Unlike computers, we can and often do learn in a manner which requires time. We come to know a thing by living with it. We read a book and slowly discover that we love a character or don’t trust them; we live year after year with a child or spouse and come to recognize them … Continue reading Like Yeast
A student of contemporary ethics may be astonished by the variety of theories available: Egoism, Emotivism, Utilitarianism, Deontology, Subjectivism, etc. How is one to make sense of their contrary claims? Is the right action: Seeking my own good (Egoism)? the greatest good for the greatest number (Utility)? Obeying rules (Deontology)? Determined by culture, communities, or … Continue reading Fragmented Anthropology: Contemporary Ethics, I
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8). What business do we have studying the liberal arts? The quadrivium and trivium? Why should Christians take an interest in philosophy, in … Continue reading Vain Philosophy and Christian Learning
This idea of this twofold aspect of beauty–that it is simultaneously objective and subjective–is not something new, but is found both in Thomas and Aristotle. Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics opens with the claim that the good is that which all men seem to aim at. He goes on to clarify that it is only the virtuous … Continue reading Beauty as Subjective, II
A Reflection on a Talk by Tim McIntosh Tim McIntosh recently visited New College Franklin and gave a collegium talk on the division of heart and mind in post-modernity. One of his central premises concerned the role of story in transformation, that is in the metanoia or change of mind which occurs in personal upheaval. … Continue reading Enjambment, Hinges, and Stories
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! –Matthew 6:22-23 Beauty is indeed objective; yet, … Continue reading Beauty as Subjective, I
How Aristotle may help us Conceptualize the Conflict between Ordinary Perception and Modern Science Annotated Bibliography This project serves to fulfill a requirement of PHS 611: Classical Logic and Epistemology, taught by Dr. Philippe Yates, Spring 2018 Continue reading The Two Tables from an Aristotelian Perspective
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). This is a difficult verse. If we read it as a proclamation of tit-for-tat justice on earth, or even with the expectation that we can always discern the purposes … Continue reading All Things Work Together for Good?
There is a lot of good literature on shame, but it can be confusing to assess from a Christian perspective. There are three major reasons for this First, many of those with good things to say about shame often dismiss the concept of sin, even treating it as the boogeyman of our psyches. This is … Continue reading On Whether We are to be Ashamed
The solution to loneliness is not connection. Or to put it more correctly, deep social connection is not, by itself, the complete answer to our predicament. This is partly because loneliness is not simply a problem to be solved. As one reads more and more about the ‘epidemic‘, it is worth considering whether the problem … Continue reading Loneliness, Integrity, and the Limits of the Created Person
Same & Other 