thoughts in and out of season
James Kalb What is liberalism, where does it come from, and is it all bad and of a piece or can you mix and match? I’ve argued that liberalism is One Big Thing growing out of the decision to base political order not on substantive ultimate goods (like God) but on subjective human preferences. History is complex, … More ...
An atheist group is protesting the retention at the site of the World Trade Center of a steel beam in the symmetrical shape of a cross that had been found in the wreckage. They are considering bringing suit on the grounds that “[m]any people who died on September 11 weren’t Christian … This is a … More ...
An annotated reading list on Islam from the Claremont Institute that seems intelligent: Reading Up on Islam. In line with general practice, the discussion takes Western liberalism as fundamental and wonders how to fit Islam into it. To my mind that’s a disadvantage, because I don’t consider Western liberalism in any form as a … More ...
The times in which we live:
How things are in the kinder, gentler, more humane societies of Europe, where they know how to do things: the oldsters are dying alone in France, because the younger generation is off at the beach and can’t be bothered, while in England (where it’s mostly too cold for the beach) they’re dying in hospitals… More ...
Memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus discusses the reliability of people’s beliefs about their own experiences. Her research suggests—and I think it’s borne out by daily experience—that they’re often not reliable at all. Further, notorious cases involving “recovered memories of abuse,” which she also discusses, demonstrate that expert intervention tends to make things worse. Experts are human … More ...
Contemporary liberal theory, as it applies to marriage, tells us that our lives are constituted by our desires and marriage restricts our desires. The necessary conclusion is that marriage is made in hell:
… More ...Consider, for instance, the endless regulations and interdictions that provide the texture of domestic coupledom. Is there any area of
Gypsy grandmothers say very little, but what they do say is followed without question. Among other peoples aging females rarely have such power, but they’ve always been allowed a certain freedom of speech. Even in Stalinist Russia babushkas were allowed to grumble a little. That’s an advantage of genuine social diversity—of what’s now called stereotyping … More ...
The British Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement is calling on the Home Secretary to bar the Anglican primate of Nigeria, a leading opponent of the confirmation of New Hampshire bishop-elect Gene Robinson, from entering Britain on the ground that he might “incite the hatred of gay people.” Meanwhile, in Canada, The Toronto Star… More ...
State and federal funds paid for part of a dental school building at Marquette, a Catholic university. Afterwards, some people at the school organized an unofficial weekly mass in the building. The state heard about the masses, got in touch with the school, and on advice of counsel the school decided it would be prudent … More ...