destroy the Witch-King. For the rest, your analysis works.
I was unsatisfied with that one part of the video and this is a much better analysis in my opinion but recently I did see a fantastic video which I think perfectly summarised her character called "Why We Learn from Eowyn (and why other "strong" women characters are boring)" by the channel "Note The Good". I think you'd like that a lot and it would further this point.
@@IM-tl7qv That is a good one. I'll check the channel properly (I've only watched that video.) I'll make recommendation of my own: Pilgrims Pass has several videos on femininity and masculinity (mostly from LotR), including "Avatar: The Two Sides of Femininity" and "Galadriel: Power Through Femininity." ("Avatar" is "The Last Airbender," not the other one; the video compares Katara and Azula.) The videos are longer, but worth a look.
@@stephenrice2063 Didn't get a notification of replies, thanks for all the recommendations, I'll watch all those! I think IP's video is the best I've seen out of all of them, this is a fantastic channel.
Wow Michael. That Tolkinian response you created at the end of the video was powerful. It no only conveyed his philosophy you were illuminating, but confirmed its truth by showing the coherence between the physical and spiritual realms in the description you gave. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Also, thank you for helping me build the humility to return to the Lord to discover what my role is. I neglect prayer and time with him to hear his small voice, because I get the sense that what he wants of me, my role, is not what my ego wants for me. It is especially hard because everything in our culture say “forge your own path. Be the master of your destiny. Choose who you want to be.” This exploration of Tolkien’s work and philosophy resonates. I need to go to Him to be reminded of the role He has called me to. May the Lord bless and protect you and your family Michael. And may he use you mightily for his kingdom, those still lost, and his glory.
Thank you for making this. Many of these underlying themes go unnoticed without someone explaining them. And it deepens my appreciation of The Lord of The Rings.
It is impossible to think that the same Galadriel in Rings of Power can be the same Galadriel that we see in The Lord of the Rings. The one who rejects the One Ring, the one who gifts Gimli three of her hairs because she sees the humility and honesty of Gimili, the very same Galadriel who’s daughter marries Elrond and gives birth to Arwen who marries Aragorn and becomes the Queen of a reunited Arnor and Gondor, the very same Galadriel who rules Lorien along side her husband Celeborn who is merely given a disrespectful mention in the show. The Galadriel as well as this show is an abomination!
@@smilingknight1384 I wouldn’t say that Celebrimbor revolts and sides with Sauron. He just seems to only use the knowledge that he receives from Sauron who is hiding his true form as Annatar the Lord of Gifts.
@@arthurfields9575 well certainly he doesn't KNOW it's sauron, and desire for knowledge is his motivation, yes. But the end result is described by tolkien as a revolt in the unfinished tales: "Sauron used all his arts upon Celebrimbor and his fellow-smiths, who had formed a society or brotherhood, very powerful in Eregion, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain; Before long Sauron had the Gwaith-i-Mírdain under his influence, for at first they had great profit from his instruction in secret matters of their craft. 8 So great became his hold on the Mírdain that at length he persuaded them to revolt against Galadriel and Celeborn and to seize power in Eregion"
@@HokageFlete what's it to you if he is devout? dude don't be a hater. Maybe he is making a solid effort. I go to Church more than some and less than many. Lord only knows each individuals faith and effort to be grateful to the Lord.
@@HokageFlete I suppose he/she is hinting at the difference between a devout christian and someone who is merely formally a christian. For instance someone who was raised catholic, got registred as a catholic, but then lost his/her faith but never bothered to make the effort to unregister.
@@HokageFlete Some Christians are just saved by God's grace through faith. Other Christians are save by God's grace through faith and also love God, love others, feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison, give generously, share the gospel, study the scriptures and many of the other things the Bible talks about. James says faith without works is dead. Works are the evidence of faith.
The whole notion of "will to power" is really inane. If I will to go to London then I will not go anywhere else, so it closes off more options than it opens up. (as Chesterton pointed out). It's not some grand solution to anything, just Neitzche railing at his perception of passivity in his time. People run to that philosophy because it sounds so rebellious but really it's not nearly as grand as all the acts of humility and love that move us so deeply in Tolkien's stories. Thanks for another thoughtfuly video.
It's important to properly define the term "power" as Nietzsche did, certainly he didn't have the myopic notion of power that modern people have come to associate with it; essentially all power means in Nietzsche's philosophy is anything that facilitates someone's will to live life. One of most cogent criticisms of the European culture of his time was in pointing out the incredible pretense of progressive so-called "humanistic" people that though of themselves as "selflessly" pursuing change for the benefit of "human well-being", his point being that all human action, even of the ascetic or self-abasing variety, is rooted in the universal will to live a satisfactory life (a will he termed "will to power"). I think you've misunderstood Nietzsche, certainly that is the case if you think his concept of the "will to power" was put forward by Nietzsche as a philosophy, it isn't a philosophy, it's a concept for describing why people are the way they are; personally, I think there is something that could be called a philosophy of Nietzsche but that's only true by my personal interpretation of his writing. In categorical terms the only thing it is certainly correct to call Nietzsche is an anti-philosopher, the first of his kind and an enemy to every meta-physician from the beginning of history to the end of history.
@@lancewalker2595 Tolkien accounts for Nietzsche’s basic conceit about what he thought the pursuit of “satisfaction” should be. Perhaps it is, indeed, a mistake to call that a “philosophy”, when it is perhaps better to call it simply a tragic mistake in its own way. Melkor and Sauron both thought that pursuing their own satisfaction would naturally lead to a better world, but what we imagine will satisfy according to our own blind will, and what ACTUALLY would satisfy if we obediently followed God’s plan, could not be two more completely different things. So that it’s inaccurate to call Nietzsche’s ideas a “philosophy”, as such, does not negate the fact that he was completely wrong about satisfaction.
Man, I don't even know what to say... I totally identify with this philosophy. As a Christian, I understand what LOTR is all about. I was obsessed with LOTR as a kid, but otherwise: beautiful fantasy/story/adventure. But as I grew older, something bigger started to come to mind. I'll take it to my grave. And I want to thank J.R.R. Tolkien for this THING.
"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." - G.K. Chesterton (Illustrated London News, Jan. 14, 1911).
This is the best video essay on the RoP controversy! Your attempt to write a Tolkien-esque reply was amazing and gave me shivers--it came straight from Middle Earth.
Bravo good sir! Your analysis is spot on and maybe even the best summation I’ve ever heard on JRR Tolkien’s world! I am now subscribed and can’t wait to hear more!
The Harfoots's plotline in the show is a literal depiction of abandoning their destined place and purpose in the world (a tight community of nomads) in search of glory for oneself.
The harfoots depiction is in itself in premise abandoning their destined purpose in Tolkien writing itself as they are hobbits, and are not nomadic in the slightest, they live in holes in the ground. They migrate once over the mountains. That’s it. 😒
To be fair, Tolkien once described the hobbits as having passed through that state of precarity, but later rose above it. 👇 *Tolkien:* "The much later dwindling of hobbits must be due to a change in their state and way of life; they became a fugitive and secret people, driven (as Men, the Big Folk, became more and more numerous, usurping the more fertile and habitable lands) to refuge in forest or wilderness: a wandering and poor folk, forgetful of their arts, living a precarious life absorbed in the search for food, and fearful of being seen; for cruel men would shoot them for sport as if they were animals. In fact they relapsed into the state of 'pygmies'. The other stunted race, the Druedain, never rose much above that state." *My opinion now:* The problem is that the show will justify Nori's subvertion of tradition (as this video suggests - as an ubermensch) and the 'harfoots' will probably not overcome this state by remembering their arts and tradition. As the writers are very predictable, the harfoots will probably just find The Hill and settle there because they think it is a safe place.
While your interpretation of Tolkien’s philosophy is spot on, I would respectfully disagree with your assessment of The Rings of Power. While Nori does subvert Harfoot tradition (which is ultimately rooted in self-preservation), she does so out of compassion for The Stranger. Elrond only spies on Durin as he believes he’s being lied to, which turns out to be true. Elrond is ultimately being manipulated by Gil-galad, the Ubermensch in this arc. In the show we see the beginning of Galadriel’s 5000 year story arc, who is acting out of lust for revenge, leading her down a dark path and ultimately giving rise to Sauron. By the end, she has to make a choice, and she chooses the side of good. I believe this realisation will be pivotal in leading to the character we see in the Third age, and something I’m looking forward to seeing on-screen. All-in-all, fantastic video, even if we disagree on The Rings of Power.
Lord of the rings was my favorite trilogy growing up. Now as a Christian I understand why and I see the symbolism. This was an amazing video. Super well thought out
As a pastor, I appreciate the clarification on the true meaning of Lord of the Rings. I use the principle in my preaching of the end of time in Revelation. Much appreciated.
