What’s the word?

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In my last entry I suggested that the problems of modern thought have to do with a defective understanding of knowledge. We refuse to believe anything without explicit proof, and since it turns out we can’t function without believing things explicit proof can’t justify people claim to have it when they don’t. Results have included … More ...

Liberalism, Tradition and the Church III

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Faith and the Church

Tradition always points to something other than itself, so acceptance of one’s own tradition — and therefore knowledge — involves faith. Just as institutions and even reason depend on the complex of memories, understandings and habits that constitutes tradition, tradition depends on its connection to a larger order of which it … More ...

Liberalism, Tradition and the Church II

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Tradition and the Good

But if liberalism is inadequate as a basis for social and political life, what is the rational alternative?

The question comes down to the problem of the social and political good. To say something is good is to say it is a reasonable goal, one worth choosing after consideration of what … More ...

Liberalism, Tradition and the Church I

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Liberalism, Tradition and Faith

We live in odd times. Rationalized insanity like political correctness (“PC”) and “zero tolerance” show a growing conflict between public standards and normal human understandings that makes common-sense judgments impossible. The same conflict has disordered activities that rely on formal standards, like education and scholarship, practices that express public ideals, like … More ...

Sex, money and religion!

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Tom Woods has a piece at LewRockwell.com on Catholic social teaching discussing the relation between (resolutely free-market) Austrian economics and various papal pronouncements of the past century, and why orthodox Catholics who also like Austrian economics should follow what their economic theories say alleviates poverty or whatever rather than take the Pope’s advice when the … More ...