Study (and Dream) Time

No more classes until next Wednesday, when we get our first of two mid-term exams. (Monday, of course, is Thanksgiving). So now we get to see just how well this flash card program (and my brain) works.

In the meantime, I have been daydreaming about the Spring Term. Tentatively, I'm looking at a History course. So far, it looks like my best choices are the "Canada to 1867" and "U.S. after 1865". On the one hand I wanted a course in Canadian History, though, unfortunately, the modern period, my first choice, doesn't have convenient classes (days and times). On the other, while I was educated in the States, and so American History should be less challenging, my knowledge of current history may not be that sharp. And it does promise a major essay requirement, which sounds challenging and, therefore, good.

European History, 1900-1939, does transfer to SFU, but only generically (HIST 1XX sort of thing) and with no Curriculum Initiative credit (the new system used to force students to broaden their education) and no Certificate of Liberal Arts Credit (an intermediate goal of mine). The other courses both offer something in that regard.

Kwantlen does have higher level History courses that offer both credits and that have no prerequisites. Maybe I should just skip the lower level and go straight to something like Medieval History (a second-year course). Rats! Its at Richmond, which introduces travel issues.

Maybe I should stop daydreaming and just get back to studying...

Holy Father Francis

El Greco's Crucifixion in the Prado left me in awe.

Holy Father Francis: "
El Greco's painting of St. Francis is one of my favorites of this great saint. No sentimental depiction of him preaching to birds or animals, but only the saint in deep meditation upon the cross of his Lord. His sunken cheeks speak of the hard discipline his 'brother body' has endured, in order that he might experience the promise Jesus made to him during his prayer. 'Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.'

Francis' life became such a reflection of Jesus' that his hands and feet bear His wounds. The skull is a reminder to Francis and us of the shortness of our life. And although the painting is dark, the brightness of Francis' face draw our eyes to it, and Francis' gaze invites us to also focus on the cross and to join him in prayer, 'We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.'"

(Via Intentional Disciples.)

No Quiz Today, Children

The Professor forgot his promise of an in-class quiz for today. Of course, I reminded him, but only after the class, with half the students already gone...

So let's contemplate Archbishop Chaput's address to Australian clergy. And pick up on P.D. James' book Children of Men, which will now have to be added to my Reading List.

Monday, Monday

The weather matches my mood. The Padres blew their play-off chances, three times. Notre Dame has suspended football for this year. They're sending in their junior varsity squad just to satisfy contractual obligations. The Chargers are sinking fast.

But wait, all is not lost. Hockey starts for us on Friday. How I love Autumn.

The Little Flower

While I'm doing notes in last-minute preparation for an expected quiz this morning, you're invited to read one person's reaction to St. Therese.

Canadian-Americans, The Civil War, Hillary Clinton and a Strange New Respect for Religion

For those who enjoy the sport of watching American politics:

Canadian-Americans, The Civil War, Hillary Clinton and a Strange New Respect for Religion: "It’s an odd thing about us transplanted Canadians. In truth, most of my siblings and I (there are eight children) were born in Canada of American citizens, which gives us dual citizenship. The odd thing is that we are among the relatively few Americans who regularly keep an eye on things Canadian. That attentiveness is [...]"

(Via FIRST THINGS: On the Square.)

But where's the "gap"?

Fascinating:

But where's the "gap"?: "

Thanks, Rob, for bringing this interesting NYT article to our attention.' But, personally, I think you missed the most interesting finding -- the explanation for the growing gap in happiness between men and women:

Since the 1960s, men have gradually cut back on activities they find unpleasant. They now work less and relax more.

Over the same span, women have replaced housework with paid work — and, as a result, are spending almost as much time doing things they don’t enjoy as in the past. Forty years ago, a typical woman spent about 23 hours a week in an activity considered unpleasant, or 40 more minutes than a typical man. Today, with men working less, the gap is 90 minutes.

Ladies???

"

(Via Mirror of Justice.)

What's In a Name?

I'm off to class in a little bit. You can, if you wish, ponder the imminent crowning of Viswanathan Anand as World Champion.

What's In a Name?: "The not-so-great debate: Anand: world champion or tournament world champion?"

(Via The Daily Dirt Chess Blog.)

MacIntyre in a nutshell. From The Philosophers' Magazine: The main goal of After Virtue,...

While I'm wrestling with Rawls and the Social Contract, here's a chance for you to take on MaIntyre:

MacIntyre in a nutshell.

