Res Cogitans

A Christian Perspective on Sports

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Winter 2012 issue of Biola Magazine (published by Biola University, where I received my MA back in 2000) includes an interview of, well, me, on the topic of thinking about sports in theological terms: "What hath football to do with faith?"

Understanding Authority in the Bible

2012-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

For the past few years, we have been involved in a local community of faith, Northridge Church. Recently our pastor talked about the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and in our small group we studied Mark 10:32-45. There are many striking things about this passage, when the historical, theological, and immediate context is taken into account. One thing that struck me in a fresh way was the radical nature of the teaching of Jesus on the connections between authority, leadership, honor, and service. These teachings were exemplified in many ways by MLK.

Many people, regardless of whether or not they have a faith commitment, equate leadership with the exercise of authority. But as usual, the way of Jesus is radically different than the way of human nature and culture. For him, greatness means service, becoming "a slave of all". Most of us who aspire to leadership aren't thinking, in the midst of our amibition, "I really want to lead so I can be a slave of all!" But this is precisely what Jesus does, and what he calls his followers to do as well. It strikes me that if anyone deserves honor, it would be the Son of Man. But he willingly sets that aside in sacrificial love for human beings.

We can see in this passage that the possession of authority does not entail its exercise in the kingdom of God. Jesus has authority, but he does not use it in this context because there is something important at stake, the redemption of humanity and the rest of creation. Or better, he uses his authority in a way that is different from how we tend to employ it. He uses it to serve.

Finally, this distinct way of understanding authority relationships and practicing leadership has important implications for other passages in the Bible dealing with authority in the context of marriage, parenthood, work, and the church. Many of these passages pose difficulties for us and surface as objections to the teachings of Scripture, but I believe that a large part of the problem is that we are operating from a misguided understanding of authority and leadership. If we understood leadership and authority as Jesus understood and practiced it, many of these issues would fall by the wayside.

Review of Cycling-Philosophy for Everyone

2012-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

A review of the book can be found at this link.

Here's a taste:

One of cycling history’s few intellectual riders, the Frenchman Laurent Fignon has put it like this: “This job brought me a lot, except on the intellectual level, where I felt I regressed, and that was my biggest sacrifice”.
Against this backdrop one can be excused for receiving a book about cycling and philosophy (for everyone) with a slight bias, thinking that it probably is characterised by superficial generalities. Yet, my prejudice was proved wrong. This is an interesting and inspiring book that I have enjoyed reading.

Currently Reading

2012-01-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Some books on my Kindle, desk, and nightstand that I'm currently working through or hoping to start soon, for those who might have some of the same interests in theology and culture, soccer, anxiety and the brain, biblical hermeneutics, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the philosophy of religion:

Heretics, by G.K. Chesterton

Gullhanger, or How I Learned to Love Brighton and Hove Albion, by Mike Ward

The Anxiety Cure, by Dr. Archibald Hart

Playing with Fire, by Walt Russell

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas

The Elusive God, Paul Moser

Books for Your New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Eerdmans has included Being Good on their list of “Twelve Books to Help You Make (and Keep) Your New Year’s Resolutions.”

There are books related to diet, finding your calling in life, money, dealing with stress, happiness, environmental responsibility, travel, decluttering, strengthening relationships, fostering community, living like a follower of Christ (Being Good is suggested for this one), and giving up New Year's resolutions and being happy with the person you are right now!

Click here for the complete list with the books that correspond to the above categories.

Seeing isn't Believing

2012-01-17T03:53:00.000-08:00

"John's gospel is a work in epistemology" - Paul Moser, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
For more of Dr. Moser's views on faith, see his chapter in Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life.

Humility: A Study in Analytic Moral Theology

2012-01-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm on sabbatical for the Spring 2012 semester, and my main project during this time away from teaching is a manuscript on humility. As I go through the semester, I'll post thoughts, arguments, and portions of the draft of the book, in order to elicit feedback from readers, which I would welcome as I develop my ideas.

In this post, I'll give a brief overview of the project. The primary aim of the manuscript Humility: A Study in Analytic Moral Theology is to articulate and defend a Christian conception of the virtue of humility. There are distinct conceptions of the virtue of humility present in the history of Christian theology and moral philosophy (both religious and secular). I will critically examine different understandings of humility present in these disciplines, and compare them with the account I offer of this virtue. I will also defend my conception of humility against objections that have been lodged against the claim that humility is a virtue from philosophers both past and present. Finally, I will discuss the practical relevance of humility for personal and social human life.

