love of wisdom (8)

June 2, 2005, 5.45 pm
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring..." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1601)
categorized as love of wisdom
June 2, 2005, 5.43 pm
I know this is "a very controversial subject," but what is the definition of marriage that these people are proposing that will include same-sex relations within it?
The only definition of marriage that I know of is the commitment between a man a woman, to give their lives to each other for their own good and to raise and educate their children... This commitment is an act of love... And their union is one of love...
The reason that civilization is interested in marriage (as an institution) is because the civilization is interested in the (1) well-being of its citizens, and (2) their offspring (future citizens).
The only definition of marriage that I know of is the commitment between a man a woman, to give their lives to each other for their own good and to raise and educate their children... This commitment is an act of love... And their union is one of love...
The reason that civilization is interested in marriage (as an institution) is because the civilization is interested in the (1) well-being of its citizens, and (2) their offspring (future citizens).
categorized as love of wisdom
May 27, 2005, 7.34 pm
If we ought to do nothing except on a certainty, we ought to do nothing for religion, because it is not a matter of certainty. But it is false to say, "We ought to do nothing except on a certainty." In a voyage at sea, in a battle, we act on uncertainties. If it be the case that we ought to do nothing except on a certainty, then we ought to do nothing at all, for nothing is certain.
from Pascal's Pensées
from Pascal's Pensées
categorized as love of wisdom
April 30, 2005, 9.23 pm
Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it.
Samuel Johnson, quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson
categorized as love of wisdom
April 18, 2005, 12.57 pm
I've got so many things to blog about, and so little time to do it!
I spoke with a friend of mine over the weekend who gets paid to blog.
I bought a collection of Evelyn Waugh's travel stories, Waugh Abroad, which you can buy at Amazon for a lot cheaper than I paid for it at B&N when I was there last night.
I've been thinking a lot about Catholic moral philosophy, what with the paper I'm writing on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and the recent passing of John Paul II, and so on...
In fact, I've been writing a lot of blogs, but not posting them, so I will be posting some of those later today I think, maybe over the course of this week.
Anyways, Eveyln Waugh is defintely a kindred spirit in the search for the perfect representation of formulated Catholic moral philosophy...
I spoke with a friend of mine over the weekend who gets paid to blog.
I bought a collection of Evelyn Waugh's travel stories, Waugh Abroad, which you can buy at Amazon for a lot cheaper than I paid for it at B&N when I was there last night.
I've been thinking a lot about Catholic moral philosophy, what with the paper I'm writing on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and the recent passing of John Paul II, and so on...
In fact, I've been writing a lot of blogs, but not posting them, so I will be posting some of those later today I think, maybe over the course of this week.
Anyways, Eveyln Waugh is defintely a kindred spirit in the search for the perfect representation of formulated Catholic moral philosophy...
"It is a common complaint against Catholics that they intrude their religion into every discussion, postulating a 'Church Question' in matters which seem to have no theological connection.
...
"The Catholic believes that in logic and in historical evidence he has grounds for accepting the Church as a society of divine institution, holding a unique commission for her work, privledged on occasions by special revelation, glorified continually by members of supernatural sanctity; he finds in her doctrine a philosophy which explains his own peculiar position in the order of the universe, a way of life which makes the earth habitable during his existence there and, after that, according to his merits, the hope of Heaven or the fear of Hell."
...
"The Catholic believes that in logic and in historical evidence he has grounds for accepting the Church as a society of divine institution, holding a unique commission for her work, privledged on occasions by special revelation, glorified continually by members of supernatural sanctity; he finds in her doctrine a philosophy which explains his own peculiar position in the order of the universe, a way of life which makes the earth habitable during his existence there and, after that, according to his merits, the hope of Heaven or the fear of Hell."
A kindred spirit indeed.
(emphasis added by me)
(emphasis added by me)
categorized as love of wisdom
April 4, 2005, 11.33 pm
Abbot Palladius said: The soul that wishes to live according to the will of Christ should either learn faithfully what it does not yet know, or teach openly what it does know. But if, when it can, it desires to do neither of these things, it is afflicted with madness. For the first step away from God is a distaste for learning, and lack of appetite for those things for which the soul hungers when it seeks God.
from Thomas Merton's The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century
categorized as love of wisdom
December 2, 2004, 7.21 pm
[A]ll people should be able to have a satisfying and safe sex life.
