Nathan Wilson holds no punches in Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl—he states his goals up front and does not deviate.He claims in the preface that the work does not flow in a linear fashion, but rather in a series of rotations—like that of a tilt-a-whirl at any carnival.Do not let this structure intimidate—the unity of the book (even in the diversity of elements) becomes apparent even within the first few pages.Wilson admits that perhaps he explains too much in his preface, but his honesty and lack of pretense is refreshing!
If religion is an opiate as Marx suggests, Wilson claims that philosophy is an anesthetic, “a shot to keep the wonder away.”Much of Wilson’s work is aimed at discovering the world—what kind of place is it and why is it here.Philosophy is but one way to discover answers to these type of questions, however Wilson explores a new way to discover the world through the senses and through faith.
Although Wilson’s book is a breeze to read, it is almost like taking a trip to a museum or zoo.You can fly through the book in a day and just enjoy the journey, or you can take your time to look around and think deeply.As a doctoral student at a seminary, this book was a refreshing breath of air.In places, Wilson challenged me to think and broadened my mind.In other places, Wilson was a bit random and silly (which is ok!).I would highly recommend this book for anyone’s library.