Went through the trilogy a few days ago and I always wondered why the ending seems so “random” instead of the hero throwing away the ring. This completely opens up the whole series for me, I might have to watch the movies in a new light
Wow, did you compose that part at the end about "chasing the false light"? That was so well said. Over all great video. I greatly benefited from watching this. Thanks.
A big misunderstanding about Nietzche, He didn’t impose/invent that theory he just noticed this ideology and tried to warn people about society shifting to nihilism.
If art is the reflection of the soul (philosophy) of the artist then "Rings of Power" is the epitome of current western thought. The moral relativism, including the concept of a greater good being an end that justifies the evil means; distortion of history leading to the concept of order, tradition and ancient wisdom as a bad thing that holds people back whether individually or as a culture; existential nihilism leading to self glorification and empowerment being portrayed as a type of "divine" providence - all of that and more, as covered well in this video, really says a lot about the artist and the culture they interact with.
Funny, coming from someone who is clearly not interested in the actual past and prefers to conjure up a fake one. It's hilarious that you accuse others of portraying something as "divine providence" while insisting on your own divine infallibility and omniscience, insisting the very notion of research to be some form of "nihilism".
@@ohauss hey, I don't know where you're coming from? Your reply doesn't seem to make sense given the context and the message I was trying to convey, if you want me to clarify something I can do that for you. I'm not sure what makes you think I don't like learning about history, I do indeed enjoy it. I wasn't accusing anyone of anything in this post, just conveying concepts in current western thought. Also I never insisted that I, nor anyone else has divine infallibility?
I’m not gonna lie watching this video melted my heart seeing how others understand the meaning of this beautiful story in nearly the same way I do thank you for making this keep up the good work 👍
I really enjoyed the video! I’ve been rewatching the LOTR trilogy and planning on reading the books the books for the first time and this video definitely will help me understand the full meaning behind what Tolkien is trying to teach. Keep up the great work!
Beautiful video. Very meaningful and well said too. I’m a big fan of Lord of The Rings but never knew the philosophy behind it. Now I will enjoy Lord of The Rings even more because of this. You are very wise
To be fair, the ring would have never made it to the Crack of Mt Doom where it could be destroyed in anyone else's possession, everyone else quickly succumbed to its power. Frodo spent over a year with it if I remember correctly, and Middle Earth was saved due to his previous decisions as Gandalf pointed out, especially his mercy towards Golem.
@@InspiringPhilosophy Well, it's all what Tolkien wrote. I'm not speaking philosophically though, I'm just pointing out the fact that everyone who merely got close to the ring succumbed to its influence, or was wise and humble enough to understand that they would succumb to it if it was in their possession, and therefore avoided it, like Gandalf, Galadriel, and Aragorn. They didn't attempt to take the ring, but they didn't bear the burden of wearing it for months on end either. They understood that they couldn't do it.If Frodo hadn't been willing to suffer the effects of the ring that whole time and resist it as incredibly long as he did, he wouldn't have gotten it to the Crack of Doom where he stumbled but ended up destroying it during a tussle with Golem. Anyways, good video, I love Tolkien's works, and Jackson did an imperfect but amazing job translating Frodo's saga to the big screen. I haven't seen this other series you mentioned, I'll have to look it up.
In the "Art of Peace" a warrior is someone who adheres to the will of love and acts upon it, gaining strength and resilience and ultimately fulfillment in the act of servitude towards love. Fear disappears when one is completely absorbed in the task. A fight between life and death to the finish, all for peace. I can see these attributes in Aragorn completely.
This was really great. Far too many fans of the Lord of the Rings fail to realize this is a Christian novel. Years ago I wrote a series of Bible studies based on the characters or character groups from the Lord of the Rings. Now I'm turning it into a video study, but it'll never match yours. God bless you for pulling back the blinds and letting us see how Middle Earth and our world are similar and how sin is our ring of power. No weapons can defeat it except the whole armor of God and the blood of Jesus on the cross.
I often found Dr. Peter Kreeft to have hit the nail perfectly in describing Nietzsche through this excerpt from his “Pillars of Unbelief”: “-He rightly saw Christ as his chief enemy and rival. The spirit of Anti-Christ has never received such complete formulation. Nietzsche was not only the favorite philosopher of N@z! Germany, he is the favorite philosopher of hell. We can thank Satan's own foolishness in "blowing his cover" in this man. Like N@z!sm, Nietzsche may scare the hell out of us and help save our civilization or even our souls by turning us away in terror before it's too late.”
“And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion This is my favorite quote from any of his books
As Buddha said, “What you think, you become.” The message I have always taken away from my multiple readings of LoTR is to strive to be a good person, and to treat others well.
So good. Thanks, brother! This is the important piece of Tolkien that is being left out, and I do appreciate you taking the time to put this video together.
Very well put together. Rings of Power falls into a typical, ancient/ modern trap of elevating mankind (albeit elvenkind) to the place of God. We today like to think this is new and revolutionary but it is as ancient as Adam and Eve. 1. Heaven is either manmade for a form of punishment. In ancient mythologies the equivalents of heaven were just glorified earth or in our modern times just being human (same difference). In Rings of Power Valinor is a typically dull, helpless, harp-thrumming heaven offered as a 'reward' to get rid of a troublesome Mary Sue. In Tolkien's world, returning to Valinor was by invitation only and though the Valar mercifully reached out many times to bring the elves home, often the elves rejected it out of shame or continuing lust for the Silmarils or revenge. It was not heroic or noble as portrayed in Rings of Power, but a cause of grief and suffering, reflecting the fall of Adam and Eve. 2. Mankind will not suffer another to be his equal, let alone his better. You covered Galadriel as a typically ancient/ modern ubermensch very, very well that Tolkien would most likely have considered more akin to Saruman. Political innuendos aside, she is like Gilgamesh, Heracles, Conan, James Bond, Superman, Wolverine, and various other heroes vested with larger-than-life powers to be held up as a monument of humanity doing what no one else can. It is a lie to ourselves as much as hubris.
The last part of this video where you rewrite the line about the stone and the light from The Rings of Power, is brilliant and so, so powerful. Amazing video that made me appreciate the books and movies a great deal more
Saruman seems in this philosophy to embody the viewpoint of modern evangelicals who think that the simple command to "preach the gospel to every creature and make disciples of all nations" is insufficient for bringing forth the Second Coming and are now using "any means necessary" to force that Second Coming to happen sooner, by forcing everybody to become Christian whether they want to be or not. In essence, they are trying to do the job that only God can do through the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of believers in Christ.
Thank you for this, very enlightening. Your comparison between Tolkien and Martin now pretty much hit the nail on the head of a reason why I was uncomfortable with many things watching GOT, but could never put a finger on. I grew more and more uncomfortable with what Arya was turning into as the story progressed, feeling that her obsessions would rule her and be her downfall. I especially felt this way when she abuses the skills she learns from the faceless. They were supposed to be these servants that didn't use the skills for their own means, though arguably not servants for good. However, she leaves without finishing her training/joining, and goes around seeking terrible revenges with these dark skills. I really thought she would destroy herself, but instead is shown as a hero in the end. As for the rest of the video, very well done. I'm subbing. all the more reinforcement for me to read these stories with my kids. (we've read the hobbit, now onto FOTR).
I would really appreciate it if you did a analysis/criticism of George RR Martin's world in his Game of Thrones and Dunk and Egg novels. There's a lot of themes in them that I think you could do a good commentary on.
The way you contrast the moral foundation of the original LOTR against that of the TV show bears such a striking resemblance to the evolution of morality and culture that we’ve seen over the past decades…The moral ambiguity of the new characters and their perverted conception of the good is bone-chilling. Great vid!
This means the game Shadow of War (great game btw) is more faithful to the philosophy than Rings of power and that game was considered fan fiction . In the end everyone succumbed to their pursuit of power and payed for it.
Awesome explanation of the Philosophy of Tolkien and Biblical Christian theology that explains the story line in which we find ourselves and our part to play, how to find love, victory, and direction in this world we find ourselves living AND why the book and movie captures the interest and devotion from so many individuals from so many different cultures and backgrounds.
You should write your own Tolkien based book. You pointed out everything right. I was moved by this video thank you for making it. Like Tolkien I believe humility and love dominates us all. Only through God we can understand this and live a full life. Not a wealthy, prosperous life, but one that is full under His divine will.
