Web Browsing- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008Do liberal faculty affect the political leanings of students? These people say no. But let's look a little deeper. One author says "it is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15." Does this mean that the average American thinks about politics now the same way he did when he was 15? Yikes. It appears to imply that political opinions are not firmly rooted in ideas, but in feelings and prejudices. The article also suggests that the real problem is that students aren't actually being educated. They aren't getting the "good stuff." In fact, this may be the root of the problem. Even if students don't buy the liberalism of their teachers, they don't get much else either. Notable deficiencies appear in political and military history, especially of the West, but also include traditional literary criticism (and probably content), civics, and economics.
- Obama, Shaman by Michael Knox Beran, City Journal Summer 2008 3 November 2008Beran brilliant combines culture, religion, and literature into a powerful commentary on the religious aspects of Barack Obama's candidacy. The article is rich (and lengthy), but certainly worth digesting.
- Obama and the Politics of Crowds - WSJ.com 30 October 2008Fouad Ajami offers a rich and culturally insightful glimpse into Senator Obama's magic. He draws upon broad themes and key historical features of American cultural history to make his case for caution. Perhaps most telling is his observation about an American distinctive. Whereas the rest of the world champions equality, American has championed liberty. Obama offers the former, and the current financial panic has suspended Americans' faith in the latter. Consequently, we are on the verge of electing someone who inspires in the way a relgious leader, a messiah, does. But the religious hype quickly fades and people realize too late that they have been fleeced.
- America's Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor's Degree - Chronicle.com 24 October 2008Chronicle of Higher Ed points out the pointlessness of most bachelor's degrees.
- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008
Feb
18
Richard Weaver on Social Security
Filed Under Ideas, Philosophy, Random Thoughts | Leave a Comment
From Ideas Have Consequences (1948).
The notion that the state somehow bears responsibility for the indigence of the aged is not far removed from that demoralizing supposition that the state is somehow responsible for the criminality of the criminal. I will not deny that the dislocations of capitalism afford some ground for the former….The point here is that no society is healthful which tells its members to take no thought of the morrow because the state underwrites their future. The ability to cultivate providence, which I would interpret literally as foresight, is an opportunity to develop personal worth. A conviction that those who perform the prayer of labor may store up a compensation which cannot be appropriated by the improvident is the soundest incentive to virtuous industry.
I don’t have the time to exegete the quote, but Weaver, as always, challenges our basic assumptions about how to live. Imagine if current political candidates thought this way, or if (shocking) they actually said something like this. If anyone could understand them, they’d never get elected.
Feb
14
Good article on church music
Filed Under Ideas, Theology | Leave a Comment
From Mere Comments, this article expresses a perspective that some segments of evangelicalism seem to have lost almost completely. The ensuing discussion is worth reading too.
(I initially found it from Bob Bixby’s blog)
Feb
4
Saturday fun
Filed Under News, Pictures | Leave a Comment
Last Saturday we hiked back up to the Cascades, a park in the Jefferson National Forest. We had been there in August, but with our recent precipitation, there was a lot more water coming over the falls and down the creek this time. There is a new gallery with a few pictures from the trip.
The hike up to the falls follows a nice trail dozens of feet above the water. It was occasionally a bit muddy, but it’s not a bad hike. On the way back, we decided to take the lower trail by the water. It took us nearly an hour to go a mile. The trail was covered in ice, making some of the turns and narrow places very treacherous. At one point, the trail was less than 3 feet wide, curved, and cut into a very steep embankment about 10 feet above a small waterfall. It was covered in ice, affording no traction. Needless to say, we went very slowly.
As you can see in the photos, there were some impressive ice formations along the way. Apparently the entire waterfall freezes occasionally. I put one of the photos from late summer so you can compare the amount of water in the system.
