It is an observation made by historian Tom Holland (see his new book Dominion) that the trenches of WW1 were everywhere filled with crosses. It is sure that some lost their faith in the trenches, but the surprising thing is how many didn’t, and even had belief confirmed. Tolkien, for example, seems never to have…
Law & Liberty have kindly published my short reflection of an interesting new book, Rusty Reno’s The Return of the Strong Gods. Fashion is a way to think of an alternative to both the problem and solution Reno identifies. Can the “Strong Gods” Breathe Life into the Barren West?
A big thank you to all who have stopped by in 2019 to read parts of the book or to see what’s on the blog. As frequent readers will know, V&R is a big fan of Warhol: again in 2020, Loyola will be hosting the Warhol Lecture designed to exhibit Catholic reflection on the…
The link below is to an open source article I have just published with my blogging contributor friend, Chris Wojtulewicz. It’s an inquiry into AI and the theology of motherhood. We’re calling this approach to moral theology Lacanian Thomism. It’s really for those who like a meaty long read. In its own way, it’s a…
Many thanks to Law and Liberty for posting my reflection on a book about how the arts are housed in our cities: Art’s Establishment
“Shopping for luxury has become a lingua franca in today’s world” (Olivier Gabet, director of the Museum of Decoractive Arts, Paris). Likely, this statement horrifies many. Fashion, luxury, vanity, and even beauty have had a difficult history in the West. ~~~~~ Here, in brief, is what some philosophers have argued. Plato: luxury and vanity are…
Huge congrats to David Beckham for signing off on this cool logo for his new soccer team in Miami. MLS is the football league of the US and needs Beckham’s stardust to kick it on to the next level. All footie fans will welcome the idea of footie really taking off in the US. …
Tim Cook: “National and international debates will outlive us all, and, while important, they do not govern the facts. In this case, we thoroughly reviewed them, and we believe this decision best protects our users” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2019/10/11/apple-ceo-tim-cook-defends-decision-to-drop-controversial-hong-kong-protest-app/#161be9c8186c). Over the last two weeks, America’s woke capitalists have been only too eager to placate China’s authoritarian government…
Phenomenology’s Influence in the West
Likely, regular readers recall one of my favorite books is Brideshead Revisited. There is a delightful reflection by Charles Ryder on the meaning of his relationship with Sebastian which touches on play, a preoccupation of these pages and my new book (https://www.amazon.com/Erich-Przywara-Postmodern-Natural-Law/dp/0268105944?). Charles is chastised by his very stuffy cousin that Sebastian is “bad…