:: St. Stephen's Musings ::

:: Friday, October 29, 2004 ::

There's Nothing Outside the Text

My literary theory professor uses the Derridian phrase "there's nothing outside the text" at least once per class. I'm constantly tempted to challenge this epistemological relativism, but then someone goes and says it better than I could.

Roger Kimball, one of my favorite contemporary essayists, nails it:

"Even if deconstruction cannot be defined, it can be described. For one thing, deconstruction comes with a lifetime guarantee to render discussion of any subject completely unintelligible. It does this by linguistic subterfuge. One of the central slogans of deconstruction is "il n'y a pas de hors-texte", i.e., "there is nothing outside the text." (It sounds better in French.) In other words, deconstruction is an updated version of nominalism, the view that the meanings of words are completely arbitrary and that, at bottom, reality is unknowable."

To say that "there is nothing outside the text" begs the question of how anyone could ever know that in the first place. (Are you in the Matrix or not?) But that little philosophical conundrum doesn't seem to bother too many of my classmates....

:: Karl :: 8:39:00 AM [Link] ::

Latin Humor, Luther, Abortion: Random Wednesday Musings

* Conversation from my Latin class:
Me: "So, we can see that the Latin word for man is spelled "v-i-r."
Female student, after a confused pause: "Is that where we get the word vermin?"

Hmmm. I'll let my readers decide if that is a fair derivative or not!

* The blogosphere has been all abuzz over the discovery that Martin Luther allegedly began the Reformation while sitting on a toilet seat.

However, a little bit of linguistic knowledge cleverly debunks this story.

* My wife is stirring the pot with her question about why the Kerry campaign wants to eat their cake and have it too regarding the question of whether a second Bush administration (through judicial nominations) can overturn Roe v Wade or not.

Jan continues the discussion, noting the crucial role the next president will have in choosing judicial nominees and Justin and Myles have contradictory opinions on what role the abortion issue should play in making one's decision. Much has been said about this by many other bloggers as well....

* Introspective Read O' the Week: On Loneliness and Happiness. John is one of my favorite NW bloggers.

* The wife and I went to the first of six birthing classes last night. I'll share more about that soon...

:: Karl :: 8:24:00 AM [Link] ::

Becoming the Bride of Christ

A Protestant missionary friend has been corresponding with me via email about all things theological. Here is a small snippet of our conversation:

"In my childhood, the 'church' bruised my family and I quite severely..."

I know what you mean all too well. I think the damage done by those who call themselves Christians (and I am chief among sinners here) is something we can hardly fathom. This hypocrisy and nominalism was, in part, one of the reasons I become discontent with the churches of my upbringing (Anglican and Quaker) and started really searching, in my late teens and early 20's, for what the early church believed and practiced.

During those years, when I looked around at contemporary and modern Christianity, I just couldn't believe that "this is all there is."

"A passion that burdens my soul in these recent years is a passion to see the church prepare herself to become the bride of Christ."

I, too, had this deep longing and hope that the Faith had to go deeper in terms of teaching us a life of holiness; have more continuity with what has come before in terms of belief; have a more solid theological and practical foundation than the private whims of any one pastor or parish; and be what the Scripture itself calls the Church (and here is the key) *as it exists now*:

For example the biblical writers already were calling the Church "the Body of Christ" (Rom 12; 1 Cor 10, 12; Col 1) and the Bride of Christ (Eph 5; Rev 21). It is likened as well to God's living Temple (Eph 2; 1 Pet 2) and is called "the pillar and bulwark of Truth" (1 Tim 3:15).

As a Protestant I just couldn't figure out what church the New Testament was talking about! It sure wasn't the one I was part of with its fragmented denominations, contradictory teachings and practices, and lack of any substantial spiritual life or way of curbing the passions. So I understand what you are saying about the church, or rather, your experience of "church"--it was exactly my own until about 7 years ago.

But more on that later. Let me respond to some more of the specifics of your letter....

:: Karl :: 7:28:00 AM [Link] ::

Book Search, New Blog: Random Friday Musings

* "The Personal Heresy" is an old book containing the debate between C.S. Lewis and E.M.W. Tillyard on topics such as literary criticism. As far as I can tell, it is out of print and the few copies available are extremely expensive. Does anyone have a copy or know where I can find one cheaper?
* Speaking of finding texts, does anyone know if there is patristic commentary on the phenomenon of "deja vu"?

* Amusing conversation I had the other night:
A high-school family member: "I'm not doing well in Spanish class. I don't understand the teacher very well."
Me: "Why?"
Him: "She keeps talking to us in Mexican."

* Well, she couldn't fight the urge any more. My wife has started her own blog

Her blog "will contain the random 'inklings' of a sinner who is entering the journey of motherhood for the first time, who is faithfully struggling to travel the Path of Salvation alongside her husband, and working to promote Orthodox Christian education in her community."

:: Karl :: 6:47:00 AM [Link] ::

Saving Social Security By Taxing Abortion

From "Discovering Our Dependence" by Mary Ann Glendon:

"Cambridge economist Partha Dasgupta noted an interesting 'free rider' problem: childless individuals (who as a group enjoy a higher standard of living than child-rearing persons as a group) expect to be cared for in old age through benefits financed by a labor force that they are not helping to replenish."