As someone who is currently reading LOTR, there is something about it that is different from most other fiction/fantasy books, I can’t say how, but there is just something that makes it automatically more appealing.
considering the big reveal in episode 8, you could argue that in Galadriel the show actually does show that her action in the first episode sowed the seed for Saurons rise to power, to the other evils that happened. And we'll see what the Harfoots will bring
Tolkien lived through the worst of what human nature could do. He fought in the horrors of the first world war and lived through the 2nd. I'm sure Nietzche's philosophy found it's fulfilment in the Nazis. It would be foolish to forget that and think that humanism is the hope for man. It's great that Tolkien is as popular and powerful as ever. Thanks for this wonderful presentation IP. God is Good!
"Nietzche's philosophy found it's fulfilment in the Nazis." Nietzsche alone would not be enough, Nazis were hybrid of occultism and vulgarized Nietzscheanism. Also XIX century racism that justified colonial systems mixed with liberal Social Darwinism played a role. See The Occult Roots of Nazism by Goodrick-Clarke.
You could try reading some of Nietzsche's writing, and you would learn he was very much opposed to the philosophy of the Nazis (for one thing, he was extremely against antisemitism).
There’s a small fact I find both funny and beautiful about Tolkien. It hit me deeply since I’ve read his letters. You know his beliefs about divine providence and “eucatastrophe”? How good always grows, shy and unseen, but also constant and inevitable, while evil boasts its apparent superiority in full view, unaware that it will not last? To quote the man directly, “who knows what good is being nurtured in secret, reserved for the future, while all we can see in the present are the horrors of Hitler and Stalin?” Now, what the funny and beautiful fact is? Well… that the very book Tolkien was writing in that period, the book he doubted would even sell a single copy, WAS that “secret good” reserved for the future, growing unseen in the ugly shadow of WW2. Hitler and Stalin are long gone. The Tolkien Legendarium will be a beacon of hope for generations to come. Perhaps for freakin’ ever.
I suppose because people believe it can inspire complacency or to stay where you are and not improve. Not saying thar how one should interpret it but its how I'd imagine some folks reply.
@@YovanypadillaJr No doubt. And they are almost always talking about improvement in the socio-economic sense, not spiritual or moral improvement. Like IP says, it comes back to "the will to power."
@@australopithecusafarensis5386 for example, one could talk Tolkien to mean that one should just accept his/her place in creation. What if the person has a terrible place in creation like for example being a slave. Should that person accept his or her place as a slave? Now I doubt IP or Tolkien would affirm that, but we easily see how something can find message problematic if not articulated well.
Great video! Thank you! Watching it I also couldn't help but recall a quote from another beloved trilogy: "you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
Thank you for this video and touching on the core Catholic themes that drove Tolkien’s legendarium. This video is beautiful because you had the courage to speak the truth about the beliefs that drove Tolkien, in a world where the topic of Christianity is typically eschewed.
Michael, I have watched quite a few of your videos. Even when I find myself mentally quibbling with a few of your Protestant or Enlightenment assumptions or Biblical interpretations, I find all your extended videos well-researched, well-presented, and well-motivated. But this analysis of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and your comparison and contrast of it with The Rings of Power miniseries is surely among your best work.
This was excellent! Writing a fantasy book myself and it was so nice to hear d rich a succinct s function of Tolkien’s thoughts and ethos on his world. I gotta get those books!
If you notice the JRR Tolkien translated the book of Hebrews in the Jerusalem Bible. Many themes in the LOTR reflects the influence of the Book of Hebrews.
Wouldn't tradition be the thing to save Westeros? The people are forgetting tradition by not taking the white walkers seriously and underfunding and undermaning the knights watch. The North is the most traditional of the seven kingdoms and it's portrayed in the most sympathetic light.
I always thought the point of Saruman getting corrupted is that he was the most noble of the wizards, so if he can get corrupted then anyone can, although this isn't as clear in the movies due to Saruman being portrayed by a famous Dracula actor.
I wrote some short stories for grade school at a university. No morality lessons, no messages to convey. Just clear cut adventures. 5 years (?) later, I "attended" a class teaching humanities as a sit in. The instructor then asked the class about my story and what the author was probably thinking when she wrote the story. I heard lots of theories. I don't have the heart to tell them that I was the author and that I didn't have any message to convey or moral lessons to teach or agenda to push, or politics to propagate when I wrote the story. Well, at least the class got to exercise their imagination.
In our world of post-modernism, neo-western, deconstruction, it is comforting to know that God is there and that goodness and hope are older than the universe. I hope to be a great storyteller someday, maybe not as great as Tolkien, but as great as God would allow me to be. This was an inspiring video and I hope God continues to use you for his glory.
@@InspiringPhilosophy You mean you did the whole 'thing' yourself? 2 X Wow!!! The narrative was great bordering on genius. Ph.D stuff. I'm impressed. Most off Thank you .
“Evil allows for character growth that could not have occurred in a world without it.” Try reading CS Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra (aka Voyage to Venus). Interesting takes on worlds where evil is defeated before it can rule.
this is amazing! I'm Catholic and knew a bit of Tolkens views but understanding the story the way you put it is helping me understand who to know fix and rewrite a lot of what I was writing in my own stories. Thank you so much for this video. I'm subscribing, very curios about your channel
The ROP definitely lacks narrative cohesion and better pacing. But what you are advocating is a sermon. The point Finrod is trying to make go Galadriel is it is experience that teaches us which light to follow and that sometimes means touching darkness much like you learn safety in a kitchen by touching a hot pot handle. Also, Eowyn was supposed to slay the witch king as much as bilbo was meant to find the ring. Tolkien wrote strong, brave and courageous female characters. Eowyn was one of them. Even as Aragorn brings her back he tells Eomer that Eowyn was neglected and her true character was suppressed because she had the body of a maid but the heart of a warrior. “If you bring forth what is in you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is in you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you” says the gospel of Thomas. Aragorn understood Eowyn even as her brother did not. But it was not until she met Faramir that she understood that there is also strength and honor in healing, not because she was a lady of Rohan but because Faramir showed her that he too had chosen a different way of serving. Anyway, if the show runners had taken your advice, there would be a lot more caution before anyone did anything. And even Gandalf didn’t prevent people from making mistakes. That’s how we learn. Like the show runners. They need to learn how to stop making stupid mistakes in the plot in order to get a good series.
“Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made.” No new thing can be without God and, sometimes, he waits for our cooperation.
Great channel by the way!
Yes!
Lord of yhe rings was developed by 3 women in wurtsboro NY in was a child and watched it written. The maps were the idea of a laundry atgendenf she came up with the name of fire drake and thrain was train with a letter added to the name. The man that wrote down the women's ideas said he would split the money with them but then after the script is sold he refused to split the money. Bag end was a bag they brought chinese food the bag was emptied the end of the bag bag end. The bag was paid in its side and the laundry attemdent said a hobbit should live in it surrounded by flowerstje three women did not know about each other each in love with the recorder of the book yhat I understood to be tolkiens son. A supposed vietnam vet. He gave each woman a ring and later screaming at them violently demanded the rings back which of course the offended women each refused he this immoral unscrupulous man led these woman to believe he cared for then when in fact he only used. And abandoned them in thi Er destitution with badly enough food to survive . people in our community went without food dailey. That man did not write the story he wrote down the story others came up with promising to split the money then never did. The man with the axe in his head is greedy robbins the hobbit with stone countinence at the gable is donald platt
@@stephanieplatt6138lord of the rings was published in 1954, way before the Vietnam war
Tolkien never said that FYI.
This is a paraphrase from the novel
Amazon showrunners can't even imagine there's such a grandeur in Tolkien's work .
Crony capitalism perhaps. Jesus is a capitalist.
It's because in their small, greedy, and lusting for power minds there is no power that is higher than their nihilistic narcissism.
Or they can. And thats worse its on pourpose wrong
@@karimghazal1531 I'm not convinced that Leftists are as smart as they would like you to believe. Evil does not require a high intellect to be exhibited. Which is self evident. We can all clearly see what these wackos are doing.
Now the reason as to why we don't do much about it is another matter entirely and one I would argue that does not prove any sort of intelligence in the ranks of evil people. Our laziness is not proof of strength for the ideologues. It's just cultural complacency, a result of being too comfortable in the modern world's wealth which is a result of the progress of science and of the lack of any major military conflicts on a global scale. Perhaps we need a little bit of conflict to get ourselves off the couch and be responsible citizens again.
@@kaizokujimbei143 Yes. In LOTR story the good is in the action of people. Fellowship is good because they act and dont just sit around complaining about evil getting stronger. If hobbits decided to stay at home doing nothing they wouldnt become evil but they wouldnt become good either and eventually loose to evil powers that would rise and overpower them. The same is similiary happening in our world as you say and as we all see. But we dont have ancient magical ring and a Gandalf who tell us what to do exactly to defeat evil. Or do we?
"There is only one true light and all other false lights lead to darkness" Well said
Exactly!
