POSTMODERNISM

Okay, we are about to embark on a weekend venture into postmodernism, the emerging philosophical movement that seeks to respond to the fact that nobody has been able to agree on much in the modern world, and with bloody consequences.

Now even here you can see where an initial criticism could come: one might say; "oh contraire!" The world does agree on quite many things and the modern world has made much progress; would you prefer the Middle Ages?

Indeed, postmodernism raises questions that get pretty interesting, and real. So your assignment will be to do a one pager that tries to explain in your own words what postmodernism is and to give one example of a postmodern principle.

To do this assignment well, you will need to spend some TIME. Below I will give some internet links, but there is much, much, out there on this. And I do NOT want your paper to be some cut-and-paste definition from a site. Rather, try to understand this emerging philosophy.

Here are a few traits of postmodernism:

--it is in reaction to Modernity (1600's - 1900's) and the hopes of the Enlightenment that Reason and Science could produce a common worldview and bring people together. Postmoderns think that project failed.

--it places great emphasis on the community one chooses to be part of. It says that Truth is not something out there that you can express by stringing sentences together in the right way. Rather, Truth is relative to a community. A community or group has Truth when its beliefs and practices are coherent and make sense given what the group is about.

--it is very skeptical of the idea of being "objective" or "neutral." Postmoderns would say that if someone claims to be totally unbiased on a subject, that's when the red flags should go up. Rather, we should seek to understand our biases and rather than trying to "hover above" all the issues of the world, we can committ to a particular community. We may not thus be able to prove objective truth, but we can make sense of our lives.

Now, I must say that there are MANY types of postmoderns. And many types of criticisms of it. We will focus some here on what Christians have said about it, but others use it too. Here are a few links to some positive and negative takes on it-- and look up articles yourself.

Feel free to post responses too, perhaps some classmates can help explain things. Do not be afraid of this big new concept. All postmodernism is trying to do is to understand the world today, and in particular the facts that: a) people have so many, many choices in life that sometimes we make none b) people seem to be, in the moral sphere, speaking different languages c) we seem to have a penchant for resolving big divides through violence.

Okay, here are some links, so start exploring!

Here is an article that criticizes postmodernism as a threat to Christianity

Here is an article that says postmodernism can be a helpful tool for those who minister to youth

Here is one of the most famous essays in postmodernism, "There's No Such Thing as Objective Truth, and It's a Good Thing, Too"

Here is the webpage of today's most articulate advocate for postmodernism and his take on it

the ND Prayer / Protest / ROTC Issue

Before reading the blog post, remember that the assignment for Friday is to post a comment on whether Notre Dame should continue to host ROTC given that Selective Conscientious Objection is illegal in the Military and that the Military will not allow a required class in Just War Ethics into the curriculum.

Also, as background, just today the South Bend Trib has published a short follow-up essay by Joshua, since they incorrectly noted he was dishonorably discharged. It addresses the oath that Notre Dame's ROTC grads will take.

So read the whole post, the links, and others' comments. And then give your response to whether ND should continue or should halt the ROTC program. Graham got the discussion off to a good start with a thoughtful response.

It seems important to clarify just what did happen at the protest. A group of persons from the Catholic Worker movement went to Mass at 11:30 at the Basilica. Afterward they went and silently knelt and prayed by the relics of St. Marcellus, a Roman soldier who became a conscientious objector in 298 and was executed after proclaiming he was a soldier of Christ and could not do violence.

After praying at his bones, the group exited the the Church and gathered in front of the Dome building. They then read out the trial of St. Marcellus, from the year 298. I was walking there after finishing teaching. As I approached, I saw the group. I was impressed from a distance as I saw an actor arresting one of the group, part of the play I figured.

As I approached, I saw that this was not part of the play. People were being arrested. The group had not even begun to carry the coffins into the building. After Mass, apparently security was ready. They were told to leave, but they responded that they wished to read aloud the story of this saint. When they did, the arrests began. Read the Observer article here.

