Monthly Archives: September 2011

Jesus or Jail?

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Dr. J

Well, this is interesting. According to this CNN article, an Alabama town is giving people convicted of misdemeanors an option to “pay their debt to society” by attending church every Sunday for one year. It’s not exactly going to portend … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 2 Comments

“Honey, You’re Prettier Than All Those Other Women Who’ve Had My Children”

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Dr. J

With more than 4,000 pages of the Great Books completed as of this morning, I suppose we have some justification for preening. No doubt all your friends and relations are showering you with praise if you’ve read everything posted here … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Liberal Arts | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Catching Up . . .

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Dr. J

It’s going to be one more day before I can post observations on last week’s Great Books readings; I still have some of the Iliad before putting them together. But I wanted to go ahead and post this week’s readings … Continue reading →

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9 Traffic Cops for 960 People?

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Dr. J

I haven’t posted on the debt problems in Europe in a while, but the continent is still in a slow-motion train wreck. Yields on one-year Greek bonds are over 100% now, a clear signal that the country is going to … Continue reading →

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Is Rationality a Feeling?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Dr. J

It’s Great Books Monday once again, and we are on pace to pass the 4,000-page mark this week. We’re also about to make John Locke’s acquaintance, as well as Voltaire’s. Here are the readings for the upcoming week: The Iliad … Continue reading →

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Rebecca, Who Slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Dr. J

I haven’t had much time for blogging this week, but I was reminded of this poem by Hilaire Belloc this morning when it showed up in my son’s writing lesson. Many more like it can be found in the volume … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Achilles, the Three-Fifths Clause, and a Piece of Chalk

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Dr. J

It’s another Great Books Monday, and if you’re like me, you’re feeling a sense of accomplishment for finishing Plato’s Republic this past week. Hopefully you’ll get that feeling many more times as we make further progress in this project. Here … Continue reading →

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What Would Jesus Hack?

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Dr. J

This past week’s issue of the Economist had an . . . unusual article on hacking and religion. It seems like some Christians are promoting hacking as akin to godliness. (N.B. The term “hacking” here is used in its traditional, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 4 Comments

Impoverishment Is Prosperity, Says Politico

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Dr. J

As night follows day, the promoters of the broken-window fallacy have emerged following another natural disaster to proclaim its economic benefits. This time it’s a columnist at Politico.com, who claims that Hurricane Irene will provide a boost to the economy … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 9 Comments

Diomedes Against the Immortals

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Dr. J

It’s Great Books Monday once again, and I hope you’re ready to wrap up two major works. We’ll have read one of them in its entirety and lengthy excerpts of the other. Here are the readings for the upcoming week: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Liberal Arts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment