#72- G. K. Chesterton's What I Saw In America
This week, Scott and Karl read and heartily discuss G.K. Chesterson's What I Saw In America.
Chesterson was a prolific English journalist and author who traveled to America on a lecture tour of the US in 1921. \xa0What I Saw In America begins as a travelogue of his journey but eventually becomes an extended reflection on what makes a nation a nation.\xa0
Chesterton is often referred to as the "prince of paradox" and his opening line doesn't disappoint.\xa0 He writes, \u201cI have never managed to lose my old conviction that travel narrows the mind.\u201d
Throughout his travels, the main question on Chesterson's mind\u2014 what does it mean to be an American?\xa0
As Scott points out, "He's a perpetual outsider who sees everything clean."\xa0
Tune in for a fascinating discussion on the American ideal, the drawbacks of progress, and what Chesterson deems to be the greatest guarantor of political and economic liberty.\xa0