Rather than debating the ethics of whether arrests should have been made, let us use this chance to have an academic and respectful debate about the points raised. Here is a brief excerpt of the letter the group issued to Father Jenkins, and then let the discussion begin:

Dear Fr. Jenkins,
With great joy, we Midwest Catholic Workers celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation at the University of Our Lady, the Queen of Peace. Stiving to emulate Mary's humble "Fiat" (Latin for Yes, let it be done, which Mary said to the angel), we pledge ourselves to bear witness as disciples of her Son, the Prince of Peace.

We believe Notre Dame has ceded its autonomy as a Catholic institution of higher education and compromised the values of its mission by allowing the Department of Defense to exert financial and academic control over the education of its ROTC students.

We call upon Notre Dame to reject military funding for ROTC. Second, we would like to see a more vigorous committment to supporting those who wish to study peace. ANd finally, we urge Notre Dame to support generously those who in conscience decide they can no longer participate in ROTC but wish to continue their education at Notre Dame.

We ask Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, to pray for Notre Dame, the pre-eminent American Catholic university (they forgot Holy Cross), that it might bear ever more faithful witness to Jesus Christ, her Son, the Prince of Peace.

the Catholic/Christian nature of our discussion

Let me just say that these have been good, and important, discussions. Some have mentioned the Catholic/Christian nature of most peoples' points. This does not mean other faiths or those without religious faith do not have to face these issues, but it is hard to tackle an issue so generally. But Catholicism is a specific religion that has specific principles. As to Tim Fox's point of what Catholics say not mattering a whole heck of a lot, I see your point. But what if Catholics starting acting on such principles? It would be tough to dismiss the fact that thousands, or tens of thousands, refuse to comply. I am not judging those who would or would not do this, but simply saying it would be significant. For religion, the power to cooperate or not cooperate is a mighty resource.

Conscience in the Crossfire

Well, our symposium at HCC last night certainly created some energy. The main focus of disagreement could have been many things, but the focus clearly became the military oath. Even in the article done by the South Bend Tribune, this matter was at the center of the debate over Catholics and war. By the way, the TRIB did have an error: Joshua was honorably discharged.

So, to really use this event which we were privileged to host, the assignment for my classes is to take some time to reflect on some of the issues I raise here below, to post a comment discussing a particular point or responding--in full respect always--to another's point. After you have posted a comment, then write a 2 page essay that simply makes one or two points you think are essential to the ethics of war and peace. It might involve the high-profile case of Lt. Ehren Watada, who is now facing six years in prison as the first high ranking officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Here is a news article on Lt. Watada and the Wikipedia entry on him.

To get a specific sense of the issues at stake for Catholics, you could look at the article, just released today, about our peace efforts in Rome. It lays out the issues well.

You might also check out this other link about Joshua's story and write about whether you agree with him that Catholics should take the military oath.

Or, as you do this, look up the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 2310 that Lt. Col. Jordan says justifies military service. Joshua pointed out that this section has 3 footnotes that cross-reference other sections which place some important contexts for military service. What do you think?

Okay, letting the blogging and in-depth writing begin...

FOCUS MIDTERM, Part I

Okay, so again a reminder that we do not have class Wed or Friday, but your midterm assignment is due on the table outside my office by 9:45 am Friday. Here are the topics: Remember, you choose 2 of them and do one page on each, according to the guidelines I gave. If you have any questions, simply "post up" a comment and I''ll "post up" the answer.

-Briefly explain 3 proofs for the existence of God and which one you find most, or least, compelling.

-If you were explaining to your 12 year old cousin what "the soul" is, how would you do it using Plato and using Mr. Griffin's analogy of pictures at different stages of life?

-Using Plato's definition of the healthy soul for the individual and for society, how does American society measure up? How does your own life measure up?

-Use the Garden Theory of Ethics to analyze college life at Holy Cross College

-Suppose Kant and Aristotle both were giving advice to the family of someone who has been sick and bed-ridden for years and wanted euthanasia. How would their advice be different?

-Using the 4 "Tests" for applying Aristotle to specific situations, do you think his Virtue Ethics is more subjective or objective?