🤡
Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus
@@RockHardOrca If anything the one true light is god , and the church is just a false light leading into darkness
Tolkeins message is so obvious that it went right over my head and Ive been a fan of lotr for years.
For me, LOTR was shot through with my favorite Bible verse: “God works all things together for good, to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
If Bilbo hadn’t found the Ring, he never could have given it to Frodo. If Frodo hadn’t been late in leaving the Shire, they might never have met Aragorn. If they had made it over Caradhras Pass, Gollum wouldn’t have found them in Moria. If Gandalf hadn’t fallen in his battle with the Balrog, he never would have become the White, with enough power to defeat Saruman. If Boromir hadn’t tried to take the Ring, Frodo would never have gone to Mordor, Merry and Pippin would never have gone to Rohan, the Ents would never have been awakened to destroy Isengard, Theoden would never have been freed by Gandalf, Rohan never would have ridden to the rescue of Helm’s Deep _or_ Minas Tirith, and Aragorn might never have gone the way of the Paths of the Dead to deliver the winning blow at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. If Gondor hadn’t won that first encounter, they never would have been able to send an attacking army to Mordor to distract the Enemy long enough for the hobbits to reach Mt. Doom.
And finally, if Gollum hadn’t survived everything he went through and followed Frodo and Sam all the way to the Cracks of Doom:
“The Quest would have failed, even at the bitter end.”
Frodo of the Shire
In short, _everything_ that happened worked together to achieve the desired end: victory for the West, and defeat of the Dark Tower and its allies.
What an incredible story.
" *God works all things together for good* "
If he's almighty, he's responsible for *both* good and evil. At least Eru wasn't almighty, not literally.
" *If Bilbo hadn’t found the Ring* "
The evil would have triumphed even more, which is all good, since it makes "the story" better.
That's the excuse for evil? A better story?
I can't read Tolkien anymore, I'm serious. He's childish.
Excellent video. Lots to ponder. If this "divine providence" philosophy can be widely seen and practiced in other traditions, then it shows itself and true and universal. I believe it can and I deeply appreciate Tolkien for not having overt Christian allusions. I love this excellent video and I am choosing not to subscribe because I don't want more Christian themed channels, not because there is any quality lacking in ideas or production. . Thanks again for a well done video.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
You explain how realistic Tolkien writes, how providence works through the complexities of life. Thankyou.
@@outofoblivionproductions4015 Thank _you!_
You beautifully articulated in ways that I will never be as gifted to do. Minds such as yours inspire hope for the future. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the donation
@@InspiringPhilosophy
Honestly, the real problem with Arrya Stark, Rings of Power Galadriel and the Whole Nietzschean standard protagonist, is that they look sound and behave like they're doing all this out of personal gain and gratification.
Wow, that was really deep. I enjoyed it. Thank you so much.
Best commentary out there on the real difference between the show and Tolkien’s work. It’s not just the lore that is wrong. It’s the entire morality, philosophy, message that is wrong.
Did you really watch the show? Galadriel's stupid actions inspired Sauron! So The Rings of power got this philosophy absolutely right!
@@Brisingam Except, of course, Galadriel had nothing to do with it. Nor does Sauron need her for "inspiration".
@@ohauss If you don't understand this you don't understand Tolien. Bye
@@Brisingam looooool
The Rings of Power got these themes right far better than Peter Jackson did.
I think Tolkien's philosophy unpacked here is also clearly seen in Star Wars, specifically, when Obi-wan tells Anakin "Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now . . . until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."
Just as IP is describing in this video about Sauron or Saruman, Anakin starts off wanting a better world for his friends, to protect Padme, and to defeat the sith. In episode 2, in his conversation with Padme he hints at the idea that a person in a position of power forcing their will on people is the best way to bring peace. Of course his lust for power comes to its peak in episode 3 where Palpatine offers him power to save Padme, his friends, and to bring peace to the galaxy which he eventually gives in too and becomes Darth Vader.
yes, lots stolen from Tolkien re Star Wars[
You have learn to let go of everything you fear to lose.
There's also a very big theme of redemption and the belief in the good in people as seen in Vader finally turning back to the light by sacrificing himself for his son, after all those years of evil.
Only 5 minutes in and this is already more entertaining than the rings of power. 😀
Yes, but what a low bar!😁
@@t-06 probably won't happen, the TROP was made with the purpose to destroy Tolkien, because Tolkien leads people back to Christ
It's hard to imagine someone actually watching that series and thinking it does not capture these themes. It captures them pretty well. They worked hard to do that, in fact.
@@Parableman My issue with is wasn't the themes that it did or didn't capture. I thought it was just boring and I didn't engage with it. Plus it didn't have much New Zealand scenery in it. The Lord of the Rings had heaps of New Zealand scenery in it and I found that awesome because I grew up in those places. :)
@@jeremybeavon4476 cool! Sounds like a beautiful place!😁👍
As for Eowyn she is able to face the Witch King because of her love for Theoden King. And Merry aids her because of his love for her and the King.
"Courage for our friends, Merry"
Don't forget the 2nd breakfast he fought for that too and he deserves it. 😁
It was Merrys Barrow blade that allowed her to kill the witch king and helped fullfil the prophacy.
And her wish to die in battle.
Morally ambiguous characters is one of my biggest issues with modern entertainment. I often find myself saying "I don't like the good guys anymore."
Man. The ending of “If you follow a false light, it becomes dark creature” have me chills. This is why the Devil is said to “disguise as an Angel of light”. Because he is actually darkness 😅😬 but over all, I find this really good. I actually want to use a Philosophy like this in..Many stories I want to write! Good job man!
" *If you follow a false light, it becomes dark creature* ”
It feels good to know, that if I choose to idly sit on my bottom instead and consume, I'm perfectly fine. The "Good Master" has all of it figured out already, no need to do anything.
Suits me well, since I'm lazy and lacking in ambition, which seems to be the only sin in Tolkien's world, so I'm bound to go to heaven. Even Theoden is totally excused from his inaction. He was "poisoned" you know, but very mildly. No harm done... (Few people murdered and enslaved? Well, it makes the story better and who cares about the lowborns anyway?)
Oh, eff that. At least I plowed my field today. (Literally, I did that.)
@@bakters I think you're conflating the chasing of personal ambition above all else, with action or pursuit of any kind. In the analogy of the lights, you would still have to follow the light, sitting idle would cause you to sink. If the characters of Lord of the Rings had done nothing to fight evil, even though they didn't defeat it, Middle Earth would have fallen.
@@EmberBright2077 " *I think you're conflating the chasing of personal ambition above all else* "
Boromir was not motivated by personal ambition, yet he was condemned as a sinner.
" *follow the light, sitting idle would cause you to sink* "
Bombadil sits idle and doesn't seem to look particularly sunk... Even Aragorn was doing some menial guard duties for a century or so instead of taking care of his people. He's not condemned.
Anyway, it occurred to me that ambition is not the only sin in Tolkien. There is another one. Curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. Saruman is obviously "guilty" of that, Sauron himself too, actually. He got too curious and too knowledgeable, so he sunk into evil.
Even Merry is shown to be a nuisance, because he's always curious.
So you are supposed to "follow the light", which can be evil disguised as the angel, yet you are not supposed to investigate the said light. Brilliant...
@@bakters Boromir has his motives tainted by his love of glory, and would have been corrupted had he been pressed.
Tom Bombadil was explicitly pointed out as someone not to go to for help on the matter of the ring, precisely because of his apathy. Not to mention he's a mysterious being and not human so I don't know how much he counts.
Key word for Aragorn is "was". He was compelled by his responsibility to act, and that's what he did.
The problem with Saruman was not a desire for knowledge, but disobedience and a desire for power. Sauron's issue was trying to alter the world to his own desires, not simply knowing things. Merry's problem was disobeying the warnings he was already given, when he should have known better. Simply knowing things or being a smart boy was never the problem in any of these cases.
@@EmberBright2077 " *Boromir has his motives tainted by his love of glory* "
Where is it written so? He's shown as a humble person. He's the first to propose the retreat from Kharadras, because of halflings, while everybody else is like our current "Galadriel", willing to proceed no matter the consequences. He and Aragorn are the strongest fighters, where do we see him pointing it out? Is he challenging Aragorn at any point? Even in jest, even in your typical manly banter? I don't remember that.
The *only* scene which makes us question the trust in him is when he sees the Ring as a weapon, which could save the people for the defense of whom he dedicated his life.
Where is pride in that, though?
" *Tom Bombadil* "
Apathetic and excused. Thanks for agreeing with me.
" *Key word for Aragorn is "was"* "
Again, you seem to agree with me. He was barely doing anything, while his people were in steady decline, finally on the verge of collapse.
Excused.
" *The problem with Saruman was not a desire for knowledge* "
Gandalf said something else. He explained, that Saruman was corrupted by palantir, which he used in order to *learn* about the enemy.
