In an unpublished lecture note that sits in the manuscript archive at the Yale University library, Alfred North Whitehead is quoted as saying: Every scientific man in order to preserve his reputation has to say he dislikes metaphysics. What he means is he dislikes having his metaphysics criticized. This quote is a spot-on description of … Continue reading On Reading “Faith vs. Fact” by Jerry A. Coyne
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On Reading “Writing and Difference” by Jacques Derrida
Like so many books that rest comfortably on my shelves, Writing and Difference was an impulse buy prompted by the dual realization that (1) I know who the author is and why he/she is considered "important," and (2) that I had never actually read that particular author. Being a graduate student in the area of Christian apologetics … Continue reading On Reading “Writing and Difference” by Jacques Derrida
On Reading “Silence” by Shusaku Endo
Spoiler Alert! If you haven't read Silence by Shusaku Endo, then you might want to click away from this post and come back after reading it. If you arrived here through the randomness of the internet, then may I suggest you keep the randomness flowing and click here. I'm currently in a brief break between this semester's … Continue reading On Reading “Silence” by Shusaku Endo
On Reading “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari
Over the weekend, I finished reading Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. I read it immediately after finishing Sapiens by the same author. Homo Deus is, essentially, a follow-up to and expansion upon Sapiens. I'm the type of person who thinks about the books I read. Because, avocationally, I am first and foremost a writer, I want to understand a book's ideas … Continue reading On Reading “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari
A Reflection on the Meaning of Texts
There is a tendency in many Christian circles -- even in academic ones where people should know better -- to confuse postmodernism with relativism. At many points, this confusion reaches a climax at which the terms postmodernism and relativism are used interchangeably as synonyms. Properly understood, relativism (moral, ethical, cultural, artistic, etc.) is a consequence of certain themes that … Continue reading A Reflection on the Meaning of Texts
