I really appreciate the “Book Addict’s Defense of the Smartphone” which made the following case: My point is not that I don’t think that smartphones can cause problems for attention, focus, and interpersonal relationships. I’ll stipulate that we have not adjusted to the downsides of having the internet – and everything that comes along with the web – in our pockets. What I am saying is that the advantages of being to store, listen to, and read books – wherever... Read more
In response to a question about appeal to consensus on Facebook, and the suggestion that “an appeal to consensus isn’t an argument,” I wrote the following: It is a summarized reference to conclusions drawn by the majority of experts after engaging in arguments spanning decades and often longer. Those arguments cannot be repeated every time a subject comes up, and should not need to be, although it is a common internet debate tactic to pretend that this is the same... Read more
After becoming a born-again Christian in my teens, I thought I faced persecution. I became a vocal proclaimer of the gospel as I understood it. Not everyone agreed with me. Some around me gave expression to what might be called “New Agey” types of viewpoints. People didn’t typically repent of their sins and convert to an Evangelical form of Christianity in response to my efforts. I considered it a hostile environment. I had no idea. This might be excusable when... Read more
This week’s episode of the ReligionProf Podcast continues my conversation with Brian Wesolowski. As I did for the first part, so too this week I want to provide links to a wide array of content that connects with the theme of our conversation on the podcast, namely the intersection of technology and grace. Hopefully the reasons why I thought these articles would be of interest in connection with this theme will be self-evident in most if not indeed in... Read more
If you allow yourself to get entangled in debates with Jesus mythicists, you will regularly find yourself reaching a point at which you wonder how it can be that they so badly misunderstand the New Testament documents. Then one of them will claim that Osiris was thought to be the Messiah, with a link to a website as “evidence,” and suddenly the problem becomes clear. If this sort of thing interests you, take a look at this website, where you... Read more
A call for papers that came my way via Javier Martinez: We are planning a new publication, investigating the subject of Fakes and Forgeries and Issues of Authenticity in Classical Literature, to be comprised of original scholarly contributions. As in our former volumes on this topic, we hope to include approaches to the subject from a broad array of scholarly disciplines—including, but not limited to, literature and critical theory, aesthetics, philosophy, history, political science, and linguistics. We believe that new... Read more
Everything can be connected to a Friends episode, in my experience, and most things can be usefully illustrated with some scene from Friends. A case in point is the exchange about evolution that takes place between Ross and Phoebe. While I enjoyed this episode, the more I’ve thought about it, the more disappointed I’ve become with Ross’s final reaction when Phoebe accuses him of having caved on his beliefs. The confidence that we have in scientific, historical, medical, and other... Read more
Call for Papers: The Age of the Pulps: v Submission date for 400-word proposals—: 1 June 2019 Contact—: Thomas Connolly ([email protected]) The genre of science fiction was “born” in April 1926, when Hugo Gernsback published the first issue of Amazing Stories. Of course, stories of technological speculation and scientific fantasy were to be found long before the brightly coloured pages of the pulp magazines—yet Amazing Stories is credited with providing early SF with its first dedicated publication venue. The subsequent... Read more
Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS) ‘Science Fiction Beyond the West: Futurity in African and Asian Contexts’ Symposium at SOAS Date: 12 July 2019Time: 8:00 AMFinishes: 12 July 2019Time: 5:00 PM Venue: Brunei Gallery Room: B104 Type of Event: Symposium The contested space of the future, how it is envisioned and theorized, and what this reveals about our present moment is an area of increased academic inquiry in the humanities and social sciences. The urgency of paying attention to what is to come becomes ever clearer,... Read more
Sper ca majoritatea cititorilor blogului meu (care nu stiu limba romana) sa-mi ierte acest interludiu romanesc. Acest mesaj este pentru voi care intelegeti romaneste si va rog pentru ajutorul vostru. Incep cu povestirea unei intamplari. In perioada in care am locuit in Romania, am vizitat anticariatele de cate ori am avut ocazia. O data (cred ca la Sibiu) am intrat intr-un anticariat care avea ceva carti despre religie de pe vremea perioadeicomuniste. Mi s-au parut interesante dar ciudate, prezentandu-l pe Isus ca pe o persoana pur mitologica cu trasaturi si... Read more
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