Sunday, April 3, 2022

Touring the fifth circle

For readers who are wondering, yes, I’m on Twitter now.  (I’m not referring to the fan account that has been there for some time, but to my own personal account: @FeserEdward)  I confess to feeling somewhat unclean, since I have not changed my very low opinion of the medium.  The reason for signing up is simply to be able to see what is going on, and I don’t intend to be very active on it myself.  If I ever am, I ask my family and friends to stage an intervention.

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30 comments:

  1. ZenoApril 3, 2022 at 1:15 PM

    Never thought I would live to see that. Despite all the real downsides of the medium, that you have accurately described, what about its extreme usefulness? For example, I have been able to follow the war in Ukraine, battle by battle, event by event, thanks to Twitter. The mainstream TV media have been behind all the time and even the online media are lagging behind. Of course there is the issue with the fake news and the propaganda being hard to check sometimes, but a critical person can navigate through that.

    So, in short, my question is, since both this fast access to information right from the moment and from close to the situation sources and the downsides both seem to go with the nature of the medium, what is to be done? Can we have such media and, are the same time, not have the frenziness, thoughtless commentary, partisan screams and all that?

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    1. BZApril 3, 2022 at 8:21 PM

      Probably not. Most people probably enjoy all the partisanship and bickering. Figuring out the truth is hard. Having a group of people whom you can blame for all your issues is easy and comforting,

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    2. AnonymousApril 5, 2022 at 5:01 PM

      "Of course there is the issue with the fake news and the propaganda being hard to check sometimes, but a critical person can navigate through that."

      This is a daily reminder that, no matter what you think, YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO PROPAGANDA. Thank you.

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  2. ThursdayApril 3, 2022 at 1:31 PM

    1. Many people use Twitter just to post links to your latest piece of writing, whether on a blog like this or elsewhere.
    2. You can stop people from replying to your tweets.

    There is absolutely no need to interact on there much, especially if you are an even mildly controversial public figure.

    It's too bad, because they used to let people look all over the site without actually signing up. Alternately, you could just revert to a burner account, where you can read (and reply, though I don't recommend it), but without people knowing who you are.

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  3. machinephilosophyApril 3, 2022 at 5:25 PM

    blockchain + decentralized links (ex k.im) + urbit et al = no more platform anything. dynamics of "reputation" will substantially auto-filter midwits. prediction markets will prophesy wonderous things, to put it delicately.

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    1. AnonymousApril 5, 2022 at 5:26 AM

      A friend of a friend is interesting in knowing what you put in your coffee.

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  4. MApril 3, 2022 at 6:43 PM

    God be with you.

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  5. BZApril 3, 2022 at 7:49 PM

    What are your thoughts on Walter Block? Do you think he is an improvement over Rothbard or do you think that he's even worse?

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  6. TalmidApril 3, 2022 at 8:59 PM

    So, how many days before our Professor is name-called by someone with a anime profile photo?

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    1. Vini TApril 4, 2022 at 1:52 AM

      *Fatherless figures with gay flags intensifies*

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    2. CosmicCatApril 4, 2022 at 12:12 PM

      Anime profile photo is the power tie of the 21st century.

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  7. Son of Ya'KovApril 3, 2022 at 10:47 PM

    I am on Gab, Gettr and Parler and I refuse to go near Twitter. But to each his own. Good luck Professor Feser and St Michael defend you in that jackal's den of rendered horse crap.

    It is a s*** hole run by a fascist woke lowbrow moron.

    Cheers boss. Good luck. God be with you man. Classic Theism rulez! Theistic Personalism sucks like twitter(yeh I went there).

    :D

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  8. BillyApril 4, 2022 at 12:00 AM

    When will we see you making TikToks? :P I've never seen Thomism explained while dancing to the latest hit song.

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  9. Vini TApril 4, 2022 at 1:50 AM

    Ed, that might have a utility - despite the fact that social media is a uranium depot - since you would be able to acknowledge new people and even answer in a short-fashion way some major doubts about philosophy. I mean, you don't need to answer that bunch of as..... that made stupid or provocative questions, but that you can be helpful online in a similar way that the Thomistic Institute is sometimes since a great part of people get satisfactory answers to doubts that they can't respond/give an answer by themselves (like your work when I was unable to find answers by myself, you were the guy that helped me through your amazing work).

    Please notice, that's just an idea since I know that you are busy and you have a family, work affairs and things like that. My point is just to make that your journey on social media could even be nice sometimes.

    I myself only have a WhatsApp, to keep in touch with friends, family, and work things.

    And as you said at the end of the post if you somehow give too much attention to that media, just quit it, and don't damage your health. People - including me of course - do care about you. So I hope that you get the information that you need and enjoy your time there - if that is metaphysically possible!

    May God bless you, man!

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  10. UncommonDescentApril 4, 2022 at 7:46 AM

    Psalm 23, Profesor. The valley of the shadow of social media :)

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  11. Jonathan LewisApril 4, 2022 at 7:57 AM

    Just be aware that if you tell the truth, you will probably be banned from Twitter. They have zero tolerance for truthful statements. Their "fact checkers" are standing by, ready to condemn everything that conflicts with the woke agenda.