From The Philosophers' Magazine:

The main goal of After Virtue,...: "MacIntyre in a nutshell.

From The Philosophers' Magazine:

The main goal of After Virtue, and it is a goal motivated by Nietzsche's persuasive attack on morality (but pursued by MacIntyre with an Aristotelian detachment), is to provide us with a good reason for acting morally today. He does so by introducing his notion of a 'practice'. Practices, MacIntyre tells us, are found in some form or"

(Via Lex Communis.)

And I Kant Stand Him

With apologies to Phoebe Dinsmore. We 're now done with Kant. He wasn't that bad, but it was a bit of labour sorting out the Universal Law Test of the Categorical Imperative. Yech!

Now we look at Social Contract Theory, with Rawls as the leading proponent. The Professor assures us this will be less laborious than Kant. Ok, but what isn't easier than Kant?

Cardinal Pell's Response to Parliamentary Inquiry [2007-09-22]

This is a very good read, on a Sunday:

Cardinal Pell's Response to Parliamentary Inquiry [2007-09-22]: "'I Enjoy the Right to Comment on Proposed Laws'"

(Via New Advent World Watch.)

Happy Birthday!

A happy reminder:

Happy Birthday!: "

Today is a very important day on the calendar, the birthday of not one, but two important fellows, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

Happy birthday! Now, let’s go have a big party under the Party Tree and then light off some fireworks in the shape of dragon. Oh, those hobbits know how to party.

Del.icio.us This |
Digg This

"

(Via Bettnet.com - Musings of Domenico Bettinelli.)

Is It Getting Colder?

Maybe it's just the season advancing upon us, but I'm not completely sure. I keep getting reminders that the meta-weather prognosticators haven't always been predicting a warming trend.

With Thanks to Lifesite News Newsbytes.

How Noble is the Nobel?

Oh dear, the worth of the Nobel Prize almost got tarnished:

1939 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee: Adolf Hitler: "

Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939: Adolf Hitler.

(Hat tip: Jack.)

"

(Via Little Green Footballs.)

"I enter church to encounter God, and I leave it a theater critic."

Ok, now I'm envious. I'm struggling with a small snippet of Kant's moral philosophy in English translation, and these people are reading German originals. Don't tell me I have to add German to my list of courses necessary to be an educated person...

"I enter church to encounter God, and I leave it a theater critic.": "

Gerald Augustinus of 'The Cafeteria Is Closed,' has been reading Martin Mosebach's
The Heresy of Formlessness: The Roman Liturgy and Its Enemy (Ignatius, 2006). He writes:

Reading Martin Mosebach's phenomenal book, Heresy of Formlessness, is no easy task. His language (I am reading the German original) is of the utmost quality, his imagery beautiful, his sentiment convincing. He makes the point I've been trying to make, only a thousand times more aptly. His arguments for the classic Roman rite are inaccessible to the bureaucratic of spirit. Whoever approaches liturgy with the logic of a laundry detergent ad ('Now with 30% more Scripture !') or the mindset of a Club Med animateur will never be open to the beauty of the rite before we all became Protestants, so to speak. (It is eerie to see how Protestant 'reformators' demands were fulfilled one by one in the 20th century, from Hus to Luther)

No true poet would ever choose Bugnini's product, just as no true musician would choose Haugen over Palestrina. Martin Mosebach is a poet, a novelist of the highest rank, the winner of the Georg Buechner Prize, the most important one for a novelist. His style is viewed as the non plus ultra by all the grand newspapers in the German tongue, be it the NZZ or Die Zeit.

The book Heresy of Formlessness is an unusual book for a novelist, of course. But what better than beautiful language to defend a beautiful rite.

I've never read anything like it. The title may sound a bit stern, but it's actually a labor of love. Of love and sadness. Together with Mosebach one mourns what was lost when the Church decided to do what before only Protestants had done - storm and smash the altars, smash the icons. Death by committee. Liturgy by accountant. Like letting a USCCB sub-committee compose a love letter to one's wife. Arrogance beyond imagination, to, like Mao, forsake what had been nurtured over the centuries and replace it with a potted plant. As Christopher Hitchens wrote, 'the Roman Catholic Church has never recovered from abandoning the mystifying Latin Rite'. Don't get me wrong, the 'ordinary' mass is valid, but it's like expressing one's love with the quality of a Shakespeare sonnet versus a Hallmark card

Read the entire post. Mosebach's opinions are indeed strong, but one doesn't need to agree with all of them to appreciate many or all of his points. Fr. Joseph Fessio, in his foreword to the book, wrote:

When I first read Martin Mosebach's book in German, I was extremely impressed and profoundly moved by his understanding and articulation of what has gone wrong with the postconciliar liturgical reform. After decades of the Church's establishment and even some official Church documents singing the praises of the wonderful benefits of the Novus Ordo as celebrated, here is someone who puts into words and images the malaise that is still felt by many, and most particularly by those who cherish the richness and beauty of the Church's liturgical, musical, and artistic past.

