Thoughts and links on 10/28...
Today, in my "Violence in the Social Sciences" class, we had a short debate (well, the teacher ended it before it was actually started, as is the case often in this class) over whether or not written moral codes come from a different source than those which are simply orally or otherwise socially transmitted. This is an interesting debate that I would accept any opinions on. It is important to some of those who are religious to believe that their moral codes are not simply social constructions but instead have come from elsewhere. I think that the writings and social constructs of humans are indeed the inventions of humans; however, I do not personally believe that this denies religion, as there are many ways to interpret standing religions without contradicting that fact.
Click Here to read an interesting article about the already beginning smear campaign that the wonderfully ethical and religious Republicans have started in Minnesota only three days after Senator Paul Wellstone's death on Friday. The party barely waited from Friday to Sunday to start this campaign, a similar amount of time in length to the period that the Pharisees laid off of Jesus' disciples. This is interesting, of course, because the Republican Party contends to be the religious, family-value oriented one. This is just another instance of the Republicans attempting to put symbols, laws, and self-made regulations in front of what really matters: people and the situations that they face.
I have been impressed by what I have known of Wellstone, we often agreed on policy decisions and I am more than happy to recognize him as a politician who was able to be in the Senate and not lose his passion for helping people. He was also quite short, and, with myself being 5'5" and an attempted humanist champion, I felt a small connection to this man that I had never met. He certainly would have recieved my vote if I had been able to support him.
A few weeks ago a friend turned me on to Michael Moore's website, an interesting exploration of the workings of the socio-political machine of American culture. This sight is run much like a blog and contains excellent links for gathering hard-to-get information and oft unheard journalistic viewpoints.
Art: Check out Born Magazine. Born is a collection of poets and graphic artists who do projects together. This is an exceptional site, furthering the work of others and making such projects a real force in the art world. Their projects range from romantic poems tied to single images to heavily-clad existentialist ponderings. Be warned that you will need flash and shockwave to view the projects. Both of those can be downloaded for free.
Today, in my "Violence in the Social Sciences" class, we had a short debate (well, the teacher ended it before it was actually started, as is the case often in this class) over whether or not written moral codes come from a different source than those which are simply orally or otherwise socially transmitted. This is an interesting debate that I would accept any opinions on. It is important to some of those who are religious to believe that their moral codes are not simply social constructions but instead have come from elsewhere. I think that the writings and social constructs of humans are indeed the inventions of humans; however, I do not personally believe that this denies religion, as there are many ways to interpret standing religions without contradicting that fact.
Click Here to read an interesting article about the already beginning smear campaign that the wonderfully ethical and religious Republicans have started in Minnesota only three days after Senator Paul Wellstone's death on Friday. The party barely waited from Friday to Sunday to start this campaign, a similar amount of time in length to the period that the Pharisees laid off of Jesus' disciples. This is interesting, of course, because the Republican Party contends to be the religious, family-value oriented one. This is just another instance of the Republicans attempting to put symbols, laws, and self-made regulations in front of what really matters: people and the situations that they face.
I have been impressed by what I have known of Wellstone, we often agreed on policy decisions and I am more than happy to recognize him as a politician who was able to be in the Senate and not lose his passion for helping people. He was also quite short, and, with myself being 5'5" and an attempted humanist champion, I felt a small connection to this man that I had never met. He certainly would have recieved my vote if I had been able to support him.
A few weeks ago a friend turned me on to Michael Moore's website, an interesting exploration of the workings of the socio-political machine of American culture. This sight is run much like a blog and contains excellent links for gathering hard-to-get information and oft unheard journalistic viewpoints.
Art: Check out Born Magazine. Born is a collection of poets and graphic artists who do projects together. This is an exceptional site, furthering the work of others and making such projects a real force in the art world. Their projects range from romantic poems tied to single images to heavily-clad existentialist ponderings. Be warned that you will need flash and shockwave to view the projects. Both of those can be downloaded for free.
posted by Justin at
9:07 AM