A significant body of work in philosophical theology has emerged in the past forty years which deals with central Christian doctrines such as the Incarnation and the Trinity using the methods of analytic philosophy. However, comparably little has been done in the field of moral theology using those methods. As I envision it, this manuscript is best characterized as a work in analytic moral theology that is informed by and in conversation with philosophical approaches to the virtue of humility.

In his introduction to Analytic Theology, Michael Rea defines analytic theology as “the activity of approaching theological topics with the ambitions of an analytic philosopher and in a style that conforms to the prescriptions that are distinctive of analytic philosophical discourse.”[1] These prescriptions include a style of writing in which philosophical argumentation is made up of formalized and logically manipulable sentences; the prioritization of precision, clarity, and logical coherence; the avoidance of the non-decorative use of metaphor; the employment of primitive concepts or concepts that can be analyzed in such terms, when possible; and the belief that conceptual analysis can serve as one source of evidence. As Oliver Crisp puts it in the same volume, “analytic theology is about redeploying tools already in the service of philosophy to a theological end.”[2]

This is the methodology I intend to employ in this manuscript. More precisely, I intend to deploy the methods of analytic philosophy to the field of moral theology, focused on the virtue of humility. I believe that this often misunderstood and difficult to embody virtue has much to offer for human flourishing.

[1] Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 7.

[2] Ibid., p. 38.

Being Good News

2012-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

There’s a new dedicated website for the book Being Good, edited by Doug Geivett and Mike Austin (Eerdmans, 2012). It’s called “Being Good News.” The website features content related to the book, which has just been released. Included is a Newsletter section, where issues of the new “Being Good Newsletter” can be downloaded. For more information about the website and the newsletter, click here.
To download the first issue of the Newsletter, click here: Being Good Newsletter 1.1 (January 2012).
For future issues, go to the Newsletter page at “Being Good News.”

Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life--New Book Announcement

2012-01-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

Doug Geivett and I are happy to announce the publication of Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life (Eerdmans, 2012). The book is a collection of 11 essays written by 12 philosophers and theologians. Each chapter explores and explains a key virtue from a Christian perspective, relates it to everyday life, and includes questions for further reflection. Our goal is not only to reach a deeper understanding of the virtues discussed, but to also give the reader tools to cultivate these virtues in their daily lives. The book is available at the publisher's website, and Amazon.

Being Good is organized into 3 parts, around the 3 theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

Part I: Faith

"Faith" Paul Moser (Loyola University of Chicago)

"Open-mindedness" Jason Baehr (Loyola Marymount)

"Wisdom" James Spiegel

"Zeal" David Horner and David Turner (Biola University)

Part II: Hope

"Hope" William Mattison (Catholic University of America)

"Contentment" Steve Porter (Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University)

"Courage" Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung (Calvin College)

Part III: Love

"Love" Charles Taliaferro (St. Olaf College)

"Compassion" Michael W. Austin (Eastern Kentucky University)

"Forgiveness" Doug Geivett (Biola University)

"Humility" Andrew Pinsent (Oxford University)

Advance praise for Being Good:

“Being Good, with its outstanding contributions by frontline Christian thinkers and scholars, is a major contribution to the intellectual and spiritual needs of our times. Hopefully it will become a part of the practice, teaching, and preaching in today’s most prominent ministries.”

— Dallas Willard, University of Southern California

“Being Good contains eleven well-informed, gracefully written new essays on crucial aspects of Christian character, intentionally crafted to aid the reader in the quest to grow in the Christian virtues.”

— Robert C. Roberts, Baylor University

“Here I found a significantly Christian approach to living virtuously, complete with practical suggestions in every chapter for improving the quality of this life. I found myself finishing a chapter and thinking it was the best I had seen so far, only to find the next one equally or even more stimulating. When that happens, you realize that you are holding a quality text!”

—Gary R. Habermas, Liberty University

Plantinga on Science and Religion

2011-12-15T04:17:00.001-08:00

A Unique Christmas Gift for Dad

2011-12-06T10:09:00.001-08:00

If your dad is someone who likes to read thought-provoking books about fatherhood, check out the book I co-edited with Lon Nease, Fatherhood--Philosophy for Everyone: The Dao of Daddy.

For many men, fatherhood gives meaning to their lives. There is so much to do and learn, and as dads know the longer we go on the journey the more we realize how much we don't know. However, there is real wisdom and practical advice that is available from a philosophical perspective.