We do not concur with every particular judgment Martin Mosebach makes or every conclusion he comes to. But we believe he has eloquently expressed a genuine and profound problem at the heart of the Church's life. We hope that this book will contribute to the new 'liturgical movement' that Cardinal Ratzinger called for in his own liturgical magna carta, The Spirit of the Liturgy.

• Read an excerpt from The Heresy of Formlessness: 'Does Christianity Need A Liturgy?'

"

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Michael Crichton on G.K. Chesterton

I have an original first edition of Eugenics and Other Evils on my shelf, a reminder of the days when getting copies of Chesterton's writings involved dealing with speciality book sellers. It will have to go on my re-read list now.

Michael Crichton on G.K. Chesterton: "

A friend passed along a note about the latest Michael Crichton novel, Next (2006). It is about genetics and the moral issues involved, and it has a bibliography that includes the following:

Chesterton, G. K.,
What's Wrong with the World, San Francisco,: Ignatius Press, 1910.Bon vivant, wit, and tireless author, Chesterton lost the debate about the future direction of society to his contemporaries H. G. Wells, Bertrand Russell, and George Bernard Shaw. Chesterton saw the implications of their vision of twentieth century society, and he predicted exactly what would come of it.Chesterton is not a congenial stylist to the modern reader; his witticisms are formal, his references to contemporaries lost in time.But his essential points are chillingly clear.

Chesterton, G. K.,
Eugenics and Other Evils: An Argument Against the Scientifically Organized Society. ... Originally published in 1922, this astonishingly prescient text has much to say about our understanding of genetics then (and now), and about the mass seduction of pseudoscience. Chesterton's was one of the few voices to oppose eugenics in the early twentieth century.He saw right through it as fraudulent on every level, and he predicted where it would lead, with great accuracy.His critics were legion; they reviled him as a reactionary, ridiculous, ignorant, hysterical, incoherent, and blindly prejudiced, noting with dismay that 'his influence in leading people in the wrong way is considerable.'Yet Chesterton was right, and the consensus of scientists, political leaders, and the intelligentsia was wrong.Chesterton lived to see he horrors of Nazi Germany.This book is worth reading because, in retrospect, it is clear that Chesterton's arguments were perfectly sensible and deserving of an answer, and yet he was simply shouted down.And because the most repellent ideas of eugenics are being promoted again in the 21st century, under various guises.The editor of this edition has included many quotations from eugenicists of the 1920s, which read astonishingly like the words of contemporary prophets of doom. Some things never change -- including unfortunately, the gullibility of press and public.We human beings do not like to look back on our mistakes.But we should.

I've never read a Crichton novel and don't know how good Next is, but the novelist's take on Chesterton is excellent. As is often pointed out, Chesterton is arguably even more timely today than he was 80-100 years ago.

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Excerpts and Articles




• Ignatius Insight author page for Chesterton
• The Emancipation of Domesticity | G.K. Chesterton


• The God in the
Cave | G.K. Chesterton


• What Is America? |
G.K. Chesterton


• Mary and the Convert |
G.K. Chesterton


• Seeing With the Eyes of G.K. Chesterton | Dale Ahlquist


• Recovering The Lost Art of Common Sense | Dale Ahlquist


• Common Sense Apostle &
Cigar Smoking Mystic | Dale Ahlquist


• Chesterton
and Saint Francis | Joseph Pearce


• Chesterton and
the Delight of Truth | James V. Schall, S.J.


• The Life and
Theme of G.K. Chesterton | Randall Paine | An Introduction to The
Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton


• Hot Water and
Fresh Air: On Chesterton and His Foes | Janet E. Smith


• ChesterBelloc | Ralph McInerny

"

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Science v. Scripture. One of the classic secularist canards is that religion causes...

Just a reminder that scientific thinking found itself in the Middle Ages:

Science v. Scripture.

One of the classic secularist canards is that religion causes...: "Science v. Scripture.

