G. K. Chesterton Quotes (@gkchesterton_quotes)

~ G. K. Chesterton on the Hedonistic Philosophy of Oscar Wilde ~ If you don't know anything about Oscar Wilde, just know that he was an advocate of the so called 'carpe diem religion,' a nihilistic philosophy of hedonism. In his philosophy, which has become the dominant philosophy of modernity, the pursuit of pleasure and enjoying the moment is the ultimate purpose in life. As a Christian this should send shivers down your spine. And it comes as no surprise that G. K. Chesterton had many critiques of Oscar Wilde's carpe diem religion. Here are some of his quips about Oscar Wilde: "The carpe diem religion is not the religion of happy people, but of very unhappy people. Great joy has in it the sense of immortality; pagan joy fails by its demand for immortality." [Heretics - Chapter 8] "Oscar Wilde said that sunsets were not valued because we could not pay for sunsets. But Oscar Wilde was wrong; we can pay for sunsets. We can pay for them by not being Oscar Wilde." [Heretics - Chapter 8] "Wilde preached the appreciation of the moment; but if you appreciate the moment, you cannot make an art of it. Art is born when the moment has passed." [The Works of Oscar Wilde] "The weakness of all hedonism is that it breaks down under a single moment's analysis; for if to enjoy oneself is the object of life, it is strange that the most successful hedonists are sad." [Heretics - Chapter 8] "Wilde’s epigrams have often been dismissed as mere wit. But wit itself is a kind of wisdom; and Wilde’s wit was the shadow of a faith he had lost." [The Works of Oscar Wilde] #gkchesterton #oscarwilde #literature #philosophy #apologia #essay #theology #hedonism #carpediem #religion #reading #books #quotes #Christianity #Christian #Christ #Jesus #Bible