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  12. NormApril 4, 2022 at 10:40 AM

    Wow!
    Prof Feser Joins Twitter.
    The next day Elon Musk becomes the largest shareholder at twitter with a 9% share.
    Coincidence ?

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  13. ConfiteborApril 4, 2022 at 3:27 PM

    A few years back I was on Twitter for about six months. It proved to be a pointless timesuck that kept me from doing worthwhile things with my life, so I deleted my account. I now only visit there to check four specific accounts -- don't need to have a Twitter account to do that.

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  14. AnonymousApril 4, 2022 at 9:44 PM

    The Fifth Circle, indeed:"The Wrathful and the Sullen." I avoid Twitter and all social media. Prefer to remain "Anonymous."

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  15. Adrian BolandApril 4, 2022 at 11:24 PM

    Hi Edward, is there an audiobook version of your book 'Five Proofs for the Existence of God'?

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  16. DNWApril 5, 2022 at 9:14 AM

    Speaking of descending to 5th circles and the like: Though I have re-read them several times and they do not superficially seem all that bad , I wish to place up a qualification regarding my remarks made in a previous thread; one which will be tantamount to an apology.

    Having in the last several days read a very great deal more of David Bentley Hart's scathing interactions with his critics, and their reciprocal assessments of him, I think that there might - in my decidedly nonprofessional opinion - be something deeper going on with him than a monumental and rather comical ambition to configure himself as the Victorian man of letters, wielding a biting pen dipped in purple ink.

    There might be something - and I hope I am wrong - more organically, or otherwise, amiss, and something perhaps more deserving of an attempt at understanding.

    Yes, as a layman, I got a kick out of the picture he presented of a learned but pompous fat man balanced on, as Acton quipped, "the pinnacle of his self-esteem", and about to swan dive into the Atman.

    But now, having read about his health issues, and his long history of issuing contemptuous and invective larded retorts to reviewers, I think that I was perhaps too quick to laugh.

    If I was too quick, I apologize to Ed for using his forum to sneer at what might be a man in a kind of protracted psychic - I do not say psychological - crisis.

    On reflection, I think Ed Feser's practice - be it based on professional, pragmatic, or Catholic principles - of seeking to rise above and keep it impersonal insofar as possible, was the best approach.

    Like I said earlier, I have virtually no interest in theology, or in those who are interested in it, anyway. Probably would have been best to keep out of it, except for a question or two.

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    1. Craig PayneApril 11, 2022 at 6:38 PM

      I came to the same conclusion quite a while ago, way back when DBH wrote a regular column for First Things. There just seemed to be far too much reaction on DBH's part against far too little provocation. It didn't seem--balanced. And if that is the case, I think charity would dictate not feeding into the problem.

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  17. AnonymousApril 6, 2022 at 6:59 AM

    Though I wouldn't compare Prof. Feser to Jesus, I would like to remind that Jesus descended to hell to bring back souls from there. So maybe Prof. Feser can enlighten some confused souls from Twitter?

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    1. JohannesApril 6, 2022 at 12:49 PM

      The souls that Jesus brought "up" (not "back") to heaven were those in the Limbo of the Patriarchs or Bosom of Abraham plus some in Purgatory, not those in hell.

      The Latin inferos in the Apostle's creed, translated as "hell", translates the greek Hades which comprises the above three "compartments" of the afterlife.

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  18. Greg SApril 10, 2022 at 1:30 PM

    Methinks the good professor is being too active in the fifth circle already. I'm starting to fear I may have to create an account myself to keep up with all the tweets... :/

    A blessed Holy Week to everyone.

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    1. Edward FeserApril 10, 2022 at 3:28 PM

      Just experimenting with it. I don't plan to keep up a large volume of tweets. I don't know how some people do that -- I think I'd go insane!

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    2. NormApril 11, 2022 at 10:18 AM

      It sort of depends on the way you want to structure your twitter feed. Some people may use it to be combative or their primary mode of challenging other ideas, Obviously there are very serious flaws with that approach as you have previously mentioned with regards to the limited characters. It's also difficult to sustain a large volume of tweets in that mould. It's easier though if you plan to just use it to tweet random thoughts regarding something you like or are impressed by which could be anything along side the occasional cheeky tweet which is meant to bring attention to your more scholarly works in which you academically deal with different view points (I feel you are at your best in that mode). Twitter can sort of help to avoid that wormhole way of finding your work (Come across Bishop Barron on YouTube, watch him, slowly your videos get recommended as you watch Bishop Barron, or Bishop Barron himself recommends you etc.) That's sort of like a long cut and twitter can help mitigate that. Your steely dan tweets are sort of an example of the random kind of tweets. Those tweets sort of humanise you or cuts across the steely professory exterior. I'd recommend Prof.Jennifer Frey's twitter feed as one to emulate. I think it has the right mix of positive but insightful and thought provoking tweets.
      Cheers.

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  19. NormApril 16, 2022 at 10:47 PM

    Belated Happy Birthday Prof.Feser.
    And Happy Easter. May the hope of the resurrection bless you and your family with health and happiness.

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