Among the 17 chapters in the book, by philosophers, psychologists, and other thinkers both male and female, from the U.S. and abroad, are the following topics:

-The art of raising a good person

-Bits of wisdom for dads with daughters

-How fatherhood relates to our perceptions of time

-Fatherhood and the identity of a man

-Challenges in the father-son relationship

-Fathering for social justice

-Children and exposure to the media

-An argument that real fathers bake cookies!

Each of these and the other chapters are short, thoughtful, and offer practical insights for dads. There is also an appendix of memorable quotes from the children of some of our contributors, such as:

What have you learned from your dad?

"How to choose a boyfriend someday."

"How not to talk to someone when they are talking to someone else, especially if it is Mommy."

Other bits of wisdom:

An adult friend to child (age 3): "Are you wearing cologne?" In response, the boy says "No, I wear pull-ups."

"I know why we lock the door when we leave. It's so people don't move in when we are gone."

Patience and the Argument from Virtue

2011-11-21T06:17:00.001-08:00

My friend Doug Geivett and I are in the beginning stages of developing a new version of a moral argument for theism. The argument is meant to be one part of a cumulative case, and not a stand-alone argument. In one portion of the argument, we argue that particular virtues, such as patience, humility, and forgiveness, are conceptually flawed and practically undermined if they do not include divine intentionality, that is, if they are not related to God in particular ways. This is all very rough at this point, including the following discussion of patience, but the point is to use the blog to think out loud as we develop the case. So any suggestions or objections are welcome.

Consider the virtue of patience. I think it is clear that it is reasonable to be patient. But certain forms of patience are not reasonable, if naturalism is true. On naturalism, I can be patient in line at the store, or with other drivers, or with my children, because of the therapeutic and relational value of patience in these realms. However, the naturalist cannot as easily account for the patient endurance of suffering or trials, in the following way. What am I waiting for, in the midst of terminal illness, challenging trials and tribulations, or an apparently irresolvable situation, when the desired states of affairs are outside of my ability to bring about? On naturalism I’m waiting for “my luck to change” or something along those lines (and whatever that means). This seems to be a weak basis for patience, and not a good reason to think that whatever I am waiting for will in fact occur. On naturalism, the attitude is “Wait and see.” By contrast, on theism I am waiting for God to come through. The attitude is not merely wait and see, but rather “Wait and see how God will prove his faithfulness.” For the theist there are positive reasons for patience, for expecting something good, sooner or later, to happen. There are reasons to be hopeful in patience. This is not the case on naturalism, making patience in many contexts, for the naturalist, irrational.

The argument with respect to patience, then, is this:

(1) It is reasonable to have and exercise patience.

(2) Christian theism can give a better account of (1) in certain contexts compared to naturalism.

Therefore,

(3) The reasonableness of patience in these contexts is a piece of evidence favoring Christian theism over naturalism.

For those readers interested in moral arguments, I recommend the recent book by Dave Baggett and Jerry Walls, Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality (Oxford University Press, 2011).

The Internet and the Scholar

2011-11-20T16:35:00.001-08:00

"One of the most disastrous illusions of the internet age is that an amateur plus Google is equivalent to a scholar. A search engine offers information, more or less relevant according to the skill of the searcher. But it does not sift that information; it does not sort fact from fancy, wheat from chaff. It does not explain which facts are relevant and which are beside the point. It does not weigh the merits of competing arguments and tell the user where the balance of evidence lies. A bright amateur armed with the internet may at best be better informed than he would otherwise have been, and he may occasionally catch a real scholar in a factual error. But it will not turn him into a scholar himself. There is no such thing as effortless erudition."

- Dr. Timothy McGrew

This blog has a new name, again

2011-11-15T07:36:00.001-08:00

In my undying dissatisfaction and strange preoccupation with the name, aims, and scope of this blog, I've got a new name, suggested a few months ago by my colleague Matt Pianalto.

The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy explains res cogitans as follows:

[Latin res , thing + cogitan , to think, thinking thing] Descartes 's term for thinking substance , in contrast to res extensa (Latin, extended thing), Descartes's term for extended or corporeal substance.

I am a dualist (though of a different variety than Descartes) and given that the things I tend to think about as a philosopher are religion, ethics, and sport, "Res Cogitans" seems like a suitable title. And it is suitably nerdy for a thinking substance such as myself, with an acronym to boot!