Keep in mind, that even after he caused all the damage he did, he was *simply expelled* . In the movie they killed him, but Tolkien did not!
" *Sauron's issue was trying to alter the world to his own desires* "
Of course... He created the most powerful tools and he wanted to *use* them. The elves survived thanks to him, no less.
The most ugly enemy you can ever imagine...
" *Merry's problem was* "
Curiosity. He's that kind of a person. In Tolkien's world, a sinner. Forgivable, but still a nuisance.
Finally: "compelled", "disobedience", "disobeying"
So, I was told that it was Sauron who demanded blind obedience from his subjects. Now it seems that Eru is no better, if not worse. Because the subjects of Sauron are aware of him, while the subjects of Eru never ever mention him, so we must assume many of them don't even know he exists.
*That* is blind obedience, if I ever saw one. You are expected to obey without being told whom or for what purpose. What's worse, those who investigate get punished.
At the same time they are expected to be wary of false angels of light.
And that is nonsense!
This is fantastic. I have learned a bunch. I didn't even noticed that the new adaptation was inviting us to touch darkness. I didn't quite understand why many people were against it but now I do, I have been too much conditioned by the world of Game of Thrones philosophy that I missed to see evil when it was expressed in the Rings of Power. Thanks again.
I agree 100%. It's actually a sign of our modern world, that chaos and a blurring of the distinction between right and wrong is actually good.
I'm also reminded of something Theoden said (in the books): "Oft evil will shall evil mar" - the idea that evil devours itself. You can see it in Saruman's treachery against Sauron, when in diverting Merry & Pippin from being taken to Mordor actually brings them to Treebeard (leading to the destruction of Isengard); Sauron's blindness to the plan destroy the Ring (obsessing on Minas Tirith where some "mighty one" might suddenly emerge & not guarding his own lands), and even the Orcs killing each other in Cirith Ungol (which always felt a little too convenient, but fits this sub-theme). That Gollum, a creature totally consumed by his own lust for the Ring, inadvertently destroys the very thing he loves along with himself, makes sense within the reality of Providence.
perfectIy said, even the cirith ungoI part, except for goIIum, whom I don't feeI Iike he Ioves the rings, more than anything he craves it, and maybe he hates it too
On the other hand, no one actually succedded in destroying the ring, it was destroyed by an accident, Frodo would fail like Isildur before him..
@@Vladojica.
The Ring held Gollum to his own oath, and just like Maedhros, his oath caused his own downfall into firey deeps. So the evil of Gollum by breaking his oath caused the destruction of the evil Ring. Evil devoured itself.
I am an Atheist but I still find enormous value in what Tolkien is trying to teach us. Accepting and be happy with what has been given to us instead of being obsessed with what we don’t have and what we can’t control is something everyone should learn to do regardless if the believe in God or not. I also like the idea that Evil is allowed because it can bring out greater good in others because without adversity and challenges we would never grow. Plus a perfect world without Evil would require absolute order with no free will and that would not be a very pleasant thing at all.
Indeed it would not be pleasant at all: it would be the very thing Sauron had in mind actually. Keep searching, for much of what you wrote here must in the end point towards the light of God. Pax Christi.
In the words of a certain distinguished person, “you are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Wow!
These words are gold.
Also, Tolkien was an educated man. I wonder what he'd say about educated man with your views. So respectful and insightful despite the obvious difference of opinions.
Great job!
Can you please apply for the job...many of these non religious writer has no sense
Atheism is a mood.
Wow! You changed my mind about a problem I was struggling with for my whole life. I'm too naïve... I have talents that I've used to channel my frustrations and issues with this problem, but the answer was right in front of me. I just didn't want to look at it. I thought I could create fictional characters who dominate powerful enemies through the desire for will to power. "The ends justify the means", as the saying goes. I've been trying to sort this out for years -- but it turns out, no they don't.
I've even asked myself the question "can the world be saved at the cost of my own salvation?" Terrible way to go about it, as the only escape I could think of was becoming an Ubermensch. I thought I could emulate this through my characters, who I made to be deeply flawed. But I was sorely wrong. Thank you a lot for posting this. I have some thinking to do!
Glad I could help
Excellent
Moral victories, my friend, it's an endless battle that we often fail, but as long as we remember what's really important (our soul) and don't stray from the path, that's what matters.
This is something I am looking forward to. Been a pastor for 11 years and can remember in college how so many talked about C.S.Lewis but rarely of Tolkien.
Ryan Reeves has a good lecture series on Tolkien if you’d like to watch it on TH-cam.
th-cam.com/play/PLRgREWf4NFWYkdjziCtks-Gws5YIdN0Fi.html
This list includes his C. S. Lewis lectures as well.
I think Lewis became a Christian in no small part because of his friendship with Tolkien, right?
@@Mark-cd2wf Yes, Tolkien was one of the people that influenced him.
@@Mark-cd2wf there is an interview of Tolkien talking about C.S. Lewis and his coming to Christ. He saying how he felt such joy for his friend to come to Christ, but then learned he wasn't a Catholic. Tolkien was in part making a joke but he did play a role in Lewis conversion.
Wow. I never thought of LOTR this way. I thought the ring represented drugs or sin. This definitely puts things in perspective. If you think about this, some of Tolkien perspective have truth in it. In many of the wars of the 20th century, people sought power for good. However, once power was achieved it corrupted people.
It represents sin, yes. The sin of pride. Hence the temptation for more power.
I mean, stuff in literature had represent and allude to many different things, so the ring can be drugs, sin and the means to power.
"if you think about it *some* of Tolkien's perspective has truth in it" Lol, I think you'll discover much more than "some" truth to his work the more you think about it. I'd even say the amount of truth you'll discover there is perfectly correlated with the time spent thinking.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
"Wars do not make one great!" Yoda
Good in general, and especially as an antidote to RoP.
I am going to disagree about Éowyn, however. It isn't just rejection by Aragorn that leads her to despair; it is her belief that in choosing to take the Paths of the Dead, he is committing suicide. Why shouldn't she do the same, dying gloriously in battle? (This is in accordance with her culture, unlike merely falling on her sword.) Along the way, she picks up a similarly forlorn hobbit--and unwittingly gives herself a secret weapon to destroy the Witch-King. This act of sympathy and love begins her ascent from an otherwise deadly trap. On the battlefield, she is doing what she can to defend her uncle and king when she defies the Witch-King: again, an act of love leads to victory over evil. Merry in turn defends her out of love and respect for the damsel in distress who is also a great lady and valiant shieldmaiden. His patently suicidal attack enables her to destroy the Witch-King.
For the rest, your analysis works.
I was unsatisfied with that one part of the video and this is a much better analysis in my opinion but recently I did see a fantastic video which I think perfectly summarised her character called "Why We Learn from Eowyn (and why other "strong" women characters are boring)" by the channel "Note The Good". I think you'd like that a lot and it would further this point.
@@IM-tl7qv That did come up in my recommendations, but I didn't have time just then. I should be able to work it in tomorrow. Thanks!
@@IM-tl7qv That is a good one. I'll check the channel properly (I've only watched that video.) I'll make recommendation of my own: Pilgrims Pass has several videos on femininity and masculinity (mostly from LotR), including "Avatar: The Two Sides of Femininity" and "Galadriel: Power Through Femininity." ("Avatar" is "The Last Airbender," not the other one; the video compares Katara and Azula.) The videos are longer, but worth a look.
@@stephenrice2063 Didn't get a notification of replies, thanks for all the recommendations, I'll watch all those! I think IP's video is the best I've seen out of all of them, this is a fantastic channel.
Thanks for all the info
The best commentary I've heard on the difference between Tolkien's vision and tat of the Rings of Power. It couldn't be clearer!
Wow Michael. That Tolkinian response you created at the end of the video was powerful. It no only conveyed his philosophy you were illuminating, but confirmed its truth by showing the coherence between the physical and spiritual realms in the description you gave.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Also, thank you for helping me build the humility to return to the Lord to discover what my role is. I neglect prayer and time with him to hear his small voice, because I get the sense that what he wants of me, my role, is not what my ego wants for me. It is especially hard because everything in our culture say “forge your own path. Be the master of your destiny. Choose who you want to be.” This exploration of Tolkien’s work and philosophy resonates. I need to go to Him to be reminded of the role He has called me to.
May the Lord bless and protect you and your family Michael. And may he use you mightily for his kingdom, those still lost, and his glory.
Amen🙏
Thank you for making this. Many of these underlying themes go unnoticed without someone explaining them. And it deepens my appreciation of The Lord of The Rings.
