What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible.
In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in.
Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non-believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Religions and Theology from the University of Wales Trinity St. David and the University of Manchester She also holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Art History with Biblical themes from the Manchester Metropolitan University.
Episode 3 will refer to the readings in Hebrew and English from the previous episode, and will continue the verse by verse analysis. The focus will be on language and how it shapes our reality. We will also come back to Hugh Willbourn’s book, The Bug in our Thinking: and the Way to Fix it. This episode forms the conclusion to episode 2.
Further information on our book recommendation: The Bug in Our Thinking: And the Way to Fix It,
Author: Hugh Willbourn
Published: May 2023 (approx. 197 pages).
This book explores how deep biases and errors in human thought — what the author calls “bugs in our thinking” — underlie much in the way of misunderstandings, mistakes, and conflicts in modern life. Willbourn blends philosophy, psychology, language analysis, storytelling, and practical insight to explain:
how technology and modern frameworks have shaped the way we think,
why many arguments go wrong,
how language and conceptual frameworks can hide or distort reality,
and what approaches might help us fix or improve our thinking.
The book is unusual yet accessible, using stories, dialogues, and philosophical reflection rather than a strict academic structure. It resists easy summarization because it invites the reader to think along with the author rather than present rigid lessons.
use of speech and language isn’t just a way to express what we already think — it’s part of how thought itself gets structured and developed.
Highly relevant in our discussion about the Babel story!
Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel.
Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds.
https://www.silvermansound.com
Hebrew courtesy of Ted Hildebrandt, Biblicalelearning, Genesis 11 -- Hebrew Bible Speaker with English Captions on YouTube (Free online biblical resources for the global community).
The audio was read by Abraham Shmuelof provided by the Academy of Ancient Languages. The Hebrew text is from Mechon-Mamre.org. The English translation is from the DASV [Digital American Standard Version].
Tanak Hebrew Bible reading video was prepared by Ted Hildebrandt for
http://biblicalelearning.org and Gordon College.
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