Philosophy
Today is Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday. Ali was not only one of, possibly, the greatest to ever walk into a boxing ring, but was a major social figure who was outspoken on the issues of the day. He spoke out against the war in Vietnam and refused to go even when drafted.
The question that springs to mind is whether we have contemporary athletes who seek to occupy a similar space in the present moral discourse. The name that seems unavoidable is Tim Tebow who is a champion of the other side of the political aisle. He is held up in the media, both sports and non-sports, as the archetype of a good person, of morality. His book is full of passages like:
- Spelling Bee And Scrabble Champions
Today is the climax of the national spelling bee. The field has been cut to fifty and the competition is heating up. But what should we think of the winner? If you win the Boston marathon or the Olympic 100 meter dash, you could rightly...
- The Sacred Right Of Complaint
With several elections going on today, it seems appropriate to bring out this one. I heard someone the other day utter the old chestnut "I vote because if you don't, you have no right to complain." It's a veritable cliche of American...
- Are Friends Necessary?
Having friends is a wonderful thing. No one would deny that. But is having friends necessary for a well-lived human life? Could you have a full and satisfying life without friends. The question does not ask whether one could be a happy...
- Are There Varieties Of Ownership?
Our senior thesis writers this semester have been working on some interesting topics. Want to raise some questions this week that have come to mind listening to them develop their arguments. One is looking at the notion of ownership. ...
- Grammar Curmudeons
Had a student ask yesterday about grammatical pet peeves. His was "irregardless." My big three are: 1) "Quote" used for "quotation." Quote is a verb. You quote someone. What you write down is not a quote, but a quotation. ...
Philosophy
Muhammed Ali and Tim Tebow
Today is Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday. Ali was not only one of, possibly, the greatest to ever walk into a boxing ring, but was a major social figure who was outspoken on the issues of the day. He spoke out against the war in Vietnam and refused to go even when drafted.
Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?He was a prominent voice for peace and civil rights at a time when standing up was not the easy thing to do. He was stripped of his title and not allowed to fight for four years, before the Supreme Court upheld his case as a conscientious objector.
The question that springs to mind is whether we have contemporary athletes who seek to occupy a similar space in the present moral discourse. The name that seems unavoidable is Tim Tebow who is a champion of the other side of the political aisle. He is held up in the media, both sports and non-sports, as the archetype of a good person, of morality. His book is full of passages like:
People often seem to think that when you're following the Lord and trying to do His will, your path will always be clear, the decisions smooth and easy, and life will be lived happily ever after and all that. Sometimes that may be true, but I've found that more often, it's not. The muddled decisions still seem muddled, bad things still happen to believers, and great things can happen to nonbelievers. When it comes to making our decisions, the key that God is concerned with is that we are trusting and seeking Him. God's desire is for us to align our lives with His Word and His will.We have a conflation of morality with strength of Christian belief here -- two completely different things -- and we have a diminishing of non-believers as them, but perhaps this is just nitpicking. Is there a difference other than political persuasion between Muhammad Ali and Tim Tebow as public figures?
- Spelling Bee And Scrabble Champions
Today is the climax of the national spelling bee. The field has been cut to fifty and the competition is heating up. But what should we think of the winner? If you win the Boston marathon or the Olympic 100 meter dash, you could rightly...
- The Sacred Right Of Complaint
With several elections going on today, it seems appropriate to bring out this one. I heard someone the other day utter the old chestnut "I vote because if you don't, you have no right to complain." It's a veritable cliche of American...
- Are Friends Necessary?
Having friends is a wonderful thing. No one would deny that. But is having friends necessary for a well-lived human life? Could you have a full and satisfying life without friends. The question does not ask whether one could be a happy...
- Are There Varieties Of Ownership?
Our senior thesis writers this semester have been working on some interesting topics. Want to raise some questions this week that have come to mind listening to them develop their arguments. One is looking at the notion of ownership. ...
- Grammar Curmudeons
Had a student ask yesterday about grammatical pet peeves. His was "irregardless." My big three are: 1) "Quote" used for "quotation." Quote is a verb. You quote someone. What you write down is not a quote, but a quotation. ...