Blog
Why I shuddered while reading Don Quixote
November 24, 2015
I blissfully believe in God. That is enough in the minds of some people for me to be classified as mentally unbalanced. I also delight to believe in angels and in healing, thus making me suspect in the minds of some believers. I even thrill to accept what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8 that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, not angels, nor powers, nor principalities (which… Read More
Re-visioning science and religion through the lens of Jesus’ parable of the talents
November 16, 2015
I know this author, and my review includes a few personal facts that will help readers appreciate this book, which has filled me with enthusiasm. In a dangerous world where accelerated and often chaotic change makes life more difficult, it is harder to find meaning and to achieve wholeness and integrity. If we put the harmony of science and religion into our philosophy of living—and then live that philosophy, the result will be a game-changer…. Read More
Sometimes art says it better than words
November 7, 2015
When I’ve been at a conference and gorged myself on presentations, I like to refresh my mind by getting outside, perhaps noticing the local architecture, and visiting a gallery. While attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions, I was most grateful to discover immediately north of the enormous and excellent Salt Palace Convention Center a smaller structure, UMOCA, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, which is equally excellent. I walked in expecting to appreciate only… Read More
Suspending mind-and-brain momentum through prayer
October 31, 2015
The current tangle of planetary problems calls for many prompt readjustments of human values. From material and intellectual to spiritual levels, we need an integrated vision of truth (from scientific to spiritual), beauty (from natural and artistic to spiritual) and goodness (from material [ecological, social, economic, and political], through moral and ethical character, to divine goodness). God guides us through these perilous changes with eternal stability and divine dynamism. To stay anchored and keep pace,… Read More
My new vision after the Parliament of the World’s Religions
October 24, 2015
The visible and invisible dynamism was palpable on spiritual, intellectual, and practical levels. Spokespersons for religions largely presented themselves in terms of universal values, rather than advertising their own wonderfulness. And the overall goal was to mobilize a spirit of unity in the universal family, as we turn to cooperate in dealing with planetary ecological, social, economic, and political problems. And the special emphasis that marked this gathering was the emphasis on women. Leadership… Read More
Philosophy’s role in bridging between religion and politics
October 19, 2015
Philosophy’s role in bridging between religion and social, economic, and political issues: Example: the quest for world peace For the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 19, 2015 This presentation focuses on the quest for world peace as part of a larger question: What is philosophy’s role in in bridging between religion and social, economic, and political problems? SECTION I. WHAT SHALL WE DO ABOUT WORLD PEACE? HERE… Read More
My YouTube interview with Dan Schneider
October 11, 2015
Today I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dan Schneider, a widely successful various arts and culture host. Here’s the link to the interview. What a cool way to meet someone! Dan is highly intelligent and efficient, well read in lots of areas of science and in the arts. He reviews films and writes poetry; I get the impression that he is involved in the practice of other arts as well. If you go… Read More
Beginnings, middles, and ends
October 10, 2015
Yesterday I submitted to Cascade Books my final manuscript of Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness: Values and Virtues. It will be published next summer. Thirty-four years of drafting it has come to an end. “Beginning, middle, and end,” I would tell my son Ben when he was young. My purpose was not so much to induce him to gather himself a bit before starting something as to pick up after himself when he was… Read More
Community and a Recreation and Wellness center
September 12, 2015
I’ve been working out a few times a week for years at the Kent State University’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and it never occurred to me until last week to bring to mind the connotations of the name of the place. Recreation should be fun, not just grinding it out; and wellness is a concept that encompasses all dimensions of the human being. As soon as the meanings hit me, good cheer flooded in. As… Read More