Like Stories of Old

The Complete Philosophy of The Lord of the Rings (Patreon)

Published:

2022-11-18 15:10:51

Imported:

2026-06

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Hey everyone! I’m excited to present this remastered cut of my original breakdown of the philosophy of The Lord of the Rings from a couple of years back. Due to the limitations I had at the time, I had to break the video up in 2 parts. But in hindsight, I kind of regretted it because I do believe it’s best experienced as a single story. I also corrected a few minor mistakes and did a full re-recording of the audio as I made the original videos when I was still working with a crappy mic while sitting in a closet, and I think I can do much better now. All in all, The Lord of the Rings remains such a rich and timeless work, and I’m still really proud of the script of wrote for my video about it, and so I just wanted to make sure it can be enjoyed – both by newcomers and by longtime fans of the channel – in the best possible version of itself.

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Help me make more videos! Support this channel: https://www.patreon.com/LikeStoriesofOld Leave a One-Time Donation: https://www.paypal.me/TomvanderLinden Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LikeStoriesofOld Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tom.vd.linden Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tom_LSOO About this video essay: An extensive analysis of the deeper meanings and philosophy of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jackson’s adaptation, that examines Tolkien’s sanctification of pagan virtues, the role of heroism and moral victory in Middle-earth, the presence and purpose of higher forces, and the essential role of hope in Tolkien's mythology. Originally published in 2 parts, this remastered edition features a completely new voice over track and audio mix, and corrected some minor mistakes. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 4:43 I. Sanctifying History 9:03 II. Military Victory vs. Moral Victory 11:52 III. At What Cost? 14:43 IV. Freedom and Evil 18:17 V. A Cosmic Conflict 21:51 VI. Responsibility and Salvation 25:38 VII. The Guiding Hand of Ilúvatar 32:18 VIII. A Mythology of Hope Sources: Matthew Dickerson – Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings: https://amzn.to/2P3jrFY Bradley Birzer – J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth: https://amzn.to/2LolSkq Peter Kreeft – The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings: https://amzn.to/2wa5grO Listen to my podcast, Cinema of Meaning: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cinema-of-meaning/id1611352831 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4n6zZZQjiKsLNfyldNAi8b Nebula: https://nebula.app/cinemaofmeaning Further Reading: Like Stories of Old – The Complete Reading List: https://kit.co/likestoriesofold/reading-list 10 Books that changed my life: https://kit.co/likestoriesofold/10-books-that-changed-my-life 10 More books that inspired my thinking: https://kit.co/likestoriesofold/10-more-books-that-inspired-my-thinking Business inquiries: lsoo@standard.tv Say hi: likestoriesofold@gmail.com