I will be hosting a live video Q&A for my Substack subscribers on Monday at 2pm BST. If you can’t attend live, add a question here. I’ll post the audio afterwards.
Knowland Knows is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting:
Hi Will, how does one encourage and evangelise one’s wife? As more men are attracted to Catholicism, especially its more traditional aspects, how do we ‘transition’ from our old ways (atheist or perhaps only culturally Christian) whilst preserving our relationship with our wife?
You might say...take the trousers back...!
Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks for all you’re doing.
You don’t. In order to ‘change’ someone you need to change yourself first. For starters, stop splitting the bills and any other effeminate behaviour that’s still present . Check Timothy Gordon’s interview with his wife on Elliot Hulse’s channel
A few questions below- but I appreciate you mightn’t have time for all of them. Thank you.
What are the most difficult aspects of being a father and how do you manage them?
Any tips for a teacher on dealing with potentially dangerous situations in schools e.g. fights or riots about to break out?
Thoughts on Mary Harrington’s work, such as her recent book Feminism Against Progress?
Can you tell us what it was like mentoring young offenders?
Would you ever consider talking with Pat Flynn or Dr Jim Madden (Pat Flynn channel and Philosophy for the People channel). Some overlap with your own channel: Catholicism, weightlifting, Plato, Aristotle...
With the culture war ever intensifying and the West seemingly on its arse (esp America), what, if anything, can and should we be doing?
(And by 'we' I mean traditionally minded Catholic men)
Also, is there anything we should be doing to attract young men to 'our side'? I see a lot of "brotherhoods" online based on physical fitness - do we need an IRL version of this for 'based' Catholic men.
Context: I ask as a 45-year-old married father of 3 (who got confirmed on Easter Saturday and whose young children will be baptised in the coming weeks). My wife and I homeschool our kids, have moved out of the city and have been developing a local network, but it doesn't feel enough in the face of everything happening in the world. I personally feel young men need to be reached with a message of hope, faith and action.
I give my 10% to the church but I realized I don’t give any money to the poor. Gods been recently showing me my inordinate love of money. What do you suggest for alms giving or do you have any wisdom/practical tips for implementing it in your life?
Hello Will greetings from Spain, is it biblical for a nation to be ruled by only a queen, or should the ruler always be a man and the queen serve as the assistant of the king? Thank you.
How much time and effort should one dedicate to learning how to be a man (through reading, etc.), if at all? I ask this as it is easy to fall into the trap of dedicating all one's free time to reading, thinking and philosophising about manliness, rather than taking action, i.e. actually living a manly life, doing manly things and learning about manliness from one's mistakes. Is there an ideal balance?
I could never understand the standard definition of free will: "made or done freely or of one's own accord; voluntary".
It either makes no sense or it simply is an empty/redundant sentence depending on the angle you take.
I hope you can help me understand if I am correct in saying that either all will is free, or there is no will that is truly free.
What is it free from exactly? Isn't what you do, a function of what you are ? So then how could you act any other way but the way you are ? So either your action is function of you, and any action contrary to you is just simply impossible. Or is this just talking about action without any explicit imposition from other people, but even if imposed, you will still act by who you are, just that the action you will take might change given the imposition. Then again isn't everything an imposition on your action, for you need something to even be able to act upon or with it ?
Either everything is an imposition or nothing is. So either free will by this definition makes no sense. Or it is a redundant phrase, as there is nothing opposite to free will. Either all will is free, or none of it is free.
Perhaps free will is used to just delineate the fact that two different people will act differently given the same choice? But isn't that too just the function who they are?
I think using the phrase "free will", just does not make sense. Why not simply "will", defined as "action as function of one's makeup" ?
2. Teleology and Christianity
I have been listening to the book club and other talks you had with people. Hopefully I am correct in understanding what you mean by teleology to be simply about the purpose for which something was made ?
Given that, is it fair to say that Christianity and specifically Catholicism is essentially, and most simply, the most optimal path to realize/accomplish the Teleology of a human as member of a larger group stably through time, meaning that it is not only optimal for the individual, but basically for each element of human society ( individual > family > tribe > society/civilization etc. ) ?
Would this then conflict with Darwinism ? To me it seems that Darwinism just attempts to explain the process that produced Human Teleology. What produced Darwinism ? More than anything I would say Darwinism is an argument for Christianity's side, is it not?
P.S
I don't comment much, which is probably a failing of mine, but I would like to say thank you for what you do, honestly I have never encounter a better example of a man, truly you align perfectly with my own conscience. I have yet to disagree with any practical things you have said. Perhaps just a few things I don't understand on the theoretical side. Regardless thank you for a good example as to how one should conduct oneself!
P.S.S
I recently discover that you had twitter, that is absolute gold mine for lifting my mood, I only saw few insane people on YouTube comments but twitter is next level lol. Your resoluteness and stamina in dealing with the insane is unmatched !
