A beautiful introduction to philosophy, very much written from from a Christian perspective using Tolkien’s work as a model.
Kreeft expresses seemingly his own philosophical views, which align with Tolkien’s, through the exploration of Tolkien’s world view, and that of his close friend C.S.Lewis. The book uses numerous quotations from Tolkien’s letters and works, as well as Lewis’, to explore philosophical questions from within metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, aesthetics, and a number of other fields.
The book is beautiful, and gives an entirely new perspective to the Lord of Rings, even for a lifelong fan. The Lord of the Rings takes on a new philosophical profundity, as a well as a strong Christian feel, which may have been missed by most readers.
Though kreeft, as a catholic and Tolkien fan, is likely to overplay the Christian message of Tolkien’s work, it is hard to doubt the strength of Tolkien’s faith both in his life and work.
The trilogy is presented by Kreeft as a brutally honest portrait of our would and it’s flaws rather than an escapist novel, which beautifully expresses the totality of Tolkien’s worldview, philosophy, faith, and nostalgia.

Peter Kreeft has blown my mind with his book on Philosophy within Tolkien's works and personal letters. For someone who is not well versed in the terminology of philosophy, this book served to be both a fabulous (and understandable) explanation of what philosophy is, and a deep dwelling on how philosophy impacts the world.

The way that Kreeft highlights certain aspects of the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Similarion, blew me away. I could not put my finger on what drew me deeper into those books until the deeper meanings were laid out for me. The book has inspired me to delve deeper into Tolkien's works, and also the film adaptations of those works.

I would recommend this book to anybody who would like to know about philosophy OR would like to know more about Tolkien's world. I also recommend this book as an academic meditation on the Life of Christ.

Spoiler alert: Tolkien was a Catholic and the Lord of the Rings is a Catholic book (even though it is not an allegory).

This review may be found at OurLadyandSheen.wordpress.com

This is a fantastic book for anyone who loves The Lord of the Rings and wants to dive deeper into the mind of Tolkien while learning about philosophy along the way. This book has given me an even greater appreciation for Tolkien and has enriched my understanding of his world building and storytelling. Peter Kreeft is a wonderful writer and weaves together complex ideas into a very readable and assessable narrative.

Wow. I decided to read this in anticipation of a re-reading after many years of Lord of the Rings and I am delighted that I did. Kreeft outlines Tolkien's philosophy and the ways in which this philosophy permeates LOTR, the Hobbit and indeed all of Middle Earth, not by allegory, but by application. Tolkien was adamant that LOTR was not allegory, which he saw as an author forcing his world view on his reader, but application, in which the view is there in the background, available to the reader if he is willing and able. Kreeft's approach also makes this a reasonable survey of the key issues in philosophy.

I am now very excited for my re-read and have decided to preface it with a re-read of the Hobbit first.

An excellent review of philosophy as found in Tolkien’s epic. The author draws examples from Tolkien & Lewis to describe different areas of philosophy, and would make an excellent introduction to philosophy.

Dette er en «must-read» for alle Tolkien fans! Kreeft skriver engasjerende og å viser hvordan Kristendommen gjennomsyrer hver eneste side av Ringenes Herre.

Man, I was so excited to read this, but I wasn't even able to finish it. Other reviews have pointed this out as well, but the premise of this book is misleading in my opinion - it's not really a philosophy of Tolkien, let alone a philosophy of LOTR (which is what I really wanted from it), but more so a theology of the author himself. Listen. I am well aware that Tolkien himself is a Catholic and I don't have a problem with that. But this book makes leaps in logic that are not based in the textual evidence I was hoping for and that are only compatible with a fundamentally Christian worldview.

It still has its moments, especially in the early chapters, but overall it's trying to do way too much and in a really weird tone to boot. I tried to grit my teeth and finish it but when Kreeft presented all liberals as amoral and disrespectful towards the "sanctity of individual human life" I said 'nope' out loud and closed it. Would not recommend unless you're part of an extremely niche audience.

One of the best books I have read in a long time. And by far the most superb contribution to the study of Tolkien

An excellent read. I did not necessarily agree with all that was written but that is the point of philosophy. He wrote clearly and with much detail. My only concern was by the time I finished I felt like I was being indoctrinated into the catholic faith.

"Exploring Tolkien's world was not just interesting (that all-purpose meaningless euphemism). It was not even just fascinating. It was sheer joy. For we knew that here we had touched truth. This book was a homecoming. This book broke our hearts..."

The author delves into the rich and complex mythology of Middle-earth, examining the powerful symbols and archetypes that pervade throughout the story. He explores the concept of evil and its manifestation in the form of Sauron and the Ring, as well as the struggle between good and evil that is a central theme of the story. He also looks at the idea of sacrifice, the power of friendship, and the role of fate and destiny in the lives of the characters.

The book also sheds light on the Catholic beliefs and values that were a fundamental part of Tolkien's worldview, and how they influenced his writing. The author examines the themes of sin, grace, and redemption, as well as the idea of providence and the guidance of a higher power. He shows how these themes are reflected in the story, from the journey of Frodo and the other hobbits to the ultimate victory of good over evil...

I got this book with the intention of giving it to a Tolkien lover who doesn’t know much philosophy in hopes that it would be an introduction. Instead I ended up reading it and loved it.

Kreeft does such a wonderful job of demonstrating philosophy through the lens of this fantasy story while making use of other contemporaries - C.S. Lewis and, although a bit older, G.K. Chesterton. He starts off a bit dry and boring with an introduction and a chapter on metaphysics, but these are important subjects to consider.

I wish the book would have been a little more accessible to someone who hadn’t studied philosophy. It almost seems that it was written to show the beauty of Tolkien to a philosopher and not the beauty of philosophy to a Tolkien fan. I think the language would be too hard for the average person.

But if I were to teach a discussion group about philosophy, I would consider having them read Tolkien and discussing the philosophical principles as we journeyed. It’s a brilliant way to expose someone to an understanding of how our world works while being still enjoyable and entertaining. There’s nothing like considering a fantasy world to understand our world even more.

The research is very well done and the argumentation is easy to follow and convincing. I know that I will come back to this book for life examples of certain philosophical principles.

I recommend trying it, although someone who isn’t familiar with philosophy is likely to find it a bit dense.

Peter Kreeft is probably the most accessible and entertaining man writing in philosophy today, and in this book he turns his uncompromising style to examining the fundamental wordlview that underlay Tolkien's and provides the themes for his great works. This book is valuable for a proper understanding of The Lord of the Rings.