Ok, so I have a tongue-in-cheek idea to help Gen-X stave off the eminent financial crisis caused by the Boomer generation's moral bankruptcy, simplistic thinking, and overall shoddy governance:

For every abortion received between the years 1973-2004, the recipient is taxed for Social Security benefits equal to the average lifetime contribution the child would have been expected to pay into the Social Security Trust Fund. Or the mother and/or father can take a lifetime tax increase, paid on a graduated schedule. In some versions of the bill, perhaps, the abortion providers will pay the tax increase.

This plan could receive bi-partisan support because pro-abortion politicians needing to solidify their pro-life contingency could still support Roe v. Wade ideologically yet could stump on platform that they reduced the number of abortions (due to the procedure becoming a totally untenable financial option for all but the very rich.)

This is all grotesquely socialist and totalitarian, of course.

But then again, the government disincentivizes all kinds of activities and products through taxation (alcohol, imports, marriage, etc). Now that even hardened feminists and liberals are starting to admit the horrific health risks and financial crisis caused by the unlimited abortion license, one wonders why cigarettes and fast food have become politically incorrect but not abortion. Oh wait, I remember why....

:: Karl :: 7:34:00 AM [Link] ::

Latin Is The Key to Decoding The Campaign

I've been teaching simple, first person singular Latin verbs to my class at Agia Sophia Academy the last couple of weeks. Therefore, this tidbit made me chuckle:

Michael Foley, responding to David Mills' essay "Unimposing Kerry":

I was thinking that your tag, "Values I Cannot Impose on Others," deserves to take on a life of its own. It could be called VICIO for short, which, interestingly enough, makes it resemble a Latin verb in the first person singular. Though there is no such verb as "Vicio" in Latin, "Vicis" does mean change or alteration (hence our word, "vicissitude"), so perhaps "vicio" could be translated as "I flip-flop."

:: Karl :: 10:21:00 AM [Link] ::

What Can Happen in One Second

He slammed head first into oncoming traffic just after reaching dangerous speeds of 35-40 mph on a road filled with curves. He clipped my car as he swerved to avoid rear-ending me but there was no time for either me or the other drivers to get out of the way.

The man was now motionless, crumpled on the ground and surrounded by broken glass, mangled plastic, and a crushed motorcycle.

Stunned witnesses began to gather at the scene, some checking to see if the man was conscious and the rest asking me what happened since I had so clearly seen the impact just feet away from my car.

The driver of the truck the motorcyclist hit stood a few feet away, trembling. Sirens wailed in the distance while a bright sunny day suddenly grew a little darker.

I made the sign of the cross and tried to breathe....

Please keep Bryan in your prayers. His status is unknown at this time.

:: Karl :: 8:04:00 AM [Link] ::

So Called Liberative Reading Practices: More on Derrida

Jacques Derrida's death has been greeted by literary critics and philosophers as a great loss. Others wonder, based on Derrida's philosophy, if he died in the first place:

"We can't even state that he ever did exist, since he may have been a mere metaphysical projection of our own prejudices against absolutes....."

Clever. Anyway, I thought the essay by R.R. Reno who reviewed Orthodox theologian David Bentley Hart's new masterpiece, "The Beauty of the Infinite" was apropos:

"Hart makes the following observation about Jacques Derrida's treatment of classical Christian figures such as John Chrysostom: 'He does not pay a moment's attention to what theology says, but simply imposes upon it his tidy set of binary opposition.'"

This quote was particularly amusing having just come back from my literary criticism and theory class the other day where the Deconstructionist glee at breaking down all the "binary opposites" they can get their sticky hands on was rivaled by their trumpeting Derrida's vision as the greatest philosophical tool since the Socratic method and Derrida the man as the most profound intellectual since Karl Marx.

Well, the sentiment expressed wasn't quite that egregious. But you know what I mean. Reno continues:

"The assessment is immediately and crushingly true, not only of Derrida, but of his generation. Aging postmodern intellectuals do not read texts, nor do they attend to the subtle, nuanced textures of life. They use texts as occasions for what they imagine to be 'liberative reading practices.' All recalcitrant particularity is overawed by the sublime truths of Theory."

Sadly, as my peers in class are trying to prove, it isn't just the aging Boomers who are dazzled by this worldview. Overawed is right.

:: Karl :: 7:24:00 AM [Link] ::

Music, Young Adults, and Weekend Drama: Random Monday Musings

* Those involved in church music will want to read "When the Spirit Sings: Cultivating Orthodox Spirituality Through Music" by Fr. Ted Pulcini. A very well written essay.

* After a one week hiatus, the local Orthodox Young Adult group is meeting again tonight. After a potluck dinner, we'll continue our discussion of St. Athanasius' "On the Incarnation."

* On a lighter note, the final minutes of this were a lot of fun to listen to on the radio on Saturday and they kept me from focusing on my homework. The final minutes of this, however, were not as much fun.