It is impossible to think that the same Galadriel in Rings of Power can be the same Galadriel that we see in The Lord of the Rings. The one who rejects the One Ring, the one who gifts Gimli three of her hairs because she sees the humility and honesty of Gimili, the very same Galadriel who’s daughter marries Elrond and gives birth to Arwen who marries Aragorn and becomes the Queen of a reunited Arnor and Gondor, the very same Galadriel who rules Lorien along side her husband Celeborn who is merely given a disrespectful mention in the show. The Galadriel as well as this show is an abomination!
she rejects Sauron's temptation in the show, and she didn't go to rule Lorien until after Celeborn revolts and sides with Sauron
@@smilingknight1384 Celeborn never revolts and never sides with Sauron!
@@arthurfields9575 ha whoops I mistyped. Celebrimbor.
@@smilingknight1384 I wouldn’t say that Celebrimbor revolts and sides with Sauron. He just seems to only use the knowledge that he receives from Sauron who is hiding his true form as Annatar the Lord of Gifts.
@@arthurfields9575 well certainly he doesn't KNOW it's sauron, and desire for knowledge is his motivation, yes. But the end result is described by tolkien as a revolt in the unfinished tales:
"Sauron used all his arts upon Celebrimbor and his fellow-smiths, who had formed a society or brotherhood, very powerful in Eregion, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain;
Before long Sauron had the Gwaith-i-Mírdain under his influence, for at first they had great profit from his instruction in secret matters of their craft. 8 So great became his hold on the Mírdain that at length he persuaded them to revolt against Galadriel and Celeborn and to seize power in Eregion"
I’m a devout Christian with big love for your apologetics, therefore an avid fan of your videos. Yet this one is most likely my favourite
What’s the difference between devout and just a Christian? We are just Christians saved by Gods grace through faith. Nothing more :)
@@HokageFlete what's it to you if he is devout? dude don't be a hater. Maybe he is making a solid effort. I go to Church more than some and less than many. Lord only knows each individuals faith and effort to be grateful to the Lord.
@@HokageFlete I suppose he/she is hinting at the difference between a devout christian and someone who is merely formally a christian. For instance someone who was raised catholic, got registred as a catholic, but then lost his/her faith but never bothered to make the effort to unregister.
@@HokageFlete Some Christians are just saved by God's grace through faith. Other Christians are save by God's grace through faith and also love God, love others, feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison, give generously, share the gospel, study the scriptures and many of the other things the Bible talks about. James says faith without works is dead. Works are the evidence of faith.
@@jeremybeavon4476 u are saved alone by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 and Roman’s 10:9
The whole notion of "will to power" is really inane. If I will to go to London then I will not go anywhere else, so it closes off more options than it opens up. (as Chesterton pointed out). It's not some grand solution to anything, just Neitzche railing at his perception of passivity in his time. People run to that philosophy because it sounds so rebellious but really it's not nearly as grand as all the acts of humility and love that move us so deeply in Tolkien's stories. Thanks for another thoughtfuly video.
It's important to properly define the term "power" as Nietzsche did, certainly he didn't have the myopic notion of power that modern people have come to associate with it; essentially all power means in Nietzsche's philosophy is anything that facilitates someone's will to live life. One of most cogent criticisms of the European culture of his time was in pointing out the incredible pretense of progressive so-called "humanistic" people that though of themselves as "selflessly" pursuing change for the benefit of "human well-being", his point being that all human action, even of the ascetic or self-abasing variety, is rooted in the universal will to live a satisfactory life (a will he termed "will to power"). I think you've misunderstood Nietzsche, certainly that is the case if you think his concept of the "will to power" was put forward by Nietzsche as a philosophy, it isn't a philosophy, it's a concept for describing why people are the way they are; personally, I think there is something that could be called a philosophy of Nietzsche but that's only true by my personal interpretation of his writing. In categorical terms the only thing it is certainly correct to call Nietzsche is an anti-philosopher, the first of his kind and an enemy to every meta-physician from the beginning of history to the end of history.
@@lancewalker2595
Tolkien accounts for Nietzsche’s basic conceit about what he thought the pursuit of “satisfaction” should be. Perhaps it is, indeed, a mistake to call that a “philosophy”, when it is perhaps better to call it simply a tragic mistake in its own way. Melkor and Sauron both thought that pursuing their own satisfaction would naturally lead to a better world, but what we imagine will satisfy according to our own blind will, and what ACTUALLY would satisfy if we obediently followed God’s plan, could not be two more completely different things.
So that it’s inaccurate to call Nietzsche’s ideas a “philosophy”, as such, does not negate the fact that he was completely wrong about satisfaction.
@@eldermillennial8330 To which of "God's" plans might you be referring? There are just so many options to choose from in the way of God plans.
Man, I don't even know what to say... I totally identify with this philosophy. As a Christian, I understand what LOTR is all about. I was obsessed with LOTR as a kid, but otherwise: beautiful fantasy/story/adventure. But as I grew older, something bigger started to come to mind. I'll take it to my grave. And I want to thank J.R.R. Tolkien for this THING.
The same!! Greetings from Croatia!
@@yuriorlov3750
Yep. Loved it as a kid for reasons I couldn’t understand, and now as I get older, and gain understanding it gets better and better.
@@johnwalker1449yeah
Best commentary on Rings of Power.
"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
- G.K. Chesterton (Illustrated London News, Jan. 14, 1911).
Another sublime work, Mr. Jones! Thank you for presenting this to a new fan of Tolkien's original and far superior prose.
This is the best video essay on the RoP controversy! Your attempt to write a Tolkien-esque reply was amazing and gave me shivers--it came straight from Middle Earth.
Bravo good sir! Your analysis is spot on and maybe even the best summation I’ve ever heard on JRR Tolkien’s world! I am now subscribed and can’t wait to hear more!
Thank you!
8:50 "Strength, according to Tolkien, manifests itself most clearly not in the exercise of power but rather in the willingness to give it up"
The Harfoots's plotline in the show is a literal depiction of abandoning their destined place and purpose in the world (a tight community of nomads) in search of glory for oneself.
The harfoots depiction is in itself in premise abandoning their destined purpose in Tolkien writing itself as they are hobbits, and are not nomadic in the slightest, they live in holes in the ground. They migrate once over the mountains. That’s it. 😒
They're purposely flipping Tolkiens message on its head
To be fair, Tolkien once described the hobbits as having passed through that state of precarity, but later rose above it. 👇
*Tolkien:* "The much later dwindling of hobbits must be due to a change in their state and way of life; they became a fugitive and secret people, driven (as Men, the Big Folk, became more and more numerous, usurping the more fertile and habitable lands) to refuge in forest or wilderness: a wandering and poor folk, forgetful of their arts, living a precarious life absorbed in the search for food, and fearful of being seen; for cruel men would shoot them for sport as if they were animals. In fact they relapsed into the state of 'pygmies'. The other stunted race, the Druedain, never rose much above that state."
*My opinion now:* The problem is that the show will justify Nori's subvertion of tradition (as this video suggests - as an ubermensch) and the 'harfoots' will probably not overcome this state by remembering their arts and tradition. As the writers are very predictable, the harfoots will probably just find The Hill and settle there because they think it is a safe place.
While your interpretation of Tolkien’s philosophy is spot on, I would respectfully disagree with your assessment of The Rings of Power.
While Nori does subvert Harfoot tradition (which is ultimately rooted in self-preservation), she does so out of compassion for The Stranger.
Elrond only spies on Durin as he believes he’s being lied to, which turns out to be true. Elrond is ultimately being manipulated by Gil-galad, the Ubermensch in this arc.
In the show we see the beginning of Galadriel’s 5000 year story arc, who is acting out of lust for revenge, leading her down a dark path and ultimately giving rise to Sauron. By the end, she has to make a choice, and she chooses the side of good. I believe this realisation will be pivotal in leading to the character we see in the Third age, and something I’m looking forward to seeing on-screen.
All-in-all, fantastic video, even if we disagree on The Rings of Power.
Lord of the rings was my favorite trilogy growing up. Now as a Christian I understand why and I see the symbolism. This was an amazing video. Super well thought out
As a pastor, I appreciate the clarification on the true meaning of Lord of the Rings. I use the principle in my preaching of the end of time in Revelation. Much appreciated.
i never watched or read it fully. but i like how the story of how c.s lewis and tolkien talked and basically lead Lewis into a Man of God
Went through the trilogy a few days ago and I always wondered why the ending seems so “random” instead of the hero throwing away the ring. This completely opens up the whole series for me, I might have to watch the movies in a new light
Wow, did you compose that part at the end about "chasing the false light"? That was so well said. Over all great video. I greatly benefited from watching this. Thanks.
A big misunderstanding about Nietzche, He didn’t impose/invent that theory he just noticed this ideology and tried to warn people about society shifting to nihilism.
