I have lived very near and worked on a University campus for four years. Taken together with my undergraduate years, this means that eight of the last ten years of my life have consisted of the pattern of life of higher education. I wanted to muse here on the full effects of that kind of … Continue reading University Life and the Act of a University
Author: Alasdair SlackIntyre
Say the Right Thing
Do you all remember the first time we heard this or that professor—I would bet Baxter or Bolin for the majority of us—Say the Right Thing? Some philosophical, poetic, or theological point which made you sit up and give a wide-eyed "Wow"? Do you remember twittering about it in the hall afterwards or repeating the … Continue reading Say the Right Thing
A Father’s View on Abortion
Like many of you, I grew up heavily involved in the Pro Life movement. While I never attended the March for Life, I did go to many pro-life camps and events throughout junior high and high school. These events came off as tone-deaf to me at the time because I was homeschooled, awkward, and fat, … Continue reading A Father’s View on Abortion
Spite
Harold pressed his temples, feeling the taught little bundles of muscle under his skin pop side to side. His throat hurt, but not as though he had been coughing. It felt as though there was a little raft of phlegm hiding just behind and above his mouth, avoiding attempts at blowing it out his nose … Continue reading Spite
Standup
If you have a menial job in today's economy and are under the age of 40, you likely listen to podcasts. If you listen to a large amount of podcasts, a large percentage of them are likely comedy or comedy-related. If they are comedy or comedy-related, they are likely hosted by stand-up comedians. Since I … Continue reading Standup
The Immoderate Irish
This past week has been rough for my family's Lenten moderation. Since we were on spring "break" (adulthood imparts more than a little irony to that term), we decided to travel and visit family. This naturally induced us to forget or soften our Lenten resolutions; it is not easy to turn down gifts, food or … Continue reading The Immoderate Irish
On the Reading of Leo Strauss
When a Christian picks up Leo Strauss' work, two things strike the educated reader: 1) That this man knows his subject matter, and 2) He does not want to be read. Thus the experience of continuing to read Strauss, rather than tossing the book away with irritation and disgust, will not happen if the reader … Continue reading On the Reading of Leo Strauss
Emotions as Self-Justifying
This week, I have been contemplating an emotional phenomenon that I have seen in people of my generation: the justification of one's actions based upon an idea of positive emotion as self-justifying. The principle would be something like this: Positive Emotions are a) indicators of happiness i.e. they arise from contact with people/places/things that will … Continue reading Emotions as Self-Justifying
A Student’s Frustration and Confusion
In my recent studies, I have been dogged by a concern that I have had from the start of my undergraduate years: why is it that those who have presumably learned the most—those with PhDs or other intellectually high positions—seem incapable of writing or speaking in a manner comprehensible to plain persons? Rather than continue … Continue reading A Student’s Frustration and Confusion
MacIntyre’s Concept of Inter-Tradition Conflict
During my recent reading of the prologue to the third edition of Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue, I realized that I had never, either for others' education or my own, written down my own understanding of MacIntyre's process of arbitration between rival traditions of rational inquiry. Since that process is central to MacIntyre's project and I … Continue reading MacIntyre’s Concept of Inter-Tradition Conflict
Lander's Forge 