:: Karl :: 8:08:00 AM [Link] ::

The Voice of a Pure Imperative

My Literary Criticism and Theory class is all I expected it would be---pure propaganda. For example:

"It is best to take him at his word when he lets into his text the voice of a pure imperative."

-- French theorist Michel Foucault speaking, in his classic work "The History of Sexuality", about the writings of infamous sexual defiant Marquis de Sade--

Question: Why are Post-Strucuralists (and, by extension, their cousins the Deconstructionists) so eager to bend over backwards for their fellow nihilistic but when it comes to say, the writings of St. John Chrysostom that Derrida rants against, Foucault's advice suddenly doesn't apply any longer?

I'd ask these kinds of questions in class but I'd like to avoid getting lynched as a representative of the only unprotected class on the university campus: the white, heterosexual male who dares to question the relativist hermeneutic.

I suppose I'll be content musing about theory issues on the blog while I nod vigorously like Pavlov's dog when I'm in class.

Update: As John notes in the comments, Jacques Derrida succumbed to cancer over the weekend.

:: Karl :: 7:46:00 AM [Link] ::

Absolute Pacifism and Justifiable War: The Orthodox Paradox

Even a brief perusal of the blogosphere will show the questions surrounding war--both concerning the current struggle in Iraq and in general--are popular discussion fodder in Christian circles, Orthodox included.

Fr. Alexander F. C. Webster, a renowned Orthodox theologian and expert on the patristic tradition regarding issues of war, military violence and peace, is interviewed in the latest issue of "Again" magazine.

He is the author of two books with, at first glance, seemingly contradictory theses.
"The Pacifist Option: The Moral Argument Against War in Eastern Orthodox Theology" as well as a new book entitled "The Virtue of War: Reclaiming the Classic Christian Tradition East and West."

"What I've discovered through this decades-long research into components of Orthodox moral tradition is the primary thesis of my scholarly life--the inescapable conclusion that Orthodox Christianity approaches war and peace from two apparently contradictory but integral perspectives."

One could say this about almost every issue the Church deals with. "Both/and" is the mantra of Orthodox theology!

"There are only two historically grounded and morally acceptable positions that Orthodoxy allows ... absolute pacifism and justifiable war. What I think is happening, ironically and sadly, is the creation of another stance that reflects neither of the two classic trajectories...."

"This new idea insists that war may be a 'lesser evil' or a 'necessary evil.'....But this is a pacifist premise with a justifiable war conclusion! You cannot rationally invoke a pacifist premise that all war is evil and then act upon it positively--at least not without misunderstanding the logic of absolute pacifism, which has its own vitality and integrity, and also seriously misconstruing and distorting the justifiable war tradition."

CS Lewis, writing in "Mere Christianity", agreed that the "middle ground" approach is philosophically precarious:

"War is a dreadful thing, and I can respect an honest pacifist, though I think he is entirely mistaken. What I cannot understand is this sort of semi-pacifism you get nowadays which gives the people the idea that though you have to fight, you ought to do it with a long face as if you were ashamed of it."

In a recent discussion, a young Orthodox woman asked our priest what the "Orthodox position on war" was. The simple answer, the one that all the Church Fathers agree no matter which side of the paradox they fall, was the one our priest gave:

The Church is not "pro-war" since war (justified or not) is always seen by the Church as falling short of the glory of God. Yet the Church is not "anti-war" as we pray for victory of our armed forces that they may "keep Your Holy Church secure" and fight against those who would harm the Church and prevent the faithful from living lives of "peace and repentance."

:: Karl :: 7:49:00 AM [Link] ::

Orderly But With Little Inner Substance

Quotes du Jour (props to Wild Violets):

"Orderliness, tidiness, clarity of thinking are not very important in themselves, but they become important to a man who is sensitive, who feels deeply, who is in a state of perpetual inward revolution."

I'm not sure what exactly an "inward revolution" is in context here, but I do think there is something about a clean house/dorm/locker/car/desk or whatnot that is both the fruit of (and the prerequisite for) an orderly soul.

Those who have visited a monastery know that, while the grounds and facilities may not be "up to date", they will always be clean and well-maintained. We talk so often of the virtue of simplicity and pine for it to manifest itself in our spiritual lives. I wonder if it starts with having a clean house...

"In this country, unfortunately, as all over the world, we care so little, we have no deep feeling about anything. Most of us are intellectual--intellectuals in the superficial sense of being very clever, full of words and theories about what is right and what is wrong, about how we should think, what we should do. Mentally we are highly developed, but inwardly there is very little substance or significance; and it is this inward substance that brings about true action, which is not action according to an idea."

Ouch. All too true in the case of your not so humble scribe ....

:: Karl :: 7:26:00 AM [Link] ::

Workplace Irony

I earn my living in the advertising industry (television media to be exact).

I'm working on several new 4th quarter projects right now. One is for a hideously overpriced product nobody needs which the masses will scarf up in spades to "be kewl" .... only to later realize how superfluous and expensive the item is.

The other is for a company that specializes in debt relief services.

I love consumerism.

:: Karl :: 8:34:00 AM [Link] ::