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Falling Inward: Humanities in the Age of Technology
What is the good of studying the humanities? This frequently asked question is usually answered with some variation on the theme of self-improvement. Study the humanities, the formulation goes, and become a more creative individual, with a more well-rounded résumé and a more empathetic outlook. At root, however, such an answer—factual as it may be—is as useless as it is utilitarian. In Falling Humanities in the Age of Technology , Jason Baxter addresses the pressing question of why we should study of humanities with an answer that is philosophically robust and rich with examples of literature and science. Bringing the films of Christopher Nolan and Terrence Malick into conversation with the writings of Wendell Berry and Gerald Manley Hopkins, Eliot and Plato, Tolkien and Boethius (to name but a few), Baxter weaves an intricate and innovative argument for why we should not only study the humanities, but love the truths that such study brings.
184 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 9, 2026
Dr. Baxter weaves a spell with his words, for me, especially in the introduction and the first chapter. Reading books, considering paintings, in a time when many people don't read at all and only look at pixelated images. We have truly been "flattened" by our modernity and Baxter's exploration of how art and the humanities can help us "fall inward" into things that our world has forgotten... it's masterful. We live in a world of STEM and what we really need is literature, art, music, poetry. I can't wait for the 2nd edition of this book to be published by Cassiodorus Press!
August 30, 2022
This book feels like a collection of disparate essays that the author attempted to bring together into a single book centered on the idea that the humanities are worth studying because they add depth to our lives (I'm simplifying and paraphrasing here). This is a fine idea, as far as it goes, but the execution falls flat. I didn't see how each chapter supported this thesis in a cohesive way. The last chapter, in particular, was more like listening to a lecture on Dante than reading an explanation of why Dante supports the points made in previous chapters. Further, the subtitle ("Humanities in the Age of Technology") seems very out of place: Baxter barely touches on the impact of modern technologies on our habits of learning and study.
More than the problems of narrative and structure, this book suffered greatly from a lack of good editing. There were a ton of extraneous or missing words that were utterly jarring as this reader was trying to follow the argument. That is a particular bugbear for me, as I expect a book that I paid good money for (okay, it was a gift, but still) to have as few errors as possible. I didn't start noting the errors until I was more than halfway through, but here are a few that I caught (paperback edition):
- p. 105: "Recall that in the midst of the cathedral's abundance of colored light, floor patterns, and branching vaults, rests is a deep order..." (extraneous "is" after "rests")
- p. 105: "This vision is similar way to how..." (Huh??)
- p. 110: "Hugh of St. Victor was one of a great admirer of St. Augustine..." (several extraneous words, or missing the words that could make sense of this word salad)
- p. 139: In a quote from Joan Colley's The Parthenon Enigma, "Preoccupied with the political and the aesthetic, we have become all too comfortable with the constructed identify of Parthenon as icon..." (misspelled "identity" as "identify")
- p. 139: "Images the art, taking it out of the domain of silence..." (Clearly an error in the opening clause, to the point where the meaning of the sentence is destroyed)
- p. 148: "If you are a parent or a teacher, and your teenage child or student comes to ask for advice, you will not say: 'Oh, I don't know, just do what you feels good.'" (Obvious wording error in the closing clause)
- (My personal favorite, the very last sentence in the book) p. 172: "Dante gives us an inspiring vision of the depth that can come from such rich study, an inspiring vision of how the humanities can be a vehicle of falling inward and find the truth." (Obvious tense disagreement in the final clause)
There were others, but you get the point. I don't doubt that Baxter is a finer scholar than I will ever be, and errors like these are most likely not his fault. But it's his name on the cover, so the responsibility is his.
More than the problems of narrative and structure, this book suffered greatly from a lack of good editing. There were a ton of extraneous or missing words that were utterly jarring as this reader was trying to follow the argument. That is a particular bugbear for me, as I expect a book that I paid good money for (okay, it was a gift, but still) to have as few errors as possible. I didn't start noting the errors until I was more than halfway through, but here are a few that I caught (paperback edition):
- p. 105: "Recall that in the midst of the cathedral's abundance of colored light, floor patterns, and branching vaults, rests is a deep order..." (extraneous "is" after "rests")
- p. 105: "This vision is similar way to how..." (Huh??)
- p. 110: "Hugh of St. Victor was one of a great admirer of St. Augustine..." (several extraneous words, or missing the words that could make sense of this word salad)
- p. 139: In a quote from Joan Colley's The Parthenon Enigma, "Preoccupied with the political and the aesthetic, we have become all too comfortable with the constructed identify of Parthenon as icon..." (misspelled "identity" as "identify")
- p. 139: "Images the art, taking it out of the domain of silence..." (Clearly an error in the opening clause, to the point where the meaning of the sentence is destroyed)
- p. 148: "If you are a parent or a teacher, and your teenage child or student comes to ask for advice, you will not say: 'Oh, I don't know, just do what you feels good.'" (Obvious wording error in the closing clause)
- (My personal favorite, the very last sentence in the book) p. 172: "Dante gives us an inspiring vision of the depth that can come from such rich study, an inspiring vision of how the humanities can be a vehicle of falling inward and find the truth." (Obvious tense disagreement in the final clause)
There were others, but you get the point. I don't doubt that Baxter is a finer scholar than I will ever be, and errors like these are most likely not his fault. But it's his name on the cover, so the responsibility is his.
May 25, 2025
I like Jason Baxter...I was first exposed to him through the Great Books Podcast with Dean Harrison Garlick, and his guest appearance on one of the Dante episodes was great.
I am also very sympathetic to the topic of this book.
I just don't love this book. It meanders around everywhere, it gets really boring in spots, it over-romanticizes country living (a very much growing pet peeve of mine in "new traditional" Catholic writing), and he pretty much gets Christopher Nolan exactly wrong.
There are better books out there on this topic. One other note, Cluny Media needs to be more diligent on the proofreading. There are multiple typographical errors in this book.
I am also very sympathetic to the topic of this book.
I just don't love this book. It meanders around everywhere, it gets really boring in spots, it over-romanticizes country living (a very much growing pet peeve of mine in "new traditional" Catholic writing), and he pretty much gets Christopher Nolan exactly wrong.
There are better books out there on this topic. One other note, Cluny Media needs to be more diligent on the proofreading. There are multiple typographical errors in this book.
August 9, 2023
This is the second book by Jason Baxter that I have read and I loved it. I want to read it again immediately. He patiently and articulately answers the question, "Why Art?" Why study the humanities in an age obsessed with technology? If you have been asked that question or have yourself asked thay question, pick up this book. P.S.There are some printer errors (typos and misspellings), so read graciously.
January 29, 2026
Bumping up to 4 stars because it's Jason Baxter, and there is plenty here that is lovely to read and worth contemplating... But this book felt a bit unfinished and like it was missing something as a structural whole.
January 19, 2025
I love this little book about God, art, literature, and cathedrals. This is some of Baxter’s best writing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews