too funny not to re-post...

Here's a humorous, modified-for-2012 version of a quote by Pascal I recently discovered on the Faith and Theology blog:

"All of man's misfortune comes from one thing, which is not knowing how to sit quietly without an iPad."

Addendum: Insert iPhone, Blackberry, or whatever else you want... the point is, many of us are losing the ability to simply enjoy our lives with simplicity.  I'm not against technology at all, but I do think it has profoundly affected - especially in the last 50 years or so - our levels of comfortability with ourselves as biological, spatio-temporally limited, finite, human beings.  Human beings are, it appears (at least in the Western 'first-world'), less content than ever with ourselves as humans.

In fact, given current thinking on transhumanism and post-humanism, bioethics, etc, I think a strong argument could be made that one of the primary uses of technology has become precisely the attempt to change, 'fix', or transcend ourselves as humans.  Essentially, humanity has, in many ways, become determined to use technology to overcome what we dislike about our human-ness.  In that sense, technology has become, for many, a very real religious force.

No wonder some young people are claiming that the internet is their religion.  I believe the quote is "humanity connected is God."  While I disagree with that statement theologically, the point here is simply this: given what we appear to be using technology to accomplish, I believe this quote may someday be nonsensical.

What I mean is this: if we get to the point where technology really becomes the means by which we are able to remove all of those aspects of our humanity that we dislike, it seems very difficult to determine whether or not what remains really is still 'humanity'.  So, if technology, including the internet, is slowly changing humanity into something else, something post-human, then it makes no sense to say that humanity connected is God, because there is no 'humanity' to connect.  Whatever is connecting at that point, it will be something else.

Some people, like Ray Kurzweil, seem to welcome that idea.  Me, I'm not so optimistic.  Obviously, it goes against my own theological beliefs.  But aside from that, it's hard for me to be excited about any trend that seems to anticipate the demise of my species.  I suppose there are arguments supporting such an idea, but I can't help wonder whether those who are excited about the idea of a post-human world are naively assuming that they will somehow have a role to play in that world.

Which, of course, is completely illogical.  There is no reason to think the post-human world will privilege computer technicians or quantum physicists over anyone else.  Humanity will have fulfilled its evolutionary role and will most likely become extinct, or will be used by higher species in a manner somewhat similar to the way we currently employ other animals.  Call me crazy, but that's not really a future I feel excited about.

back in Oxford...

Well, it's a new year, and time to get focused on the research and writing again after a nice three-week break (although, as with most vacations, I need some time to recover from my break!).  So, I'm turning my attention again to focus on some articles I need to write, and begin to prepare myself for the next term, which will include in-depth readings of Aristotle's Metaphysics and Hegel's Science of Logic.  Yikes! :-)  I hope to blog more regularly this year, and I will probably be including a lot of ruminations on what I'm reading, so stay tuned for more philosophical ramblings in 2012...

the new year is upon us...

Well, another year ends and a new one begins, and I start another year of life (my b-day is new year's eve, in case you didn't know).  I have at least one resolution for 2012: write more substantial blog posts here.  We'll see if that materializes or not. :-)  Here's to the last year on the Mayan calendar!  The end is nigh.  hehe.

Back at home for the holidays...

Well, all I can say is... whew!  The last couple weeks have been a bit of a blur, and unfortunately part of that is due to the fact that I've been sick.  I started getting a sinus infection after my trip in early Dec. to Edinburgh, Scotland.  If you have not been to Edinburgh, I highly recommend going there, if possible.  Such a beautiful city.  I thought about getting medicine before leaving for the holidays, but I started feeling better, so I didn't worry about it.  Then I flew from the UK to the US for Christmas break.

By the time I landed in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon, my ears were bothering me and I was feeling sick again.  And, as tends to happen in my life, my timing was a bit off.  I flew again, on Saturday morning, to Seattle.  It was great to be in the Northwest again, and I was able to visit several good friends, but my time there was marred by the fact that I was getting sicker, and had to go to the doctor, and spent a couple days just laying (or is it lying?) around in bed.  I also ended up having to postpone my return flight from Tuesday to Thursday in order to let the antibiotics get to work so I felt well enough to fly.  Not the way I wanted to spend my time in Seattle, but thanks to good friends like Roy, I still had a good visit.

