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Ephemera, 07/01/23
July 1, 2023
I didn’t find the Harrison Ford digital facelift as creepy as the New York Times reviewer; they did a better job with the CGI than I expected. But “generally silly,” “not entirely charmless” – sure. It was a fun, dumb night at the movies. But, my God – so long! Movies do not need to …..
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Sin & Scandal
June 30, 2023
Continuing my read-through of Chapter 1 of Jacques Ellul’s Presence in the Modern World. There’s a lot here. Ellul (perhaps because he was a layperson) is most concerned with the plight of the laity in the modern world, because unlike the clergy, there is no separation between a layperson and the rest of society. “Claiming …..
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Ephemera, 06/29/23
June 29, 2023
As William Deresiewicz writes, spitting contempt at “unfuckable hate nerds” isn’t going to change them for the better. Unfortunately, contempt is cathartic, and hatred is fun. I’m starting to think that the very idea of grace must be some kind of proof for the truth of religion, because surely humans didn’t come up with it …..
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Salt, Light, Sheep
June 28, 2023
Started reading Jacques Ellul’s Presence in the Modern World a while back and set it aside because I had to read some Kierkegaard for a couple of Catherine Project groups, and I can only take so much. After those months of strenuous mental exercise, I’m returning to the Ellul and it feels a tiny bit …..
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Ephemera, 06/27/23
June 27, 2023
At Marginal Revolution, Alex Tabarrok makes some valid and interesting points as to why the modern “leisure class” feels so “harried.” But I think it’s okay to acknowledge that something has produced both good and bad effects, and to seek to find ways to mitigate the bad. This post sounds like the only response is …..