A field report from among the Doomers and the Optimists; dark flow and the language of love; coal miners and activist nuns; Dostoyevsky, Heaney, Weil; the nude in history and the history of the motel.
These talks are so interesting. I am almost done with my fall semester, taking Philosophy of Art & Beauty, and so much of it revolves on the idea of *Eros* — starting with Plato and going through Aquinas to Maritain and onward. This particular quote you cite caught my attention: “The language of efficiency is impersonal, anxious, and self-serving; the language of love is personal, deliberate, and oriented toward the well-being of others. Clearly we must choose wisely.” The fetishization of efficiency has everything about turning inward. A rightly ordered love turns outward, toward communication, community, and communion — all stemming from the same Latin root. It is generative and generous.
You’ve mentioned so much that warrants revisiting.
These talks are so interesting. I am almost done with my fall semester, taking Philosophy of Art & Beauty, and so much of it revolves on the idea of *Eros* — starting with Plato and going through Aquinas to Maritain and onward. This particular quote you cite caught my attention: “The language of efficiency is impersonal, anxious, and self-serving; the language of love is personal, deliberate, and oriented toward the well-being of others. Clearly we must choose wisely.” The fetishization of efficiency has everything about turning inward. A rightly ordered love turns outward, toward communication, community, and communion — all stemming from the same Latin root. It is generative and generous.
You’ve mentioned so much that warrants revisiting.
Thank you Zina! I cribbed all the good ideas from Farahn ( https://longroadhome.substack.com/ ) ... you'd like her work.
Your semester sounds excellent; it reminds me I need to get back to my Maritain.
Great work, brother. Loved reading this.
Thank you my friend!