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I've named this post after the title of a book; The Tao of Pooh was an interpretation of Taoist spirituality through A A Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh'. It would be an exaggeration to say this book is an inspiration for this series of posts (I haven't read it!) but it makes for an eye catching title.
I'm planning a series of posts about Dr Who. The plan is to review some of the episodes of the new Who era and reflect on some emerging themes. I may from time to time dip into the classic series too but we shall see how it goes.
These posts will not be reviews; their purpose is threefold and I will explain them further in the next three posts.
I watched Dr Who religiously from the very beginning in 1963, although I slowed down during the late Pertwee era, watching fewer episodes and stopping entirely at the end of the Tom Baker era. In recent years I've seen a few of the episodes I missed and so I have a fairly good idea of what has happened during the history of the the programme.
William Hartnell is still 'my Doctor' and I tend to compare all the others to him, or him as I remember him. The point is the Doctor is a hero and at that, a British hero. He bears comparison with Robin Hood or King Arthur. So he tells us something about ourselves as a nation, how we understand our role in the world and what we value. The comparison is sometimes made with Star Trek. In the Star Trek universe everything is clean, tidy and disciplined. The muddle and confusion with the Doctor has been there from the beginning.
From the very beginning the programme has been about science but not science as we know it. It is usually optimistic about science as a means to solve problems.
Finally, I want to use this series as a means to reflect on public spirituality. It seems our values and our science say something important about our relationship with God.
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