Hi Will, how does one encourage and evangelise one’s wife? As more men are attracted to Catholicism, especially its more traditional aspects, how do we ‘transition’ from our old ways (atheist or perhaps only culturally Christian) whilst preserving our relationship with our wife?
You might say...take the trousers back...!
Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks for all you’re doing.
You don’t. In order to ‘change’ someone you need to change yourself first. For starters, stop splitting the bills and any other effeminate behaviour that’s still present . Check Timothy Gordon’s interview with his wife on Elliot Hulse’s channel
Mr Knowland,
A few questions below- but I appreciate you mightn’t have time for all of them. Thank you.
What are the most difficult aspects of being a father and how do you manage them?
Any tips for a teacher on dealing with potentially dangerous situations in schools e.g. fights or riots about to break out?
Thoughts on Mary Harrington’s work, such as her recent book Feminism Against Progress?
Can you tell us what it was like mentoring young offenders?
Would you ever consider talking with Pat Flynn or Dr Jim Madden (Pat Flynn channel and Philosophy for the People channel). Some overlap with your own channel: Catholicism, weightlifting, Plato, Aristotle...
With the culture war ever intensifying and the West seemingly on its arse (esp America), what, if anything, can and should we be doing?
(And by 'we' I mean traditionally minded Catholic men)
Also, is there anything we should be doing to attract young men to 'our side'? I see a lot of "brotherhoods" online based on physical fitness - do we need an IRL version of this for 'based' Catholic men.
Context: I ask as a 45-year-old married father of 3 (who got confirmed on Easter Saturday and whose young children will be baptised in the coming weeks). My wife and I homeschool our kids, have moved out of the city and have been developing a local network, but it doesn't feel enough in the face of everything happening in the world. I personally feel young men need to be reached with a message of hope, faith and action.
Thank you for your work.
I give my 10% to the church but I realized I don’t give any money to the poor. Gods been recently showing me my inordinate love of money. What do you suggest for alms giving or do you have any wisdom/practical tips for implementing it in your life?
Hello Will greetings from Spain, is it biblical for a nation to be ruled by only a queen, or should the ruler always be a man and the queen serve as the assistant of the king? Thank you.
How much time and effort should one dedicate to learning how to be a man (through reading, etc.), if at all? I ask this as it is easy to fall into the trap of dedicating all one's free time to reading, thinking and philosophising about manliness, rather than taking action, i.e. actually living a manly life, doing manly things and learning about manliness from one's mistakes. Is there an ideal balance?
1. Free will
What is free will ?
I could never understand the standard definition of free will: "made or done freely or of one's own accord; voluntary".
It either makes no sense or it simply is an empty/redundant sentence depending on the angle you take.
I hope you can help me understand if I am correct in saying that either all will is free, or there is no will that is truly free.
What is it free from exactly? Isn't what you do, a function of what you are ? So then how could you act any other way but the way you are ? So either your action is function of you, and any action contrary to you is just simply impossible. Or is this just talking about action without any explicit imposition from other people, but even if imposed, you will still act by who you are, just that the action you will take might change given the imposition. Then again isn't everything an imposition on your action, for you need something to even be able to act upon or with it ?
Either everything is an imposition or nothing is. So either free will by this definition makes no sense. Or it is a redundant phrase, as there is nothing opposite to free will. Either all will is free, or none of it is free.
Perhaps free will is used to just delineate the fact that two different people will act differently given the same choice? But isn't that too just the function who they are?
I think using the phrase "free will", just does not make sense. Why not simply "will", defined as "action as function of one's makeup" ?
2. Teleology and Christianity
I have been listening to the book club and other talks you had with people. Hopefully I am correct in understanding what you mean by teleology to be simply about the purpose for which something was made ?
Given that, is it fair to say that Christianity and specifically Catholicism is essentially, and most simply, the most optimal path to realize/accomplish the Teleology of a human as member of a larger group stably through time, meaning that it is not only optimal for the individual, but basically for each element of human society ( individual > family > tribe > society/civilization etc. ) ?
Would this then conflict with Darwinism ? To me it seems that Darwinism just attempts to explain the process that produced Human Teleology. What produced Darwinism ? More than anything I would say Darwinism is an argument for Christianity's side, is it not?
P.S
I don't comment much, which is probably a failing of mine, but I would like to say thank you for what you do, honestly I have never encounter a better example of a man, truly you align perfectly with my own conscience. I have yet to disagree with any practical things you have said. Perhaps just a few things I don't understand on the theoretical side. Regardless thank you for a good example as to how one should conduct oneself!
P.S.S
I recently discover that you had twitter, that is absolute gold mine for lifting my mood, I only saw few insane people on YouTube comments but twitter is next level lol. Your resoluteness and stamina in dealing with the insane is unmatched !