So, anyway, now I'm back in OKC and recovering.  I'm still very thankful to be back in the US for Christmas and to have the chance to see family and friends, but I also have a lot of writing to get done and I'm trying to figure out how to manage my time and rest enough to get well completely.  I'm sure I'll be fine, but you know how when you're just sick enough that you feel sluggish and not-quite-coherent (in addition to the sniffling and coughing), but not sick enough to just sleep all day and have someone bring you soup? :-)  Well, I've felt that way for two weeks now, and it's getting old.  haha.

But, enough whining.  There is a time of celebration at hand, and I refuse to let my minor sufferings take away from the hope and joy that are represented by this season of the year.  But this is also a time for serious reflection.  The Christmas season, as I'm sure we've all heard many times, is not about presents or trees or lights or snow or caroling.  It's not even really about family or church services.  All those things are great, but Christmas, at its core, is about sacrifice, humility, and transformation.  It's about the belief that God loves us enough to sacrifice Godself (remember, Jesus is God, not just God's 'son') in order to restore humanity to a relationship with God.

I suppose it's easy to hear that and simply say, 'yeah, how true', without really thinking about what it means.  I know I've done that.  But if we are people who genuinely believe that the Christian faith contains actual truth, then one of the most basic truths of our faith is this: God's sacrifice begins and ends with Incarnation.  In other words, Jesus' birth -- whatever the time of year, and however the events historically played out -- was and is the event that changed history.  But not only history, it also changed reality itself.  God actually became a person -- a huge act of self-sacrificial love on God's part -- in order to provide an ontological connection, so to speak, with humanity.

All this really means is that without Jesus, God and humanity would still be separated somehow.  Could God have made this metaphysical connection to us some other way?  Perhaps.  But Christians believe that Jesus is the way God did it, even if we don't fully grasp everything that means.  So, this is why it is so important that the Christmas story is not just a nice anecdote that we tell to make our hearts feel warm as we enjoy our meals with loved ones.  The Christmas story has to be historically valid if God really is connected to the human world in a meaningful way.  And, the Christmas story is the event that shifts all of reality, since it is the decisive moment where God meets us.

To really ponder all this should, I think, make us uneasy at first because it calls us to a much greater sense of humility, gratitude, and self-reflection than we often desire.  Some may simply shrug or scoff and say that it's nothing more than a story.  But for those of us who call ourselves Christians, Christmas is a reminder that God has changed, and is changing, reality.  That makes Christmas a profound opportunity for us to examine ourselves and see whether we have been allowing God to shape our realities or whether we have been fighting against God's 'reshaping'.  I don't know about you, but I do that a lot.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, I hope and pray that we will all acquire a new sense of the importance of allowing God to shape our lives during this Christmas season, so that the reality of God's love and grace may be more fully seen in our world.  Merry Christmas everyone.

wow, it's December already...

Please read this article: It's really well written and says a lot of things that we all need to take seriously as followers of Jesus.  Once again, I'm humbled by the fact that someone who is not a believer in Christ is able to articulate the situation much better than a lot of the people who do believe. As we enter the Advent time of the year, let's start/continue the habit of showing more love and grace to people who are 'different' from us.  Whaddya say?

http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html

more of my favorite lyrics...

This is a classic underground Christian alternative rock song... and the album (has the same title) is definitely worth buying if you can find it.

Mike Knott - 'Rocket and a Bomb'

Think life begins at conception? Well... maybe...

[Update: The bill mentioned below did not pass, which is very interesting for a variety of reasons.]

I am pro-life. I oppose both abortion-on-demand and the death penalty (and attempt to live as a pacifist) because I believe that human life is a sacred gift, given by God, and we don't have the right to take another human life. Only God has that authority. Unfortunately, just saying this is not enough to solve many serious ethical dilemmas, including the issue of abortion.

But, it seems to me that taking seriously the question "When does life begin?" is vital if we hope to get closer to a valuable understanding these ethical dilemmas. Of course, for some, there is no question. Poor thinking takes place on all sides, but here is one example:

The state of Mississippi is going to vote this week on Initiative 26, which has gained notoriety as the "personhood amendment." Essentially, the voters of the state will decide on how the beginning of a human life is defined. It seems likely that the decision will be that life begins at conception. The problem is, this view does not have much scientific evidence to support it, and, I will suggest, it does not have much biblical support either.