I watched the Martin Scorsese film Silence the other day and had a lot of thoughts. Here they are in rough form. If you haven't seen the movie yet, there are spoilers ahead.
Category: Existentialism
Christianity, Creation and Climate Change
This piece comes in the wake of the First Reformed movie review and is my attempt to think through some of the themes and questions raised by that film, as well as gather my own thoughts on the issue of Christianity and Creation care.
First Reformed: Will God Forgive Us?
The following movie review is born out of a long email exchange I had with Jarrod, a friend I met through this blog. It was through the long emails that we sent back and fourth that I came to see just how profound a film this is. I have tried in this blog post, to put Jarod and I's conversations into narrative form, giving a reading of the film in its own terms. I find that even after having written this post, there is much left unprobed, many questions left unanswered, and there is much left to grapple with. I found myself while writing, to be speaking at several different levels at once. I will leave the reader to decide which level is most illuminating. Spoilers ahead, proceed at your own risk.
The Matrix: The Unfreedom of Technology
The Matrix trilogy is a exploration of many profound philosophical questions. What it means to be human, the relationship between faith and reason, what reality is, free will and determinism and many more. In this piece, I'll briefly be exploring some of the themes of the Matrix trilogy. Spoilers ahead, you have been warned. In … Continue reading The Matrix: The Unfreedom of Technology
Faith and Uncertainty
There is a line from Nietzsche that should give every thoughtful Christian pause: “Faith is not wanting to know what is true.” This is a more profound articulation of what has been heard from other quarters, that faith is a ‘crutch’ for the weak (this might be Nietzsche as well), wish fulfilment, or “believing what … Continue reading Faith and Uncertainty
What the New Atheists and the Christian Apologists Miss about Jordan Peterson
One question I have been grappling with for a few months now is this: What is it about Jordan Peterson that subverts the approach of both the new atheists and the evangelical apologists? I have noticed that there is a pattern of thinking or, as I like to put it a “mode of being” that … Continue reading What the New Atheists and the Christian Apologists Miss about Jordan Peterson
Fideistic Morality: Responding to Adam Friended and Esther O’Reilly
Esther O'Reilly and Adam Friended recently had a conversation on evolution and morality which sparked some conversation within my online circles. After reading Paul Vanderklay's response to the conversation, on his blog, I thought I would add my own thoughts the conversation. I believe there are four stages of morality, the greater your conception of … Continue reading Fideistic Morality: Responding to Adam Friended and Esther O’Reilly
Jordan Peterson the Postmodernist
Disclaimer: I am no philosopher, I am just a layperson trying to figure stuff out, so the definitions of words I'm using here, might not be the most precise. I don't get Jordan Peterson's frustration with the Postmodernists, he has very much been influenced by Postmodernism. Peterson is no Modernist, and in some respects he's … Continue reading Jordan Peterson the Postmodernist
Kierkegaard critiques the Objective Approach
Prelude “Away from Speculation! Back to Christianity!” Kierkegaard writes. This short statement encapsulates one of the central themes of Kierkegaard’s thought: (the parts I’ve read anyhow) that Christianity is to be approached subjectively, not objectively. The objective approach, is, to Kierkegaard, the dispassionate pursuit of WHAT is true. The individuals personal feelings and passions are … Continue reading Kierkegaard critiques the Objective Approach
What is Truth? Part 2: Truth Defined
This is precisely the problem with the Correspondence theory of truth: it neglects existence and counts it a virtue to do so. I digress. To try to transcend yourself in pursuit of objective truth is precisely untruth. You are abstracting yourself away, and yet, in reality, you are still there. We do not have the … Continue reading What is Truth? Part 2: Truth Defined