You Don't Know (Steven) Dick?

During an onslaught of boredom I once did a little bit of creative display case rearranging at Third Place Books in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood. You can see the results above. I can’t vouch for the quality of Frank Newport’s book God is Alive and Well (he’s the editor-in-chief of Gallup and the book is apparently based upon their research), but I do know its cover goes well in tandem with the cover of Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James (also a serious volume, this time written by a philosopher).

Take that New Atheists!

What’s even better than constructing your own sophomoric joke? When it’s handed to you on a platter by a book designer. This is where Steven Dick’s (ed.) Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life, & the Theological Implications, uhm, comes in.

It’s billed as:

“Many Worlds first focuses on what lessons might be learned from the latest knowledge of the origin and evolution of life. After establishing a well-grounded relationship between science and religion, authors such as Arthur Peacocke and John Leslie evaluate the intricate configuration of events that must occur to create a dynamic and chemically enriched environment capable of not only supporting life, but evolutionary processes as well. The final section addresses the provocative question of extraterrestrial life. What we may find could drastically change our relation to the universe and our creator.”

Now look at the robust spine design. It really stands out and makes me chuckle every time I see it.

Perhaps the Templeton Foundation is channeling Hamlet who says, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”?

Shakespeare was a contemporary of Rabelais and like his great Catholic contemporary he liked to mix high philosophy (somewhat stiffly Stoic) with dick and fart jokes. Before you walk away in total disgust (there’s nothing more un-Catholic than prudery)  remember that Walker Percy, say in his Love in the Ruins, is one recent Catholic author who did the same.

Who else do you see mining the same vein these days? Are there any theologians who expose the limpness of our WASP sensibilities?

Now, if you’ve come this far, then you’ll definitely want to look at the entries I’ve written on Rabelaisian Catholicism right here.