If art is the reflection of the soul (philosophy) of the artist then "Rings of Power" is the epitome of current western thought. The moral relativism, including the concept of a greater good being an end that justifies the evil means; distortion of history leading to the concept of order, tradition and ancient wisdom as a bad thing that holds people back whether individually or as a culture; existential nihilism leading to self glorification and empowerment being portrayed as a type of "divine" providence - all of that and more, as covered well in this video, really says a lot about the artist and the culture they interact with.
Funny, coming from someone who is clearly not interested in the actual past and prefers to conjure up a fake one. It's hilarious that you accuse others of portraying something as "divine providence" while insisting on your own divine infallibility and omniscience, insisting the very notion of research to be some form of "nihilism".
@@ohauss hey, I don't know where you're coming from? Your reply doesn't seem to make sense given the context and the message I was trying to convey, if you want me to clarify something I can do that for you. I'm not sure what makes you think I don't like learning about history, I do indeed enjoy it. I wasn't accusing anyone of anything in this post, just conveying concepts in current western thought. Also I never insisted that I, nor anyone else has divine infallibility?
@@ohauss what?
@@ohauss what are you going on about you pretentious bellend? 🤣
This is so beautifully written. 😌
Thank you
I agree!
No, it really isn't.
I’m not gonna lie watching this video melted my heart seeing how others understand the meaning of this beautiful story in nearly the same way I do thank you for making this keep up the good work 👍
Brilliantly written narration.
Reminds me of Golum even telling Frodo to not follow the lights when you spoke of the plot to the new series.
I really enjoyed the video! I’ve been rewatching the LOTR trilogy and planning on reading the books the books for the first time and this video definitely will help me understand the full meaning behind what Tolkien is trying to teach. Keep up the great work!
Beautiful video. Very meaningful and well said too. I’m a big fan of Lord of The Rings but never knew the philosophy behind it. Now I will enjoy Lord of The Rings even more because of this. You are very wise
To be fair, the ring would have never made it to the Crack of Mt Doom where it could be destroyed in anyone else's possession, everyone else quickly succumbed to its power. Frodo spent over a year with it if I remember correctly, and Middle Earth was saved due to his previous decisions as Gandalf pointed out, especially his mercy towards Golem.
Right, nut Tolkien wrote it that way on purpose. ON;y God could defeat evil, no other.
@@InspiringPhilosophy Well, it's all what Tolkien wrote. I'm not speaking philosophically though, I'm just pointing out the fact that everyone who merely got close to the ring succumbed to its influence, or was wise and humble enough to understand that they would succumb to it if it was in their possession, and therefore avoided it, like Gandalf, Galadriel, and Aragorn. They didn't attempt to take the ring, but they didn't bear the burden of wearing it for months on end either. They understood that they couldn't do it.If Frodo hadn't been willing to suffer the effects of the ring that whole time and resist it as incredibly long as he did, he wouldn't have gotten it to the Crack of Doom where he stumbled but ended up destroying it during a tussle with Golem. Anyways, good video, I love Tolkien's works, and Jackson did an imperfect but amazing job translating Frodo's saga to the big screen. I haven't seen this other series you mentioned, I'll have to look it up.
@@InspiringPhilosophy Is Isaiah 53 about Jesus????????????????
@@InspiringPhilosophy tell me
Try 17 years.
This is easily one of the best videos I’ve ever watched on TH-cam
Simply put, this is one of the best videos about lord of the rings and Tolkien himself I've seen. Thank you.
In the "Art of Peace" a warrior is someone who adheres to the will of love and acts upon it, gaining strength and resilience and ultimately fulfillment in the act of servitude towards love. Fear disappears when one is completely absorbed in the task. A fight between life and death to the finish, all for peace.
I can see these attributes in Aragorn completely.
This was really great. Far too many fans of the Lord of the Rings fail to realize this is a Christian novel. Years ago I wrote a series of Bible studies based on the characters or character groups from the Lord of the Rings. Now I'm turning it into a video study, but it'll never match yours. God bless you for pulling back the blinds and letting us see how Middle Earth and our world are similar and how sin is our ring of power. No weapons can defeat it except the whole armor of God and the blood of Jesus on the cross.
I often found Dr. Peter Kreeft to have hit the nail perfectly in describing Nietzsche through this excerpt from his “Pillars of Unbelief”:
“-He rightly saw Christ as his chief enemy and rival. The spirit of Anti-Christ has never received such complete formulation. Nietzsche was not only the favorite philosopher of N@z! Germany, he is the favorite philosopher of hell.
We can thank Satan's own foolishness in "blowing his cover" in this man. Like N@z!sm, Nietzsche may scare the hell out of us and help save our civilization or even our souls by turning us away in terror before it's too late.”
Great Video, Tolkien's work can only be truly apprciated with Cristian lens.
*Christian
Catholic
I'm muslim and i apprciate it. It about beautifull morals anyone with morals will apprciate it
“And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
This is my favorite quote from any of his books
As Buddha said, “What you think, you become.” The message I have always taken away from my multiple readings of LoTR is to strive to be a good person, and to treat others well.
So good. Thanks, brother! This is the important piece of Tolkien that is being left out, and I do appreciate you taking the time to put this video together.
Excellent video! So well thought-out, so well-written and produced! Thank you for all the effort you put into this!
Very well put together.
Rings of Power falls into a typical, ancient/ modern trap of elevating mankind (albeit elvenkind) to the place of God. We today like to think this is new and revolutionary but it is as ancient as Adam and Eve.
1. Heaven is either manmade for a form of punishment.
In ancient mythologies the equivalents of heaven were just glorified earth or in our modern times just being human (same difference). In Rings of Power Valinor is a typically dull, helpless, harp-thrumming heaven offered as a 'reward' to get rid of a troublesome Mary Sue. In Tolkien's world, returning to Valinor was by invitation only and though the Valar mercifully reached out many times to bring the elves home, often the elves rejected it out of shame or continuing lust for the Silmarils or revenge. It was not heroic or noble as portrayed in Rings of Power, but a cause of grief and suffering, reflecting the fall of Adam and Eve.
2. Mankind will not suffer another to be his equal, let alone his better.
You covered Galadriel as a typically ancient/ modern ubermensch very, very well that Tolkien would most likely have considered more akin to Saruman. Political innuendos aside, she is like Gilgamesh, Heracles, Conan, James Bond, Superman, Wolverine, and various other heroes vested with larger-than-life powers to be held up as a monument of humanity doing what no one else can. It is a lie to ourselves as much as hubris.
The last part of this video where you rewrite the line about the stone and the light from The Rings of Power, is brilliant and so, so powerful. Amazing video that made me appreciate the books and movies a great deal more
This was a truly brilliant defense of western civilization, foundational principles that keep righteous society alive, thank you
Nonsense principles
You've hit the nail on the head! 💯
Saruman seems in this philosophy to embody the viewpoint of modern evangelicals who think that the simple command to "preach the gospel to every creature and make disciples of all nations" is insufficient for bringing forth the Second Coming and are now using "any means necessary" to force that Second Coming to happen sooner, by forcing everybody to become Christian whether they want to be or not. In essence, they are trying to do the job that only God can do through the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of believers in Christ.
Thank you for this, very enlightening. Your comparison between Tolkien and Martin now pretty much hit the nail on the head of a reason why I was uncomfortable with many things watching GOT, but could never put a finger on. I grew more and more uncomfortable with what Arya was turning into as the story progressed, feeling that her obsessions would rule her and be her downfall. I especially felt this way when she abuses the skills she learns from the faceless. They were supposed to be these servants that didn't use the skills for their own means, though arguably not servants for good. However, she leaves without finishing her training/joining, and goes around seeking terrible revenges with these dark skills. I really thought she would destroy herself, but instead is shown as a hero in the end.
As for the rest of the video, very well done. I'm subbing. all the more reinforcement for me to read these stories with my kids. (we've read the hobbit, now onto FOTR).
Great video overall, but that closing description of a better response from Finrod to Galadriel was flat out powerful! Well done, brother.
agree powerful and well done
I would really appreciate it if you did a analysis/criticism of George RR Martin's world in his Game of Thrones and Dunk and Egg novels. There's a lot of themes in them that I think you could do a good commentary on.
The way you contrast the moral foundation of the original LOTR against that of the TV show bears such a striking resemblance to the evolution of morality and culture that we’ve seen over the past decades…The moral ambiguity of the new characters and their perverted conception of the good is bone-chilling. Great vid!
This means the game Shadow of War (great game btw) is more faithful to the philosophy than Rings of power and that game was considered fan fiction . In the end everyone succumbed to their pursuit of power and payed for it.