Check. Yes, that would be nice. But, having "satisfying and safe sex life" is NOT an inherent "right" of a member of the human race, however much people may not like hearing that.
PRINCIPLE: NO PERSON HAS AN INHERENT RIGHT TO ANOTHER PERSON'S BODY.
In fact, we say that we only hold our basic rights if they do not infringe upon the rights of others.
The basic rights in the American traditional are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and the subtext there is so long as the exercise of these for any one person does not obstruct the 'life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' of any other person."
Sex naturally requires another person's body, and thus cannot possibly be one of our inalienable rights, since we have no inherent "right" to another's body.
Proper (Christian) Marriage establishes a kind of "right" to another's body: a "right" established by mutual and entire gift of self. The man and the woman, in marriage, give themselves entirely to each other (necessary but repetitive subtext: in Christ): their hearts, their minds, their bodies - their future lives, and in a way, their souls. (To give their souls completely would be (A) a metaphysical impossibility, and (B) a grave offence against God methinks, but more thoughts on that later...)
Marvelously, this principle also shows why abortion is wrong. That baby inside is not the mother's body - science, which deals purely with the facts and objective, sensory evidence, will tell you that. And morality tells you the principle written above.
PRINCIPLE: NO PERSON HAS AN INHERENT RIGHT TO ANOTHER PERSON'S BODY.
In fact, we say that we only hold our basic rights if they do not infringe upon the rights of others.
The basic rights in the American traditional are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and the subtext there is so long as the exercise of these for any one person does not obstruct the 'life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' of any other person."
Sex naturally requires another person's body, and thus cannot possibly be one of our inalienable rights, since we have no inherent "right" to another's body.
Proper (Christian) Marriage establishes a kind of "right" to another's body: a "right" established by mutual and entire gift of self. The man and the woman, in marriage, give themselves entirely to each other (necessary but repetitive subtext: in Christ): their hearts, their minds, their bodies - their future lives, and in a way, their souls. (To give their souls completely would be (A) a metaphysical impossibility, and (B) a grave offence against God methinks, but more thoughts on that later...)
Marvelously, this principle also shows why abortion is wrong. That baby inside is not the mother's body - science, which deals purely with the facts and objective, sensory evidence, will tell you that. And morality tells you the principle written above.
categorized as love of wisdom
October 18, 2004, 6.32 am
"How does logic lead man in a search for truth?"
Yahoo search pinged my site for this phrase, although it was so mis-spelled that I wondered for a few minutes about the searchee's logic, humanity, and vision of truth.
However...
Logic is a method, some say the primary method, of the exercise of man's rationality. Logic is the tool that man uses to reason. Man's rationality is his ability to attain knowledge or understanding by moving from one thing to another.
Man, by exercising logic, comes to know the explicit truth of many things he previously did not know.
Now, some argue that the syllogism is not the method by which he does that, and that, in fact, the truth in the conclusion of the syllogism is inherent in, and contained in the premises. This would define the syllogism as a formal mode of presenting truth, but not necessarily an instructive mode.
More on this later...
Yahoo search pinged my site for this phrase, although it was so mis-spelled that I wondered for a few minutes about the searchee's logic, humanity, and vision of truth.
However...
Logic is a method, some say the primary method, of the exercise of man's rationality. Logic is the tool that man uses to reason. Man's rationality is his ability to attain knowledge or understanding by moving from one thing to another.
Man, by exercising logic, comes to know the explicit truth of many things he previously did not know.
Now, some argue that the syllogism is not the method by which he does that, and that, in fact, the truth in the conclusion of the syllogism is inherent in, and contained in the premises. This would define the syllogism as a formal mode of presenting truth, but not necessarily an instructive mode.
More on this later...
categorized as love of wisdom
Commentary:
December 2, 2004, 8.47 pm
iamjacksrestlessthoughts.blogspot.com
Well Said.
jack