-Give one modern day example of Deontoloy, one of Utilitarianism, and one of Virtue Ethics being used to face a situation.

-Suppose you are a soldier at war. Is there a way to justify, WITHOUT using utilitarian reasoning, intentionally killing an enemy conbatant or torturing a prisoner to get information about possible terrorist attacks?

FOCUS MIDTERM, Part II

Okay, for all in my Philosophy class, I want to be clear that the decision to have a take-home, essay midterm does NOT mean that you are not responsible for all of the material. It hit me today that we have covered A LOT of ground, and I want to make sure you know it. So, let me review what you should know. At the least, know that all of these will be on final, final exam. Also, the more you show mastery--or shall I say "arete"--in these topics, the better your midterm essays will be.

So here is a brief list of things you should know from what we have covered:

-the meaning of Plato's allegory of the Cave
-Plato's view of the health of the soul (the 3 parts of the soul)
-the 4 pursuits of philosophy... the True, the Good, the Beautiful, the One
-the idea of the soul, the "I" which remains through all my physical changes
-the proofs for the existence of God
-subjectivism, conventionalism, objectivism
-Natural Law
-a priori vs. a posteriori
-Deontology
-Utilitarianism ("act" utilitarianism and "rule" utilitarianism)
-Virtue Ethics
-The Greek Virtues
-The Roman Virtues
-The Cardinal Virtues
-The Golden Mean
-Askesis
-Eudaimonia
-The Theological Virtues
-The 7 Deadly Vices (sins)
-The Sport Theory of Ethics
-The Garden Theory of Ethics
-The Tests of Virtue Ethics (Arete, Telos, Social and Fruits)

Now, if you can think of other topics covered I missed here, post up a comment and throw 'em in there

Theo 351: Catholic Social Teaching Midterm

So I have just spent a good bit of time researching the facts that form the empirical basis of your midterm projects. Obviously, when it comes to global resource statistics, you see different figures, but I have decided to go with the most conservative estimates and figures, which are still rather startling. Of course, the exact figures are not the point of the project: any way you slice it, our country is using a far higher percentage of resources than the percentage of population. The key to your midterm is how you analyze this theologically. So that you can focus on this task, here are some stats that you can use. The first one does not deal with overall "resources" but is focused on energy. Still, it seemed to be the figure most often agreed upon.

Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy.

The richest 10 percent of Americans (about 30 million people) have an income greater than the poorest 43 percent of the world's people (2 billion)

On average, one American consumes as much energy as
6 Mexicans
13 Chinese
31 Indians
128 Bangladeshis
370 Ethiopians

Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day - that's roughly 200 billion more than needed - enough to feed 80 million people.

Eighty percent of the U.S. corn grown and 95% of the oats are fed to livestock.

Fifty-six percent of available farmland is used for beef production.

Every day an estimated nine square miles of rural land are lost to development.

As you work on your theological responses (in the prophetic style, through a parable, and in Compendium-style), if you have any questions, just post a comment here or email me.

Virtue on the Weekend

Okay, I am about to set off on the Spes Unica retreat. But before I go, let me leave you some good reading. This is a link to an article I referred to in class. It is by a philosopher at Boston College. If you can, read it all; if not look some of it over. By the way, he calls "prudence" "wisdom" and there are a few other things not up to Griff standards, but it is thought-provoking.

And for those who have not yet left a comment, do so. This blog can really create a continuing diaolgue. And just think, because you will be alums of this class, you can be on this blog 4 eva!!!!

Peace,
MG

Get in the Wagon!

A recent comment referred to schools that are "Ferraris" and Holy Cross as a "wagon." Well-said, awesome! Wagons are great:
-they are versatile, can carry extra weight
-they can welcome extra folks who need a lift
-they are not so high maintenance
-you don't have to be rich to have a wagon
-they are not so prissy that you have to worry about dinging it up
-great place for great conversation

Of course my point here was that Holy Cross can be a place that is different. We all have to work to get there... sometimes you gotta get out and push the wagon. But when the comment said people do not choose schools in order to learn virtue, I say, and Aristotle says, seriously, there is no other reason to pick a school.