In the summer of 2019, I worked for the Shoshone National Forest as an ATV ranger. The job consisted of riding an ATV on the forest's motorized trails, making visitor contacts, checking permits, and maintaining and marking the trails. My coworker was Tim Gilland, a Wyoming native who had recently moved back to his home … Continue reading A Eulogy for Tim Gilland
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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
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
A Subtle Regime: Tocqueville on the Tyranny of the Majority.
“Thought is an invisible and almost intangible power that makes sport of all tyrannies” [1]. Thus, Tocqueville, in Democracy in America, describes the Achilles heel of the traditional tyrant. No matter the physical constraints or social constructions that a tyrant might try to impose on his citizens, he cannot fully suppress thoughts hostile to the … Continue reading A Subtle Regime: Tocqueville on the Tyranny of the Majority.
Musings on Futility
I've been job hunting lately. My time at this job (which I consider more missionary work than a traditional job) has been very fruitful and fulfilling, but I believe it's time to move on. The question is: move on to what? My "indeed.com" searches first gained a kind of existential tinge, then became entirely symbolic … Continue reading Musings on Futility
Edgar Allan Poe
A poem written for my student right before they read "The Cask of Amontillado"
Nature Is Incomplete.
I recently found myself standing in the midst of a forest full of redwoods and feeling oddly uncomfortable. Surrounded by rare giants, some of whom had fallen and some whom were still proudly displaying their two-thousand-year-old glory, I didn't feel quite as I ought to have. At another time of life not so long ago, … Continue reading Nature Is Incomplete.
Who Was Charles Carroll?
In his recent address to American Catholics, President Trump began, "From the very beginning of our Republic, Catholics have uplifted and enriched our nation beyond measure. Catholics like Charles Carroll helped secure American Independence." Who was Charles Carroll? Born in 1737, Carroll would become the only Roman Catholic signee of the Declaration of Independence.
C. S. Lewis on Conscience, Reason, and Pacifism
In the midst of the chaos that has erupted in many cities across the U.S., in the midst of the burning of homes, and destruction of businesses, and ruination of lives, and needless violence, many of us are asking, “What do we do now?” Do we pursue the famed Benedict Option and retreat from society, … Continue reading C. S. Lewis on Conscience, Reason, and Pacifism
Against the Hourly Wage
This past summer, I worked a job of a type that I had not tried before: I worked on a ranch for long weeks of 50-60 hours for a salary of $900 twice a month, my lunches provided on the job, plus a place to stay for no charge and a supply of beef for … Continue reading Against the Hourly Wage
Lander's Forge 