In what is, in my view, one of the most audacious works of political theory written in the twentieth century, The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt formulates a distinction between two ways in which human beings relate to one another: power & force. This pairing is specified by her to have a meaning that is notContinue reading “A Reflection on What Moves Us: Power & Force”
Category Archives: SocComm
Specific Acts, Constitutive Identities, and the Religious
When I first reembraced my Faith, I had about a two or three week period when I went to the church nearest my apartment to pray for about thirty minutes each morning in the daily services. I did this because I did not know how to pray (I still do not, really, but now IContinue reading “Specific Acts, Constitutive Identities, and the Religious”
Why Do You Pray?
For Z. H., a wonderful friend who asked me this horribly simple question After having joined me for an evening prayer service, a friend of mine – who himself is without any strong religious affiliation – had a number of questions for me that we discussed over a couple beers. This began with simple technicalContinue reading “Why Do You Pray?”
A Note on Agentic Attribution
What I here wish to discuss is, in some ways, a criticism of one way that people speak metaphorically despite that my concern is about what people believe literally. Despite this caveat, I do think that people often allow metaphors to become somewhat unmoored from what they were initially meant to convey – and myContinue reading “A Note on Agentic Attribution”
A Twisted Mirror
Though I am not much of one for “trigger warnings,” I think a cautionary note to begin this post is in order. This is a reflection on the work (specifically one text) of Bret Easton Ellis, an author who is well known for including rather despicable content in his writing. This post will reference someContinue reading “A Twisted Mirror”
Technological Thinking and the Human Person as a What
For Fr. Dcn. A. P. W. B. I have a friend who loves to tell a story about a phrase he heard from His Eminence, Cardinal Collins, at a dinner party: “We must remember that a human being is a ‘who’ and not a ‘what,’ a subject to be valued, not an object to beContinue reading “Technological Thinking and the Human Person as a What”
The Folly in a Standard of Autonomy
The issues of vaccination and abortion have been at the forefront of recent cultural dialogue, at least in the US and Canada. In connection with both issues, there has been a continual emphasis on “autonomy” in one form or another. Both issues have seen many people focusing upon ‘bodily’ autonomy, though I must admit thatContinue reading “The Folly in a Standard of Autonomy”
The Familiar
“A mind not to be changed by place or time.The mind is its own place, and in itselfCan make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.” I believe that it is fair to call our age one that is deeply ‘rationalistic.’ I realize that such a word may offer so many definitions as toContinue reading “The Familiar”
In Defense of the Trodden Path
For some time now, though there seems to have been a recent uptick, I have seen many social media posts that express a sentiment of pushing all people to be profoundly unique, innovative, and beyond the status quo. Just recently, I saw an image circulate that said, “Take the risk. Choose the unknown path. BecauseContinue reading “In Defense of the Trodden Path”
Hoping for Clarity 