2012

When I was a kid, I used to root for people to pick the next year as the date of Christ’s return. Since I really wanted to get married, I did not want the Day of Doom to come too soon. Using my childish reasoning, I figured that since the Savior had said no man knew the day or hour of His . . . . Continue Reading »

Questions about Rand

Perhaps the weirdest thing on the right is tolerance for the bloviating novelist Ayn Rand. The philosophical problem with Ayn Rand is not so much her views, but that she does not argue for them. She asserts them, but when counterarguments are made there is no response. Her philosophy, such as it is, . . . . Continue Reading »

Redemption for Disney’s Belle?

Years ago, when I saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, I had heard John Mark’s thoughts on the Disney story (and agreed), so I was pleasantly surprised when a song came out of nowhere—a song that doesn’t appear on any of the soundtracks (film or musical)—when Belle leaves . . . . Continue Reading »

Of Cross and Culture

Much discussion has been had by Christians today (and in past ages I’d imagine) of the role of the Christian should take in the public square, especially in a modern multicultural democracy. People speak derisively of a Christian ghetto and/or the consequences of withdrawal. Others promote . . . . Continue Reading »

Wonder Not Skepticism

Socrates leaned forward and said, “You enquire for yourself.” My mentor looked at me and said nothing, but the message was clear and I have never forgotten it.*It is my duty as a man to inquire for myself.That is a lesson I still think is true, but I am sometimes asked how this is . . . . Continue Reading »

Of Philosophers and Slaves

In the In the First Circle: The First Uncensored Edition, there is a striking scene that I’d like to highlight. Most of the characters in the book inhabit one of the Moscow Sharaskas in the early 50s. A Sharaska was a special prison camp, unlike the work camps, the conditions of these camps . . . . Continue Reading »

The Banality Kerfuffle

I woke up to discover that more or less everything I wanted to say last night about Ron Rosenbaum’s misbegotten hit job on Hannah Arendt and her conception of the banality of evil has been said this morning at length by Steven Menashi at the American Scene. (Extra fun: in touching on Carlin . . . . Continue Reading »