First Word

This is a story about Google, not First Word. But to make make the case I will be developing here, I will need to present evidence, (more…)

The topic addressed in this little book is important, asking such questions as what is law? where did it come from? what are the dynamics (more…)

The thesis is that the “Easter belief” of the early Christians (a) refers intentionally to a literal, physical (not merely spiritual) raising of Jesus from the dead, and (b) the mode and breadth of this belief can only be explained on the hypothesis that that is what actually happened. The thesis is pursued in specific and detailed interaction with the Leben Jesu literature, most of which denies the resurrection. The characteristic emphasis that we would expect from Wright is (more…)

This book (see biblio info at end) is a nice companion to the Wentorf biography of this dear German Reformed pastor who died (more…)

This movie is based on an actual incident in Matewan, West Virginia (more…)

This essay by Gottlob Frege (1848-1925) was published in 1892 in the journal Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik, pp. 25-50. Dealing with the “philosophy of language,” it discusses the distinction that should be made between the sense and reference (hence: the title of the essay) of linguistic expressions. (more…)

This report is based on a “target of opportunity” — an old beat up book from a co-worker; though held together with masking tape and rubber bands, (more…)

This is an important documentary for two reasons: it is one of the first “holocaust” documentaries ever made (1955 or 1956), and several of the images (whether created by picture or word) have proven quite durable. It is also blessedly short, coming in at just over a half-hour. For these reasons, it should be seen by everyone. (more…)

While only a few people will be interested in our philosophical podcasts, I hope many will give the operatic ones a try. Here, we discuss (more…)

In the documentary called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, the droll Ben (more…)

At its national convention Saturday April 26 in Kansas City, the (more…)

There are basically two different models of conservatism (more…)

A fictional story about one of the greats, well played as far as (more…)

Every dictionary I have consulted offers an unsatisfactory (more…)

A movie made from the [Marvin] Neil Simon stage comedy. A couple old men that worked for decades together in vaudeville are to get (more…)

Yiddish, according to some, was a language designed so that jews (more…)

It behooves us to take an opening stance on the volcano (more…)

Today, April 5 at 1:30 on your affiliated NPR station; or (more…)

The title probably scares a lot of movie-browsers off — another (more…)

An essay by Prof Mark A. Noll of Wheaton College in the collection Religion and the American Civil War (Oxford, 1998) outlines the place of the Bible in the American debate on slavery during the years leading up to the Civil War. Noll identifies the dominant view of the Bible on both side of the debate as “Reformed literalist.” Given that view of the Bible, the proslavery side seemed to have the upper hand. The Abolitionists were willing to move toward a “spirit not letter” type of interpretation, but all the orthodox saw this approach as a trajectory toward liberalism. Noll knows that “proslavery” — his term — is wrong, though a high view of the Bible is right; so he explores what might have gone wrong. He examines four alternative hermeneutical traditions that could have led to a different conclusion on slavery, while still holding to a high view of the Bible:(1) the “African American” way of reading the Bible; (2) the Roman Catholic; (3) High-church Lutheranism or Reformed; (4) the non-Southern Reformed, especially Charles Hodge. Only the last named of these had enough of a foothold in America to temper the discussion, but it fell short because of a root inconsistency in the American outlook which compromised the profession of sola scriptura and led to failure to draw a key distinction that would have unraveled the proslavery argument. (more…)

David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is a non-descript middle-aged traveling salesman on a routine road trip through the California steppe, day-dreaming, listening to talk radio, worrying about a tiff with his wife the night before, when he catches up with a big, smoky, mean-looking truck. He passes it, but it then speeds up and passes him. Thus begins an hour and half of a road-rage “duel” between Mann and truck. (more…)

This is a modern cloak and dagger based on a true story. Twenty-five year FBI man Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) is nabbed for spying just before he would have retired. The movie depicts the FBI’s effort to catch him in the act of making a “drop” so that conviction would be certain. (more…)

The plot and message of this movie can be summarized (more…)

Start boning up for next Saturday’s Met broadcast of Tristan (more…)

The following is the first installment of an article on the philosophy of Gottlob Frege. Students of philosophy may find here something of interest.

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The Unanswered Question - Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein (1976) is a series on music appreciation that Leonard Bernstein delivered (more…)

Young woman (Anne Hathaway) wants to be a writer but needs (more…)

The attached audio (or better: use this 16 kbps compressed version) is our beginning of a close reading of the early Wittgenstein. (more…)

William F. Buckley has a place in the intellectual history of right- (more…)

The best argument for a liturgical calendar is that having a ceremonial calendar seems to be an inescapable concept. I am not there yet, but I have to admit that our secular civic-religious state, built on the ruins of a calendarless Protestantism, proffers a calendar that veritably bristles with memorials. February, for example, is designated Black History Month. So, to honor it in my own way, I propose to quote Hegel on Black History. After listening to his discussion, it will be possible to state rather unhesitatingly what Hegel’s view of Black History Month would be. (more…)