Aristotle does not begin his treatise On the Soul by declaring that we are made in the image of God. Rather, he begins with the stunningly obvious observation that among all of the things which exist, we distinguish those which live from those which do not. Each of those things which live (plants, animals, and human beings) … Continue reading This is what we call a Soul
If we want to talk about the immortality of the soul, we are immediately confronted with all kinds of problems. For instance, we not only have to decide whether the soul dies, but what death is, that is if we want to rationally examine this question! But further, we already have put the question problematically. … Continue reading Speaking, Not Easy: On Immortality
In a little house in the suburbs of Chicago, a young married couple were enjoying dinner with a rather robust middle-aged woman. Their three children and a visiting relative sat at table quietly listening to the conversation. “Jane, this is the woman I told you about, the one who saved our lives from that awful … Continue reading The Awkward Dinner: A Modern Ethical Allegory
“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
This from his book on epistemology: Certitude cannot be construed as a search for relief from the weight of singular existence The Philosophy of Knowledge, p.293-294 I would add only that in laying hold of truth by the free assent of the inner man, in discovering that certain truths are subjective insofar as they are … Continue reading A Brief Quote from Kenneth T. Gallagher
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
Does God see us and love us or does he instead see only Christ? It is often preached that God looks not to our sins, but to the merits of Christ in whom he is well pleased. Or, that when God looks at those in Christ, he sees not them, but Christ. This might suggest … Continue reading On Whether God Loves the Individual or Christ
Why do the faces of animals evoke wonder in us? Perhaps three reasons. First, they are beautiful. Second, we recognize in them a common consciousness, a beholding and being beheld, and it is a delight to see this. Finally, we see this consciousness in animals more readily than in ourselves (with the exception of babies … Continue reading In the Faces of Animals
From Measure for Measure ISABELLA Yet show some pity. ANGELO I show it most of all when I show justice; For then I pity those I do not know, Which a dismiss’d offence would after gall; And do him right that, answering one foul wrong, Lives not to act another. Be satisfied; Your brother dies … Continue reading On the Liberal Arts and the Third Use of the Law
Listening to the Little House series, following the lives of Laura and her family, has not been without its challenges. They are so strict, so obedient, so sufficient and skillful. They are themselves a kind of law that I will never live up to. Further, Laura always seems a bit hemmed in by her Ma, … Continue reading Mercy in Little House on the Prairie
