Comments for From the Secretary Blog http://blog.pbk.org Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:43:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 Comment on An Ocean of Presumption by The Value of the Humanities: A Roundtable of Links | AHA Today http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946#comment-5976 The Value of the Humanities: A Roundtable of Links | AHA Today Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:43:34 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946#comment-5976 [...] An Ocean of Presumption, Phi Beta Kappa Society, John Churchill. This entry was posted in Advocacy, History in the News, News and tagged humanities on February 26, 2013 by Vanessa Varin. [...] [...] An Ocean of Presumption, Phi Beta Kappa Society, John Churchill. This entry was posted in Advocacy, History in the News, News and tagged humanities on February 26, 2013 by Vanessa Varin. [...]

]]> Comment on Personation, Without the Im- by Milkman Moses http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1077#comment-5447 Milkman Moses Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:28:10 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1077#comment-5447 Indeed,Love of Learning is the guide of Life. Indeed,Love of Learning is the guide of Life.

]]> Comment on You Have a Right to My Opinion by Frank http://blog.pbk.org/?p=113#comment-5445 Frank Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:13:12 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=113#comment-5445 Toward the end of a long list of mendacities, Mitt Romney wrapped up his first debate performance by stumbling through a well-practiced "zinger." MR. LEHRER: We're running out of time. MR. ROMNEY: Jim, Jim — MR. LEHRER: I'm certainly going give you a chance to respond to that. Yes, sir, Governor. MR. ROMNEY: Mr. — Mr. President, you're entitled, as the president, to your own airplane and to your own house, but not to your own facts — (laughter) — all right? I'm — I'm not going to cut education funding. I don't have any plan to cut education funding and grants that go to people going to college. I'm planning on continuing to grow, so I'm not planning on making changes there. Toward the end of a long list of mendacities, Mitt Romney wrapped up his first debate performance by stumbling through a well-practiced “zinger.”

MR. LEHRER: We’re running out of time.

MR. ROMNEY: Jim, Jim —

MR. LEHRER: I’m certainly going give you a chance to respond to that. Yes, sir, Governor.

MR. ROMNEY: Mr. — Mr. President, you’re entitled, as the president, to your own airplane and to your own house, but not to your own facts — (laughter) — all right? I’m — I’m not going to cut education funding. I don’t have any plan to cut education funding and grants that go to people going to college. I’m planning on continuing to grow, so I’m not planning on making changes there.

]]> Comment on The Mop and the Microphone by john churchill http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5318 john churchill Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:47:10 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5318 The interesting thing about theological postures with contradictions embedded in them is that they can give rise to opposite interpretations. So it is with the significance of work, prosperity, and penury in a system where the doctrine of predestination, in its conflict both with the theoretical aspect of freedom of the will, and with the practicalities of motivation to take action, looms like a thunderhead over all the arguments. What predestination does, practically, is take all possibility of effectuating one's own salvation off the table. This is like expunging religion of self-interest. If it works, it is an amazing feat: candidates for the ministry in 17th century New England were asked: "Are you willing to be damned for the glory of God?" "Yes," was the only good answer. Then the question becomes what kind of life you live if reward is not an issue. That is the point at which I believe in the redemptive power of work. As for prosperity? We should all read Job a lot more, leaving off the bit at the end where he gets it all back, which I think misses the point. Yes, Calvinists contributed to the gospel of prosperity, but the poison of self-interest seeped in, and the point of the question was lost. The interesting thing about theological postures with contradictions embedded in them is that they can give rise to opposite interpretations. So it is with the significance of work, prosperity, and penury in a system where the doctrine of predestination, in its conflict both with the theoretical aspect of freedom of the will, and with the practicalities of motivation to take action, looms like a thunderhead over all the arguments. What predestination does, practically, is take all possibility of effectuating one’s own salvation off the table. This is like expunging religion of self-interest. If it works, it is an amazing feat: candidates for the ministry in 17th century New England were asked: “Are you willing to be damned for the glory of God?” “Yes,” was the only good answer. Then the question becomes what kind of life you live if reward is not an issue. That is the point at which I believe in the redemptive power of work. As for prosperity? We should all read Job a lot more, leaving off the bit at the end where he gets it all back, which I think misses the point. Yes, Calvinists contributed to the gospel of prosperity, but the poison of self-interest seeped in, and the point of the question was lost.

