This is a summary and critique of a debate hosted by the Institute of Art and Ideas. In the videos cited below, Steven Pinker and John Mearsheimer debate the Enlightenment and its alternatives. The subtitle is, Which ideals are the best guide to human betterment?
I want to quickly share a few videos and sermons that have come to my attention since I wrote the last article. I said that we need theologians to address questions that were raised in that article about the nature of God. I think some of the following links address this question.
We no longer feel we are talking to fellow beings when we address our elected officials. And anyway, there is nothing left of the world we hoped to save. This is true of both physical infrastructure and human life.
Morris Jastrow wrote in 1919 that Israel is a 'glorified ghetto'. When you think about it, the conditions of Jewish life before the Enlightenment have been perfectly reproduced in Palestine.
I have always understood the right's connection to magic to be more of a thing. It would be more correct to call right-wing magic 'the occult'. In the end, I was not really surprised to find that the story of magical politics in America begins by blaming the left for the whole phenomenon.
In the last century, events have transpired with no relation to the understanding Morris Jastrow Jr. tried to convey. The result is that in spite of his efforts, Zionism has prospered.
Our Season of Creation Our environmental problems are the result of 200 years of industrialization. The philosophical and technological developments that enabled the Industrial Revolution were made possible by the…
Agricultural policy in the United States is not concerned with a quality life for farmers, promoting food security, or encouraging the responsible use of resources. We must find a way to end the abuses of agribusiness.
Plato has ruled the world for 2500 years through his lasting influence on philosophy, politics, and religion. It's time we paid attention to Plato's influence on our world.
A neoconservative attempt at self-perpetuation can be seen in two of the Star Trek series. According to David Greven, the Enterprise series is the first Trek series to openly break…