Pillars of American Life As violence against police, political figures, and politically vocal individuals escalates, it is worth noting the way in which such violence departs from the roots of the Western and American tradition. America has been characterized by the ten commandments and by the rule of law and free speech. We may characterize … Continue reading Your Words Made Me Kill You? John Brown, You are Not
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
Paul gives an allegorical reading of Old Testament history to distinguish between the bondage of the law and the freedom of adoption. But the allegory is a complex one, perhaps because the subject is itself complex. The chief difficulties of the allegory are these: A. He depicts Hagar (vs. Sarah) as under the bondage of … Continue reading Allegory, Reversal and Recognition in Galatians 4:21-31
Social conditioning in A Brave New World (coupled with genetic and pharmacological engineering) succeeds in eliminating nearly all conflict, but it also undermines certain fundamental elements of a truly human polis. Ironically, in this highly uniform society, it is unity which is undermined most of all. This is because social unity, understood as a communion of persons, cannot be achieved merely … Continue reading Unity vs. Uniformity (The Second of Three Meditations on A Brave New World)
To recognize one’s other as a self is to know a person as a person. Such knowledge goes infinitely further than tolerance or political equality. This post explores how ethical knowledge informs an experience of personhood. Personhood is ultimately a grander and more encompassing pursuit than that of tolerance or human rights alone. For Thomas Aquinas, there are two primary modes of knowledge: the theoretical and the practical. Theoretical knowledge … Continue reading An Encounter with Personhood
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim his handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the … Continue reading Other Kinds of Speech: Images & Originals Part V.B
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim his handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the … Continue reading Other Kinds of Speech: Images and Originals Part V.A
Same & Other 