]]> Comment on The Mop and the Microphone by Steven Jandreau http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5304 Steven Jandreau Mon, 17 Sep 2012 02:49:55 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5304 <I>Call me a Calvinist. I believe in the redemptive power of work.</I> FAIL - Calvinists believe in predestination Call me a Calvinist. I believe in the redemptive power of work.

FAIL – Calvinists believe in predestination

]]> Comment on The Mop and the Microphone by You Don’t Know What Work Is | Prometheus Unbound http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5299 You Don’t Know What Work Is | Prometheus Unbound Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:31:20 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5299 [...] John Churchill has a contrarian take on work: Is there no intrinsic value ─ no good in itself ─ in the work of a life that does not rise, in its own span, above the level of the mop and the apron? [...] [...] John Churchill has a contrarian take on work: Is there no intrinsic value ─ no good in itself ─ in the work of a life that does not rise, in its own span, above the level of the mop and the apron? [...]

]]> Comment on The Mop and the Microphone by Heron http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5298 Heron Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:54:23 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5298 Call you a Calvinist? So you believe material success in this life is a sign that god chose you to be saved from the fires of hell before the very conception of creation, and that a life spent toiling in menial labor is a sign of god's personal disfavor, then. The Prosperity gospel didn't come from nowhere, Mr. Churchill. How about I call you a semi-decent human being who doesn't judge the moral value of his fellows on the basis of their monthly pay-stubs instead. Call you a Calvinist? So you believe material success in this life is a sign that god chose you to be saved from the fires of hell before the very conception of creation, and that a life spent toiling in menial labor is a sign of god’s personal disfavor, then. The Prosperity gospel didn’t come from nowhere, Mr. Churchill. How about I call you a semi-decent human being who doesn’t judge the moral value of his fellows on the basis of their monthly pay-stubs instead.

]]> Comment on The Mop and the Microphone by The Dignity Of Unglamorous Work | The Penn Ave Post http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5297 The Dignity Of Unglamorous Work | The Penn Ave Post Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:16:00 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1036#comment-5297 [...] Politicians often contrast their parents menial jobs with their own successes. John Churchill wonders about this: Are we to say that [work] has value only in so far as it transcends itself, in a [...] [...] Politicians often contrast their parents menial jobs with their own successes. John Churchill wonders about this: Are we to say that [work] has value only in so far as it transcends itself, in a [...]

]]> Comment on “Break, Break, Break, On Thy Cold Gray Stones . . . by Michael Gauger, Senator, North Central District http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1006#comment-5156 Michael Gauger, Senator, North Central District Mon, 20 Aug 2012 23:03:21 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=1006#comment-5156 The implication here is that debate at previous Councils was neither constructive nor civil and, therefore, was illegitimate. In fact, one of the most important and salutary developments in PBK history -- the Associations’ winning the right to vote on chartering chapters -- came about because delegates then were allowed to bring up policy measures for debate and a floor vote at the same plenary session. One may hold unfavorable views of the debates and debaters at subsequent Councils (and I have had my differences with some, in the six Councils that I have attended), but those debaters deserve our respect for their efforts to improve the Society. Especially now -- when the liberal arts are indeed under siege and PBK needs to be at its strongest to defend them -- we need “contentious wrangling.” The implication here is that debate at previous Councils was neither constructive nor civil and, therefore, was illegitimate. In fact, one of the most important and salutary developments in PBK history — the Associations’ winning the right to vote on chartering chapters — came about because delegates then were allowed to bring up policy measures for debate and a floor vote at the same plenary session. One may hold unfavorable views of the debates and debaters at subsequent Councils (and I have had my differences with some, in the six Councils that I have attended), but those debaters deserve our respect for their efforts to improve the Society. Especially now — when the liberal arts are indeed under siege and PBK needs to be at its strongest to defend them — we need “contentious wrangling.”

]]> Comment on An Ocean of Presumption by Is a humanities degree useful? « Shirley Nemec's Blog http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946#comment-5056 Is a humanities degree useful? « Shirley Nemec's Blog Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:03:34 +0000 http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946#comment-5056 [...] I recently read an article from John Churchill, the secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, writing in response to an article published on Forbes.com that universities should cut their Humanities Departments. http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946 [...] [...] I recently read an article from John Churchill, the secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, writing in response to an article published on Forbes.com that universities should cut their Humanities Departments. http://blog.pbk.org/?p=946 [...]

]]>