The
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA will be hosting a
colloquium on the theme “What Has
Athens to Do with Jerusalem? Dialogue
between Philosophy and Theology in the 21st Century,” on July 16 - 20, 2014. The plenary session presenters are Michael
Dodds, OP, Edward Feser, Alfred Freddoso, John O’Callaghan, Michał Paluch, OP,
John Searle, Robert Sokolowski, and Linda Zagzebski. More information here.
(I noted some other upcoming speaking engagements here.)
John Searle? not a name i was expecting to see there! should be interesting
ReplyDeleteYeah, same here re: Searle. Will be interesting to hear what input he has.
ReplyDeleteDitto.
ReplyDeleteIn general, how does one get booked to speak? Do you reach out to them, or do they reach out to you?
ReplyDeleteWhat has Searle have to do with Jerusalem? ;)
ReplyDeleteAn inquiring mind wishes to know: What has Searle have to do with Jerusalem? ;)
ReplyDeleteAn imaginative mind ponders the possibilities: Hmm. Searle. Chinese Room. Man in it mechanically following rules. True understanding of content, significance, value and/or meaning of that with which he works is lacking. Hmm.
1. One side of the coin
"[I]f the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matt. 5:13
2. Obverse side of the coin
Just Going Through the Motions:
Question: A mother is overheard saying of her adult child, "I'd rather my child not go to Mass than to just go through the motions." Is there virtue in just going through the motions? Is just going through the motions always bad? Can just going through the motions be a willing submission of sorts which then leads to a deeper conversion? I'm hearing varied responses touching on aspects such as: empty works, dark night of the soul, Pelagianism, grace, merit, Paschal, etc. . . Hmmmm?
One response: Well, this is just my personal opinion, but I think that even if one is just "going through the motions," we are opening a door for the Holy Spirit to work within us, and, eventually, help us to live a deeper life with the Lord.
A second response: I agree, for me as a child Mass often consisted of "going through the motions" but if I had not done that I would not have the knowledge of what happens in Mass to use as a foundation for a deeper understanding of my Catholic faith. Seriously, how else is a child supposed to learn the faith? You start with the basics and go from there, just like anything else. The grace to have faith comes from God alone, but He expects parents to uphold their end of things and actually teach their children through exposure and example.
A third response: We all just "go through the motions" when we suffer extreme dryness at prayer. It is not necessarily controlled by us. A quick read of the "Fire Within" with the readings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross will convey how at least she suffered severely from just "going through the motions" and why it exists. And she became a saint and doctor of the Church. She described herself as a phony at one point since her prayer was so dry. The trick is to realize it is there for a reason, to make a person stronger. It is easy to be faithful when we are filled with faith -- it is a lot harder to be faithful when it appears that absolutely nothing is happening, or nothing exists or one has been abandoned.
- - - - -
Okay, so that is somewhat of a stretch...
I see that Linda Zagzebski will be at the event. Dr. Feser it would be great to see a post on virtue epistemology sometime.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're coming to visit us! As to Searle; a few of us DSPT students take classes with him occasionally and hassle him about Aristotle. He also has a good academic relationship with one of our professors. I've also personally pestered some of my professors about what Searle is working on right now and how it might relate to Scholasticism. So it is my opinion he'll make an interesting contribution. -Long time reader, DSPT student, in general a bothersome creature.
ReplyDeleteI have checked the above link and scoured the webpage but I can't seem to find a registration area. Can one register for this event yet?
ReplyDeleteForgive me for my ignorance
@Omar Najjarine:
ReplyDelete"Can one register for this event yet?"
The page says, "Registration to begin late January, 2014," so I'm guessing not.
@Scott
ReplyDeleteill say it again..forgive me for my ignorance :'(