Front Porch Conservative

I find myself very attracted to this brand of ‘front porch’ conservatism.  

Here is a funny clip on the modern malaise of democratic souls, the ‘crappiest generation’.  

And, finally, an article on the importance of beer drinking to civic life.  Apparently, for the first time in the history of our great republic, Americans drank more bottled water than beer.  The end is nigh!

Rumors allayed

I have heard rumors to the effect that the Philosophy program at USU is in jeopardy. It is not; there is no doubt in my mind that there will be a Philosophy major at USU for a very long time to come. What is true is that we are experiencing some loss of faculty. Kent Robson is retiring at the end of this year, and it is uncertain whether Professor Kleiner will be teaching in the program after this coming fall. Losing faculty, of course, is far from a good thing, and it is painful. But I do want to affirm that the Philosophy major itself is not in jeopardy or uncertain in any way.

In defense of the humanities

Here is a NY Times article from a month or so ago on how the humanities could and should defend themselves in these tough times.  My students will know that I am always rather reluctant to make the utility arguments (study philosophy so that you can kick ass on the LSAT, or to make yourself more competitive in the job market by being a clearer thinker and writer, etc).  It is not that those claims are false (in fact, they seem true), rather I just think Aristotle was right when he defended philosophical contemplation as highest precisely because it is useless.  The humanities are worth studying because they ask the question of man, one’s life is better ‘intrinsically’ for having engaged the Great Conversation.

Aristotle, NE X.8:  ‘So if among virtuous actions political and military actions are distinguished by nobility and greatness, and these are unleisurely and aim at an end and are not desirable for their own sake, but the activity of reason, which is contemplative, seems both to be superior in serious worth and to aim at no end beyond itself …’