Awesome explanation of the Philosophy of Tolkien and Biblical Christian theology that explains the story line in which we find ourselves and our part to play, how to find love, victory, and direction in this world we find ourselves living AND why the book and movie captures the interest and devotion from so many individuals from so many different cultures and backgrounds.
You should write your own Tolkien based book. You pointed out everything right. I was moved by this video thank you for making it. Like Tolkien I believe humility and love dominates us all. Only through God we can understand this and live a full life. Not a wealthy, prosperous life, but one that is full under His divine will.
As someone who is currently reading LOTR, there is something about it that is different from most other fiction/fantasy books, I can’t say how, but there is just something that makes it automatically more appealing.
considering the big reveal in episode 8, you could argue that in Galadriel the show actually does show that her action in the first episode sowed the seed for Saurons rise to power, to the other evils that happened.
And we'll see what the Harfoots will bring
Wouldn't it be funny if the dude nori is following around is saruman?
The philosophy of Nietzsche reads like a 1980s sci-fi movie villain script
Tolkien lived through the worst of what human nature could do. He fought in the horrors of the first world war and lived through the 2nd. I'm sure Nietzche's philosophy found it's fulfilment in the Nazis. It would be foolish to forget that and think that humanism is the hope for man. It's great that Tolkien is as popular and powerful as ever. Thanks for this wonderful presentation IP. God is Good!
"Nietzche's philosophy found it's fulfilment in the Nazis."
Nietzsche alone would not be enough, Nazis were hybrid of occultism and vulgarized Nietzscheanism. Also XIX century racism that justified colonial systems mixed with liberal Social Darwinism played a role.
See The Occult Roots of Nazism by Goodrick-Clarke.
You could try reading some of Nietzsche's writing, and you would learn he was very much opposed to the philosophy of the Nazis (for one thing, he was extremely against antisemitism).
No. The Nazis tried desperately to justify their actions by stealing ideas and symbols, in which none has anything to do with their motives.
There’s a small fact I find both funny and beautiful about Tolkien. It hit me deeply since I’ve read his letters. You know his beliefs about divine providence and “eucatastrophe”? How good always grows, shy and unseen, but also constant and inevitable, while evil boasts its apparent superiority in full view, unaware that it will not last? To quote the man directly, “who knows what good is being nurtured in secret, reserved for the future, while all we can see in the present are the horrors of Hitler and Stalin?”
Now, what the funny and beautiful fact is? Well… that the very book Tolkien was writing in that period, the book he doubted would even sell a single copy, WAS that “secret good” reserved for the future, growing unseen in the ugly shadow of WW2. Hitler and Stalin are long gone. The Tolkien Legendarium will be a beacon of hope for generations to come. Perhaps for freakin’ ever.
solid work, thank you very much for crafting this narrative to help us see better why we knew this "Rings of Power" was so off from Tolkien.
"Middle Earth don't need saviour but servants".
Got it, Tokein.
Great analysis. Sadly knowing your place in Creation isn't considered a virtue anymore.
It’s still a virtue. Thinking you’re a god remains just as mad as it ever was
I suppose because people believe it can inspire complacency or to stay where you are and not improve. Not saying thar how one should interpret it but its how I'd imagine some folks reply.
@@YovanypadillaJr improve compared to what - if you believe the meaning of life is getting more power before you die maybe.
@@YovanypadillaJr No doubt. And they are almost always talking about improvement in the socio-economic sense, not spiritual or moral improvement. Like IP says, it comes back to "the will to power."
@@australopithecusafarensis5386 for example, one could talk Tolkien to mean that one should just accept his/her place in creation. What if the person has a terrible place in creation like for example being a slave. Should that person accept his or her place as a slave? Now I doubt IP or Tolkien would affirm that, but we easily see how something can find message problematic if not articulated well.
This is simply an excellent discourse on Tolkien’s worldview, full of many things of which needed to be said at this time. Thank you.
Great explanation. Thank you.
"Unless you've been living under a rock...'
_Gollum has just left the chat, and he slammed to door on his way out_
Great video! Thank you! Watching it I also couldn't help but recall a quote from another beloved trilogy: "you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
Thank you for this video and touching on the core Catholic themes that drove Tolkien’s legendarium. This video is beautiful because you had the courage to speak the truth about the beliefs that drove Tolkien, in a world where the topic of Christianity is typically eschewed.
Absolutely brilliant video essay.
Michael, I have watched quite a few of your videos. Even when I find myself mentally quibbling with a few of your Protestant or Enlightenment assumptions or Biblical interpretations, I find all your extended videos well-researched, well-presented, and well-motivated. But this analysis of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and your comparison and contrast of it with The Rings of Power miniseries is surely among your best work.
13:28 = Based.
This was excellent! Writing a fantasy book myself and it was so nice to hear d rich a succinct s function of Tolkien’s thoughts and ethos on his world. I gotta get those books!
If you notice the JRR Tolkien translated the book of Hebrews in the Jerusalem Bible. Many themes in the LOTR reflects the influence of the Book of Hebrews.
Wouldn't tradition be the thing to save Westeros? The people are forgetting tradition by not taking the white walkers seriously and underfunding and undermaning the knights watch. The North is the most traditional of the seven kingdoms and it's portrayed in the most sympathetic light.
So what you're saying is: Woe to those who make evil look like good, and good look like evil.
I always thought the point of Saruman getting corrupted is that he was the most noble of the wizards, so if he can get corrupted then anyone can, although this isn't as clear in the movies due to Saruman being portrayed by a famous Dracula actor.
Very good point. That is exactly right in my estimation.
Sauron was never the most noble of the wizards. One of his primary motivations is explicitly envy for Gandalf's greater wisdom.
@@mycaleb8 Maybe you meant Saruman, also I'm pretty sure that's not true, in the book anyway
@@holdingpattern245 I did mean Saruman, and it's specifically the book where this is shown. He's more despicable in the books honestly.
@@mycaleb8 I remember that was the point of him, why he was called Saruman the White and why Gandalf was called The White later on
I wrote some short stories for grade school at a university. No morality lessons, no messages to convey. Just clear cut adventures.
5 years (?) later, I "attended" a class teaching humanities as a sit in.
The instructor then asked the class about my story and what the author was probably thinking when she wrote the story.
I heard lots of theories.
I don't have the heart to tell them that I was the author and that I didn't have any message to convey or moral lessons to teach or agenda to push, or politics to propagate when I wrote the story. Well, at least the class got to exercise their imagination.
I saw some of the trailers for series couldn't stop laughing. Turn the series in to a parody I'll watch.
In our world of post-modernism, neo-western, deconstruction, it is comforting to know that God is there and that goodness and hope are older than the universe. I hope to be a great storyteller someday, maybe not as great as Tolkien, but as great as God would allow me to be. This was an inspiring video and I hope God continues to use you for his glory.
Beautifully done. Congratulations... on the whole production crew.
Crew? I wish
@@InspiringPhilosophy You mean you did the whole 'thing' yourself? 2 X Wow!!! The narrative was great bordering on genius. Ph.D stuff. I'm impressed. Most off Thank you .
It's been so long since I watched PJ's trilogy, this makes me want to watch it all again. Excellent analysis.
“Evil allows for character growth that could not have occurred in a world without it.”
Try reading CS Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra (aka Voyage to Venus). Interesting takes on worlds where evil is defeated before it can rule.
this is amazing! I'm Catholic and knew a bit of Tolkens views but understanding the story the way you put it is helping me understand who to know fix and rewrite a lot of what I was writing in my own stories. Thank you so much for this video. I'm subscribing, very curios about your channel
The Man had a Wisdom beyond most of us .But I am not sure I will forgive him for killing off Finrod and the children of Fingolfin .
The ROP definitely lacks narrative cohesion and better pacing. But what you are advocating is a sermon. The point Finrod is trying to make go Galadriel is it is experience that teaches us which light to follow and that sometimes means touching darkness much like you learn safety in a kitchen by touching a hot pot handle.
Also, Eowyn was supposed to slay the witch king as much as bilbo was meant to find the ring. Tolkien wrote strong, brave and courageous female characters. Eowyn was one of them. Even as Aragorn brings her back he tells Eomer that Eowyn was neglected and her true character was suppressed because she had the body of a maid but the heart of a warrior. “If you bring forth what is in you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is in you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you” says the gospel of Thomas. Aragorn understood Eowyn even as her brother did not. But it was not until she met Faramir that she understood that there is also strength and honor in healing, not because she was a lady of Rohan but because Faramir showed her that he too had chosen a different way of serving.
Anyway, if the show runners had taken your advice, there would be a lot more caution before anyone did anything. And even Gandalf didn’t prevent people from making mistakes. That’s how we learn. Like the show runners. They need to learn how to stop making stupid mistakes in the plot in order to get a good series.
Well done, IP. I hope this video gets many views.