In a post last weekend, I argued that teleological moral theory, while understandably popular, falls short in two ways: It asks us to play God, and would license any horrible act when that would seem to contribute to overall human well-being. Deontological theories—from the Greek deon, meaning “duty”?—address these problems. Broadly speaking, deontological theories entail
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Suburban life tends to get a bad rap these days. Some of it is undoubtedly due to a shortsighted failure to take into account deficiencies in modern urban life. But is some of the criticism of suburbia justified? In his 20th century classic The City in History, Lewis Mumford points out that suburbs are by
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1) “For the first time in history, the human species as a whole has gone into politics. Everyone is in the act, and there is no telling what may come of it.” 2) “A good American makes propaganda for whatever existence has forced him to become.” 3) “Take our politicians: they’re a bunch of yo-yos. The
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If there’s one thing that has united teachers, unions, and parents in the last several years, it’s a hatred of standardized tests. Such tests, opponents complain, cause undue stress to teachers and students and inhibit learning in any number of ways. Given these concerns and frustrations, it’s understandable why parents would want their children to
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In about three weeks many around the world will celebrate Easter—the day on which Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is regarded as the central dogma of Christianity, as it represents for Christians God’s victory over death, and the means by which they, too, will one day rise from the
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Arguably these days, there’s a lot of self-love going on. Indeed, isn’t that the point of almost all marketing campaigns. Our culture is awash in the love of self. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily a good thing even for the self. In volume 4 of The Dialogues, Plato argues, “The greatest evil to men, generally, is
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