Knowing Things
“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” ~ St. Augustine A recent survey shows that Generation Y thinks pretty...
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Truth vs. Bleeding Heart Liberals
We’ve all encountered these sorts of people before. You know, maybe it’s that one guy on campus who won’t admit that the welfare state isn’t working, no matter how many facts are thrown at him. Or...
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Noise: The Peace of Apollo vs. the Anxiety of Dionysius
Have you ever stopped to wonder at the prolific presence of noise? Here at the University of Dallas, Dr. John F. Boyle, professor of theology and Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in...
View ArticleAbortion: Fear of Life as a Pretense of Wisdom
Recently, while discussing abortion, my conversation partner raised a common argument: the unborn child might have a terrible life if he or she is born. Of course, abortion results in the certainty...
View ArticleThe most important question you can ask
Changing ideas is difficult; especially when it comes to our most cherished beliefs. Even though it’s easy to pass on a well-written and well-argued article to a friend, there is little chance that the...
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Noise: The Remedy (Part II)
Last week, we discussed how the merciless torrent of noise threatens our inward tranquility, and hinders our ability to experience the fullness of life. But by now, if you’re still stroking your...
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Your Argument is Invalid
Conversations that end like this are downright stupid: Rational Interlocutor: So for these reasons, I believe… [insert tenable position here]. Joe Schmo: Dude, I totally respect your position, but...
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2013, or the Second Age?
Have you ever thought of yourself as living in the Second Age? If that doesn’t initially make sense, let’s start with a different question. When was the last time you gave some serious thought to your...
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How to Be a Libertarian (Without Losing Your Soul)
1. Believe that you are one. From a libertarian perspective, there is no reason to have a strictly materialist conception of the human person. Avoid emphasizing matter over mind and vice versa. A...
View Article“Science Tells Us Everything” – Society
I’m tired. Most of all, the thing that is grinding my gears at the moment is the epistemic authority our society gives science. Want your child to behave better? Pump him full of medication and send...
View ArticleMemes Have Consequences
In our rapid-fire world, information moves at a fast pace. If we have anything to say, it better be “meme-able.” Recently I’ve become annoyed with the avalanche of GIFs, memes, and 3 second animations...
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Ten Ways to Speak Truth to Power
Okay, this fall you’ve filled your schedule with courses like “The Bible as Literature,” “American History Survey,” and “International Poverty Fighting.” Then your professors tell you that Bible...
View ArticleVOTE–Which Song Has the Higher Love?
I’m proud to say that having grown up in Texas, not only do I gladly sport a slight Texan drawl (which I only noticed when an out-of-state college buddy pointed it out to me), but I also have a genuine...
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Chronology and Confidence
“The concept of Progress is the concept of man’s increasing command, and eventually perfect command, over the forces of nature; a concept which enhances too readily our conceit, and brutalizes our...
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Education in the Ruins
Chambers rebuilding his city “It is idle to talk about preventing the wreck of Western Civilization. It is already a wreck from within. That is why we can do little more now than snatch a fingernail of...
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The Awful Responsibility of Time
O Time Thy Pyramids “Well kan Senec and many a philosophre / Biwaillen tyme more than gold in cofre, / ‘For loss of catel may revovered be, / But loss of tyme shendeth us,’ quod he.” -Geoffrey Chaucer,...
View ArticleSymposium: Know Your Audience
This article is in response to Want Truth? Work for Beauty by Gerald Russello and is part of the symposium on “Conservatism: What’s Wrong with It and How Can We Make It Right?“ Art is a grand teacher....
View ArticleTruth and Government
The underlying assumption in much of American politics is that government knows best. It is rarely stated explicitly—for reasons of political expediency, no doubt—but therein lies the problem:...
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Politics, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hate Literature
A fitting mugshot of an unreconstructed man of letters “For our knowledge of man and of his behavior in this concrete world, literature has always been the great organon. And rightly so, for in...
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Baseball Has Philosophy Too
The sport of baseball is replete with philosophically interesting questions. From notions of truth to issues of morality, a baseball game provides us with rich examples from which to argue. There...
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