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Or Nero and Paterno?

From First Thoughts

As Mark points out , Gary Alan Fine finds the erasure of Paterno’s sporting accomplishments Orwellian, but such a practice is not just the stuff of dystopian fiction. At Reflection and Choice , Steven L. Jones writes: Question:  What do Joe Paterno and the Roman Emperor Nero have in . . . . Continue Reading »

In Defense of Mark Regnerus

From First Thoughts

In  The Chronicle of Higher Education , Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith  defends Mark Regnerus’s research on gay couples and child-rearing  against what Smith calls a progressive “witch hunt”: Whoever said inquisitions and witch hunts were things of the past? . . . . Continue Reading »

Is Criticism Dying?

From First Thoughts

Johann Hari wonders if  professional criticism is coming to an end , pushed out by armchair critics empowered by social media. If so, he suggests, we would lose a great deal. Critics do two things according to Hari. They provide “consumer advice,” and they help audiences grasp the . . . . Continue Reading »

Science Savvy and Climate Change

From First Thoughts

It turns out that the more scientifically knowledgeable one is,  the more likely one is to doubt the risks of climate change . To find out what some scientists find of little concern, read William Happer’s  “The Truth about Greenhouse Gases”  in last year’s . . . . Continue Reading »

The Value of Art

From First Thoughts

Alexandra Peers  has a wonderful review  of Michael Findlay’s new book,  The Value of Art , in the  Wall Street Journal : A decade into the 21st century, no clear movement or style has emerged to mark contemporary art. No Impressionism, Modernism, Minimalism—no single . . . . Continue Reading »

Donne Undone

From First Thoughts

What has happened to literary journalism that  something like this  gets published in a national paper? John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 14—a poem on Christ’s violent attack on the self’s evil heart that brings about salvation—tells us, Roz Kaveney writes, . . . . Continue Reading »

Place and Sanctification

From First Thoughts

Over at  Books & Culture ,  Halee Scott reviews Craig G. Bartholomew’s  Where Mortals Dwell —a book on the importance of place in Christian theology. I won’t rehash all of her points, but this struck me: Bartholomew notes that place has a formative influence on . . . . Continue Reading »

John Wilson’s Books of the Year

From First Thoughts

Over at  Books & Culture , John Wilson offers his books of the year . I love John’s methodology: the best books are those that first come to mind after a year of reading. Here are a couple of the more interesting titles: Apricot Jam: And Other Stories . Aleksandr . . . . Continue Reading »