http://www.archive.org/details/george_bernard_shaw_rc_0808
LibriVox recording of George Bernard Shaw by G. K. Chesterton, read by Ray Clare.
Chesterton and Shaw were famous friends and enjoyed their
arguments and discussions. Although rarely in agreement,
they both maintained good-will towards and respect for each
other. However, in his writing, Chesterton expressed himself
very plainly on where they differed and why. In Heretics he
writes of Shaw:
After belabouring a great many people for a great many years
for being unprogressive, Mr. Shaw has discovered, with
characteristic sense, that it is very doubtful whether any
existing human being with two legs can be progressive at
all. Having come to doubt whether humanity can be combined
with progress, most people, easily pleased, would have
elected to abandon progress and remain with humanity. Mr.
Shaw, not being easily pleased, decides to throw over
humanity with all its limitations and go in for progress for
its own sake. If man, as we know him, is incapable of the
philosophy of progress, Mr. Shaw asks, not for a new kind of
philosophy, but for a new kind of man. It is rather as if a
nurse had tried a rather bitter food for some years on a
baby, and on discovering that it was not suitable, should
not throw away the food and ask for a new food, but throw
the baby out of window, and ask for a new baby.
Shaw represented the new school of thought, humanism, which
was rising at the time. Chesterton's views, on the other
hand, became increasingly more focused towards the church.
In Orthodoxy he writes:
The worship of will is the negation of will. . . If Mr.
Bernard Shaw comes up to me and says, "Will something," that
is tantamount to saying, "I do not mind what you will," and
that is tantamount to saying, "I have no will in the
matter." You cannot admire will in general, because the
essence of will is that it is particular. (Summary from
Wikipedia)
For more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader,
visit LibriVox.org
This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free
Audiobook Collection It also belongs to collections: Audio
Books & Poetry; Community Audio
Artist/Composer: G. K. Chesterton
Date: 2008-08-03
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text
Keywords: LibriVox; audio books; essays; Chesterton; G. K. Chesterton
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
01 - Introduction, Preface, Chapter 01 29:14 02 - Chapter 2 - The Puritan 27:28 03 - Chapter 3A - The Progressive 25:03 04 - Chapter 3A - The Progressive 26:36 05 - Chapter 4A - The Critic 22:18 06 - Chapter 4B - The Critic 17:02 07 - Chapter 5 - Part 1 - The Dramatist 24:31 08 - Chapter 5 - Part 2 - The Dramatist 25:38 09 - Chapter 5 - Part 3 - The Dramatist 23:41 10 - Chapter 6 - Part 1 - The Philosopher 21:57 11 - Chapter 6 - Part 2 - The Philosopher 24:29 12 - Chapter 6 - Part 3 - The Philosopher 25:42 13 - Chapter 6 - Part 4 - The Philosopher 27:14 14 - Chapter 6 - Part 5 - The Philosopher 25:30