There's a special kind of magic in discovering profound wisdom where you least expect it. Recently, while reading Horus Rising from the Warhammer 40K series, a franchise better known for its epic battles than its philosophical depth, I encountered such a moment while sitting at the bar top of Johnny Noodle King.
In the midst of interstellar warfare and power struggles, a character named Sindermann delivers a striking critique of religion's impact on human progress: "Religion damned our species for thousands of years, from the lowest superstition to the highest conclaves of spiritual faith. It drove us to madness, to war, to murder, it hung upon us like a disease, like a shackle ball." These words, embedded in a science fiction narrative, offered a powerful commentary on the real-world relationship between belief systems and societal development.
This experience crystallized something I've long believed: meaningful insights aren't confined to traditional academic texts or self-help books. While there's certainly value in non-fiction especially for those seeking specific knowledge or skills, the current trend of dismissing fiction as mere entertainment overlooks its unique power to shape our thinking.
Consider how Horus Rising approaches complex ideas. By pushing its world to extremes, where political power morphs into religion and conflicts span galaxies, it strips away the comfortable gray areas that often cloud our judgment. This amplification forces readers to confront fundamental questions about power, belief, and progress. It's political theory dressed in the compelling garments of narrative.
What makes this approach particularly effective is its accessibility. Rather than presenting abstract theories in academic language, the novel weaves these ideas into a gripping story. The critique becomes more digestible, more memorable, precisely because it emerges organically from character interactions and plot developments. This is especially valuable for younger readers or those who might find traditional philosophical texts intimidating.
This brings us to a crucial point about literacy and education. We often create artificial hierarchies in literature, suggesting that certain books are more "serious" or "valuable" than others. This mindset can alienate potential readers and limit intellectual exploration. Instead, we should recognize that profound ideas can emerge from any genre, any format, any source.
The Warhammer series exemplifies this perfectly. While it might be dismissed as mere entertainment by some, it offers sophisticated examinations of political systems, religious authority, and human nature. Its universe serves as a laboratory for thought experiments about power and control the kind of analysis you might find in a college-level political theory course, but presented in a way that invites rather than intimidates.
For those invested in promoting literacy, this realization opens up exciting possibilities. Instead of insisting that readers tackle specific canonical texts to engage with important ideas, we can show them how these concepts appear in works they already enjoy. This approach doesn't diminish the value of classical texts or academic works; rather, it expands the pathways through which people can access and explore complex ideas.
The key is to maintain an open mind about where wisdom might be found. My encounter with that passage in Horus Rising led to deep reflections on religion, political power, and human progress, not because the book demanded this analysis, but because it created a space where such thoughts could naturally emerge. Different readers will find different resonances in the same text, and that's precisely what makes literature so powerful.
As we think about encouraging reading, especially among younger generations, we should embrace this diversity of sources. Whether someone finds their philosophical awakening through Plato's Republic or through a science fiction novel about space marines, what matters is the engagement with ideas, the development of critical thinking, and the expansion of perspective.
Reading is not about checking off a prescribed list of "important" books, it's about discovering how different works, across all genres, can illuminate aspects of the human experience. By keeping our minds open to finding wisdom in unexpected places, we enrich our understanding and make the journey of reading more accessible and rewarding for everyone.
In the end, that's what makes literature so remarkable, so important: its ability to surprise us with profound insights, regardless of its genre or perceived status. Every book has the potential to change how we think about the world, we just need to be ready to recognize these moments when they appear.
Book Recommendations
"Snow Crash" - Neal Stephenson
"Hyperion" - Dan Simmons
"Good Omens" - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
"Foundation" - Isaac Asimov
"The Hero with A Thousand Faces” - Joseph Campbell