The “problem of evil,” even if imprecisely named, remains the most powerful intellectual impediment to belief in God. The world contains extraordinary beauty, joy, and order—and yet also deep suffering. How can these coexist if there is an all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing God? This question is not a modern discovery. It already stands at the centreContinue reading “Theodicy as Tragedy or Evil?”
Tag Archives: reflection
On Procedures
Though the term may have an overly political or juridical connotation, procedure saturates human life. A citizen encounters it in the manner by which he casts his ballot in an election; an employee in how he fills out and files the paperwork for a new client; a husband and wife in how they keep theirContinue reading “On Procedures”
Two Anecdotes About Family
When at the hospital for the birth of our son, I remember being unsettled by the fact that much of the medical staff kept referring to me as my wife’s “birthing partner.” This label struck me as deflating the stakes and investment I had (and have) in both my wife and child, and I likelyContinue reading “Two Anecdotes About Family”
Thinking Through Atomization
Two moral and political philosophers, Charles Taylor and Alasdair MacIntyre, have provided profound reflections on the nature of contemporary moral life, and—though their methods and projects differ—they come to intriguingly similar conclusions about the ills of modern ethics. The most notable, though described in different ways, is that of “individualism.” We might briefly understand thisContinue reading “Thinking Through Atomization”
Misunderstanding Hypocrisy
Suggesting that a critical concern for our cultural moment is about understanding the nature of ‘hypocrisy’ may appear to be a real misstep. We have pressing issues facing the world from a myriad of directions, and adjudicating who the hypocrites are seems to be a completely ancillary concern. I would contend, however, that properly perceivingContinue reading “Misunderstanding Hypocrisy”
A Note on Truth & Language
An interlocutor in a debate I recently heard tried to suggest that there is an ultimately ‘subjective’ reality in every person that no one else can have access to or contest. In the context of the debate, he was arguing that there are things a person can recognize to be true about himself, and othersContinue reading “A Note on Truth & Language”
Hypocrisy
The moralist stands tall and ever stern In hopes that he reveal, in all our fun,Some truths and rights to which we all must turn –Despite the spirit held in what was done. Such hearts of men were settled on delight:A playful mood, not meant for debating“insights” – at least the kind to give aContinue reading “Hypocrisy”
Abortion & Analogy
In 1971, Judith Jarvis Thomson published an essay entitled, “A Defense of Abortion.” Therein, she attempts an argument that assumes human life begins at conception (despite her personal rejection of this claim) so as to take on the most ‘extreme’ position that is used by many ‘pro-life’ advocates. This ‘extreme’ view argues that murdering aContinue reading “Abortion & Analogy”
Character, Virtues, and Actions
The language of ‘Virtue,’ by historical standards, has lost its currency. Why this is the case is a complicated matter, though perhaps the simplest reason is that we have lost a sense of ‘formal’ causation in the modern era. That history has, however, already been unpacked – far better than I ever could – byContinue reading “Character, Virtues, and Actions”
Disposed to Conserve
For Geoff In a culture so deeply saturated with governmental idioms and ideological jargon, we have lamentably allowed a term of great importance to fall into disrepair in our discourse and thought: conservative. This word surely has salient meanings that are well outside the realm of governance and party ideology, though—in my experience—people tend toContinue reading “Disposed to Conserve”
Hoping for Clarity 