One of the classic secularist canards is that religion causes religious minds to close down, oppose scientific advances in knowledge, and live in a state of perpetual cognitive dissonance.

But what is religion to do when an interpretation of sacred text is undermined by advances in knowledge of the material world?

It may be surprising to many that the answer, according to"

(Via Lex Communis.)

Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Matthew

Just a reminder that today is his feast day:

Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Matthew: "

From the Holy Father's August 30, 2006, General Audience, which is one of 31 audience addresses compiled in Jesus, The Apostles, and the Early Church (Ignatius Press, 2007):

Thus, in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives.

St John Chrysostom makes an important point in this regard: he notes that only in the account of certain calls is the work of those concerned mentioned. Peter, Andrew, James and John are called while they are fishing, while Matthew, while he is collecting tithes.

These are unimportant jobs, Chrysostom comments, 'because there is nothing more despicable than the tax collector, and nothing more common than fishing' (In Matth. Hom.: PL 57, 363). Jesus' call, therefore, also reaches people of a low social class while they go about their ordinary work.

Another reflection prompted by the Gospel narrative is that Matthew responds instantly to Jesus' call: 'he rose and followed him'. The brevity of the sentence clearly highlights Matthew's readiness in responding to the call. For him it meant leaving everything, especially what guaranteed him a reliable source of income, even if it was often unfair and dishonorable. Evidently, Matthew understood that familiarity with Jesus did not permit him to pursue activities of which God disapproved.

• Read further excerpts from Jesus, The Apostles, and the Early Church.

"

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

"Science suffers from an excess of significance" This article...

Oh dear, I think my confidence interval in science just went down...

"Science suffers from an excess of significance" This article...: "'Science suffers from an excess of significance'

This article suffers from an excess of quotable lines:

...most published research findings are wrong.

'A new claim about a research finding is more likely to be false than true.'

...Dr. Ioannidis and his colleagues analyzed 432 published research claims concerning gender and genes. Upon closer scrutiny, almost none of them held up. Only one was replicated.

'People are messing around with the data to find anything that seems significant....'

'The correction isn't the ultimate truth either.'

My take on the field of statistics is that it's an arithmetic discipline for making people feel comfortable. Just think about the term '95% confidence': it's a bait-and-switch trick, which works by giving the result of a convoluted and artificial computation the same name as a vaguely understood emotional or intellectual state favorable for decision-making.

Which isn't to say it's all smoke and mirrors. As a statistician I know likes to say, Las Vegas is filled with monuments to the Central Limit Theorem, and all horse players die broke.

But what Dr. Ioannidis is pointing out in the article is that, too often, scientists conduct experiments in statistical alchemy: they want to turn a set of data into a statistically significant conclusion. They do that by loading the data into a statistical analysis software tool, then monkey around until they get a number less than 0.05 (or, if they're desperate, 0.1) to come out of the function they've been told computes significance.

And guess what? Given enough time and experience with the analysis software, it's usually possible, one way or another, to get a score under 0.05.

What does the score actually mean? Well, it means something, probably, but to know just what you have to carefully work through every step taken to obtain it. And statistics is known for counter- and contra-intuitive reasoning, so if you're not an expert in statistics (NOTE: 6 semester hours of undergrad statistics doesn't make you an expert, nor does unlimited hours using statistical analysis software), you shouldn't be too confident your confidence interval tells you what you tell yourself it tells you.

But we're all taught the Scientific Method, which in its simplest form is:

1. Make a hypothesis.
2. Test the hypothesis.
3. Reject the hypothesis if it fails the test.

Rejecting a hypothesis you thought up all by your own self is hard enough when the data proves it's false. Rejecting it when the data doesn't prove anything at all is near impossible, almost as difficult as getting more money after admitting you didn't learn much from the money you've already spent.

I'm not knocking science, or even statistics (which, considered as an applied discipline, is full of deucedly clever (and undeniably useful) stuff). But we have to understand things as they are, not as they are idealized to be, and that includes understanding that the majority of scientists are lousy statisticians.

(Link via Eve Tushnet.)"

(Via Disputations.)

World Championship 2007

A round-robin tournament is underway in Mexico City. It's currently in Round Five. Anand and Kramnik, the current world champion, share the lead with 2.5 points each. I have no favourite in this contest. It just seems odd to me that the championship is being determined by a round-robin rather than the traditional match play. The championship format will revert to match play after this, however.

You can follow the games on FICS.