It's an odd and rather endearing quality of humans that as soon as someone passes, if they were good at something, anything really, then we suddenly view them through rose-colored glasses and believe, even for a moment, that they were transcendent. They become other-worldly, almost god-like in our eyes. I kind of love this about … Continue reading I’ve been thinking about Supreme Court justices
An ethics course that actually helps people *be* more ethical
A few weeks ago, one of my favorite philosophy tweet follows, Nigel Warburton (@philosophybites), British philosopher and host of the fantastic podcast, Philosophy Bites, tweeted a question (a tweet I can no longer find because I am tech-inept) that was something to the effect of: If you were to teach an ethics class that was … Continue reading An ethics course that actually helps people *be* more ethical
OHPT: Thoughts on Original Sin and Atonement (Chapter 19)
Chapter 19 tackles one of the biggest questions in Christian theology, for the trained theologian and the layperson: how is it that Christ's death on the Cross atoned for humanity's sins? For that matter, what does "atone" mean? This chapter was written by Oliver D. Crisp. Dr. Crisp is Professor of Analytic Theology at the … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on Original Sin and Atonement (Chapter 19)
OHPT: Thoughts on The Trinity (Chapter 18)
At first I was a little disappointed opening this chapter, because I realized we were entering a new section, leaving behind my beloved Problem of Evil. But Section IV, Topics in Christian Philosophical Theology (is that not what we've been doing this whole time?! Je suis confus) started off with an oldie but a goodie: … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on The Trinity (Chapter 18)
OHPT: Thoughts on Skeptical Theism and the Problem of Evil (Chapter 17)
And with these, we start the last 10 essays of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology. I have scheduled all the future posts (blank posts; just placeholders) so that I don't forget them as I start my second-to-last semester in my MA program. This is going to be an intense semester, so I'm trying to … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on Skeptical Theism and the Problem of Evil (Chapter 17)
Zoom is the Splenda of human connection
My organization, like many, is 5 months into ???@#$*$#& (eff) months of working remotely. Aka, work is all Zoom all the time. (It's also a tad bit Microsoft Teams, which I'm kind of in love with for collaborative projects! Anyone else?!) Internal meetings, external meetings, trainings, celebrations, pau hanas, performance evaluations, on-boardings, board meetings, caucuses... … Continue reading Zoom is the Splenda of human connection
The elastic self
Don't ask me why, but I was listening to a podcast on elasticity the other day. (I blame being married to a physicist. It's ruined my sense of fun.) Maybe I just more successfully avoided science classes than everyone else in high school (#winning), but there is a LOT I did not know about elasticity. … Continue reading The elastic self
OHPT: Thoughts on Theodicy (Chapter 16)
This chapter went down smoooooth like a good bourbon. I'm not sure why -- perhaps because I am more familiar with this aspect of philosophy and theology (and their ornery offspring philosophical theology) or perhaps because Michael J. Murray is an excellent writer and communicator? Maybe because he references Leibniz and Plantinga?? That certainly made … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on Theodicy (Chapter 16)
Review: The Gettier Problem
I recently reread one of my favorite papers in philosophy, "Is Justified Belief True Knowledge?" by Edmund Gettier. It's my favorite for two reasons: 1). It challenges a (at the time) long-held definition of what counts as knowledge; and 2). It's 1.5 pages. One and a half pages! Gettier is nothing if not succinct. Any … Continue reading Review: The Gettier Problem
OHPT: Thoughts on The Problem of Evil (Chapter 15)
I was eager for this chapter, not just because the Problem of Evil is what drew me to philosophy, but because I was eager to see how someone would summarize the work done around this question. It is of such profound significance to almost every facet of theological arguments for God: her existence, her characteristics, … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on The Problem of Evil (Chapter 15)
