My mother’s very first memory was of being frightened by booming noises—guns? cannon? fireworks?—while being held aloft above a crowd to view a New York harbor filled with ships. She wept and her parents comforted her. The year was 1918, … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post.] I’m currently reading Francine Prose’s Anne Frank: the book, the life, the afterlife. It’s about the process by which Anne Frank wrote and then rewrote her diary, with an eye to … Continue reading →
Commenter “Jim Nicholas” had this to say on yesterday’s thread about Sarah Conly’s book Against Autonomy Are we willing to or do we want to let persons suffer all of the consequences of their dumb mistakes or impulsive choices? Do … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: Ace.] The liberal agenda continues apace, in ways that are especially chilling but not at all surprising. I’m referring to Sarah Conly’s new book entitled Against Autonomy: Justifying Coercive Paternalism, which purports to use social science research to … Continue reading →
I’ve written before about Allan Bloom’s masterful The Closing of the American Mind, published in 1987, here and here. And I probably will again. It is so richly loaded with thought that almost every sentence might cause the reader to … Continue reading →
[BUMPED UP: and for more on the philosophical and theological underpinnings of the film, please see this and this.] Today is Groundhog Day, and I think it very appropriate—very—to repeat an older post on the subject of the movie of … Continue reading →
I suppose there have always been conspiracists who believe everything is a plot, perpetrated either by the government or a shadowy band of powerful schemers bent on manipulating us for their own nefarious purposes (are those two groups redundant?). I’ve … Continue reading →
Medical euthanasia is legal in Belgium “if those making the decision [to die] can make their wishes clear and are suffering unbearable pain, according to a doctor’s judgement.” It’s no surprise that those categories are starting to slip and blur, … Continue reading →
Several years ago I read the first third of Allan Bloom’s great work The Closing of the American Mind. The other day I picked it up where I had left off, and was struck simultaneously by how relevant it still … Continue reading →
…in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy: The Milky Way contains at least 100 billion planets, or enough to have one for each of its stars, and many of them are likely to be capable … Continue reading →
I’ve long been a fan of John Updike’s short stories, although his novels—which are probably much more widely read—don’t do all that much for me. He was one of the most prolific writers of the last century, so there’s plenty … Continue reading →
Who would have thought that yesterday’s bagelhead thread would generate some pretty deep reflections? But here are some from commenter “Wolla Dalbo”: This brings up the issue of just how do you motivate various groups of people, nations, races – … Continue reading →