essay
“You’re wrong; it’s not the same thing at all.” You press a friend on an inconsistency, some double standard that has him talking out of both sides of his mouth. He denies it and you’re left to wonder who’s right, him or you? Well of course it depends. Maybe he is being consistent and his…
As a Christian theologian interested in human origins, the origin of religion, and the controversial issue of human ‘uniqueness’, I have been increasingly drawn to the contributions of paleoanthropologists and archeologists to this challenging problem. In my recent Gifford Lectures I have been deeply involved in trying to construct plausible ways for theology to enter…
(Click each for information and full size image) ©2007 Tom Block Shalom/Salaam: The Untold Story of a Mystical Entanglement is an interdisciplinary project predicated on the belief that contemporary art, at its best, can move outside of the narrow confines of the art world, approaching the general public through genuinely creative thought and a gentle…
Since ancient times, thinkers have been struck by the wonder and splendor of life, as much as by the majesty and magnificence of the universe. It was generally believed therefore that all this must be the work of a grand Divinity. The idea of a creator-god, endowed with the qualities of omniscience and omnipotence has…
“Darling, you’re absolutely right. I haven’t been paying you much attention, but from now on things are going to be different.”. “On” is the iffy word here. We’re generally not wise enough that a word to the wise, wises us up forever more As long as the pressure is high, we respond. When the pressure…
“Philosophy is the theory of education in its most general sense.”(John Dewey, Democracy and Education) INTRODUCTION The renowned Jesuit philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan was born Bernard Joseph Francis Lonergan on December 17, 1904 in Buckingham, Quebec, Canada. He was of Irish descent. Lonergan joined the Jesuit order in 1922. His comprehensive range of writings…
The fundamental thesis of the religious view, as implied in Vedic utterances, as stated in the Book of Genesis and as amplified in the opening to the Holy Qur’an, Man plays a central role as a purported end-product (indeed intended goal) of Creation. The will and guidance of an omnipotent and omniscient Creator are implicit…
Last week I wrote about insider and outsider status within popular songs. I ended by extending that theme into humor. There is a lot of humor in which we watch to see whether the insider or the outsider prevails in status. Who’s in first place? Who’s in second? In picaresque humor like Beverly Hills Cop…
One obvious difficulty with the Biblical Genesis picture must have struck quite a few thinkers over the ages, although they don’t seem to perturb some current apologists for literalism. As early as in the fourth century, Gregory of Nyasa wondered how any “man of sense would believe there could have been” any day at all…
MOGIBO is the sentiment expressed in many popular tunes, old and new: I’ve lost at love. I’m out of the loop and it’s sad. I can’t win in the mainstream. The world has left me behind. MOGIBO is one of just a few basic relationships possible between the in-crowd, the out-crowd, good and bad, and…