Freethought & Rationalism Archive

08-10-2003, 09:04 PM

Terry Goodkind is an author, and he was recently interviewed. One of his responses caught my eye, and I'd like to know what your thoughts are regarding his reply.

Quote:

sfd: Why do you think your books provoke such strong reactions, pro and con?

TG: I think the reason is because the books take a very clear philosophical and moral stance, and there is a great aversion in the world today to clarity. Clarity means that this is right, and this is wrong. For example, when people say "Oh, you know, I experimented a little bit with drugs..." You know, Mr. Esteban in Columbia wanted to get rid of one of his cohorts, so he took down an airliner and 127 innocent people were murdered, just so he could kill one person. So when some has this wishy-washy clarity about the morality of taking drugs, as far as I'm concerned, they are a party to murder. Some people don't like that kind of moral clarity because it doesn't allow them to act on whim. I believe in a clear philosophy of understanding the meaning of life, its values and its purpose. And there are a number of people who don't like to be confronted with those values, and I think that's why they don't like my novels.

Full interview located here: http://www.scifidimensions.com/Aug03/terrygoodkind.htm

catalyst · 08-10-2003, 09:50 PM

I dislike his novels because he is so obviously stretching them.

If I wish to read Ayn Rand, I will pick up one of her books. I do not need re-worded excerpts from We The Living, Atlas Shrugged, etc. inserted into fantasy novels.

Did I mention I despise authors who try and stretch a series?

08-10-2003, 10:28 PM

His argument would be that he doesn't write Fantasy, that he writes philosophical novels in a Fantasy setting.

catalyst · 08-11-2003, 02:07 AM

I was trying to be polite.

Either way I find that his novels, which started out rather well, have grown tiresome, and I no longer read them.

As to his statement wrt values and this is why many people dislike his novels, well, this, in my opinion, makes him an utterly arrogant ass. Never occured to him that some people simply dislike his style of writing?

Or the fact that he is stretching a series?

xorbie · 08-12-2003, 12:14 PM

Nobody has mention this yet, but does this guy even know what Kant said? I read the interview and he went on talking about how Kantian Philosophy dominates academic life (which I suppose could be true) but then how this philosophy advocates moral equivalency of all actions.

This makes me wonder if he even read Kant in the first place, as Kant clearly advocates a form of objective morality based on the good will and what not.

Ab_Normal · 08-12-2003, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jsimmons
His argument would be that he doesn't write Fantasy, that he writes philosophical novels in a Fantasy setting.

*snort* sure, and the, what, three chapter bit in the first book where his hero was tortured (in exquisite detail) by the dominatrix was just a philosophical exploration of issues of power and domination. I imagined the author typing that with one hand, whilst the other was quite busy elsewhere, wink nudge say no MORE!

(can you tell I'm not a Goodkind fan?)

08-12-2003, 12:43 PM

lol

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08-10-2003, 09:50 PM	#2
catalyst Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 6,158	I dislike his novels because he is so obviously stretching them. If I wish to read Ayn Rand, I will pick up one of her books. I do not need re-worded excerpts from We The Living, Atlas Shrugged, etc. inserted into fantasy novels. Did I mention I despise authors who try and stretch a series?

08-10-2003, 10:28 PM	#3
FloatingEgg Guest Posts: n/a	His argument would be that he doesn't write Fantasy, that he writes philosophical novels in a Fantasy setting.

08-11-2003, 02:07 AM	#4
catalyst Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 6,158	I was trying to be polite. Either way I find that his novels, which started out rather well, have grown tiresome, and I no longer read them. As to his statement wrt values and this is why many people dislike his novels, well, this, in my opinion, makes him an utterly arrogant ass. Never occured to him that some people simply dislike his style of writing? Or the fact that he is stretching a series?

08-12-2003, 12:14 PM	#5
xorbie Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Champaign, IL or Boston, MA Posts: 6,360	Nobody has mention this yet, but does this guy even know what Kant said? I read the interview and he went on talking about how Kantian Philosophy dominates academic life (which I suppose could be true) but then how this philosophy advocates moral equivalency of all actions. This makes me wonder if he even read Kant in the first place, as Kant clearly advocates a form of objective morality based on the good will and what not.

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