As far as the aims and scope of the blog are concerned, I still reserve the right, of course, to blog about anything that inspires me to throw together a post, but I'll focus on religion, ethics, and sport. And I'll use this blog as a space to discuss my philosophical work, as a sounding board for ideas, and so on. My other blog, Ethics for Everyone, is written at a more popular level. Here, I'd like to do a bit more thinking out loud at the level of academic philosophy.

At least these are my thoughts, for now. We'll see how it goes.

Scholar's Prayer, Aquinas

2011-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ineffable Creator,
You who are the true source of life and wisdom and the Principle on which everything depends, be so kind as to infuse in my obscure intelligence a ray of your splendor that may take away the darkness of sin and ignorance.
Grant me keenness of understanding, ability to remember, measure and easiness of learning, discernment of what I read, rich grace with words.
Grant me strength to begin well my studies; guide me along the path of my efforts; give them a happy ending.
You who are true God and true Man, Jesus my Savior, who lives and reigns forever.
Amen

Still Love This: Bono at NAACP

2011-10-20T12:06:00.001-07:00

Motivation and Skepticism

2011-10-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

“Skepticism—like relativism—tends to eliminate personal or moral responsibility since truth (which is crucial to knowledge) is systematically being ignored or evaded….We should consider the personal, motivational questions which, while not being an argument against skepticism, raise important issues that may be driving the skeptical enterprise. Blanket skepticism is an affliction of the mind that needs curing.”
-Paul Copan

Moral Decisionmaking

2011-10-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

What matters the most in ethics?

There are many schools of thought which offer a response to this question. Consequentialist ethics emphasize, not surprisingly, the consequences of our actions. Deontological theories focus on the actions we perform, and whether they are consistent with a moral law or laws. Virtue theories of ethics focus on the character of the person performing the action.

When considering whether or not to perform some action, such as telling a lie, each school of thought would approach the decision from a different perspective:

1. Consequentialist: "What would the positive and negative consequences be if I told this lie?"
2. Deontologist: "Which moral rule or rules are relevant, and what do they prescribe?"
3. Virtue: "What would a person of good character do in this situation?"

I tend to favor virtue-based approaches to ethics, because I think that character is the most fundamentally important thing. However, I think that one should also consider the insights that can be gained by approaching a moral dilemma from all of these perspectives. Even if character is the most important thing in ethics, moral rules and the consequences of our actions are also relevant. While considering all of this is merely a starting point for finding our way through a moral dilemma, it's a good starting point.

We tend to emphasize emotions over rationality when considering what the ethical thing to do is. I believe that this is a mistake. Emotions are relevant, but approaching moral questions and dilemmas in a reasoned manner gives us the best chance to improve the world--and ourselves.

mp3 of Panel Discussion on Christianity

2011-10-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a few of us had a discussion about some of the evidence related to the Christian faith in one of the lecture halls here at EKU.

Todd Hartch (History) discussed the nature of faith and a few arguments for theism, Steve Barracca (Government) discussed some of the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, and lastly I discussed some Christian responses to the problem of evil.

The Q & A was not recorded: dl.dropbox.com/u/28101449/Reality%20of%20Christianity%20HQ.mp3

Just for fun

2011-10-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

Scientists and Religion

2011-09-23T08:28:00.001-07:00

Given Richard Dawkins' upcoming visit to EKU, and some of his assertions about this issue in The God Delusion, I'd like to hear what he makes of this study:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01586.x/abstract

Analysis of interviews with 275 natural and social scientists at 21 elite U.S. research universities suggests that only a minority of scientists see religion and science as always in conflict. Scientists selectively employ different cultural strategies with regards to the religion-science relationship: redefining categories (the use of institutional resources from religion and from science), integration models (scientists strategically employ the views of major scientific actors to legitimate a more symbiotic relationship between science and religion), and intentional talk (scientists actively engage in discussions about the boundaries between science and religion). Such results challenge narrow conceptions of secularization theory and the sociology of science literature by describing ways science intersects with other knowledge categories. Most broadly the ways that institutions and ideologies shape one another through the agency of individual actors within those institutions is explored.

Against Libertarianism

2011-09-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

"Libertarianism can be reasonably rejected, then, as arbitrarily regarding only liberty rights to freedom from interference as fundamental while rejecting all welfare rights, even though some form of welfare rights seem as necessary to securing our control over our destinies as liberty itself."

Robert Simon, Fair Play

I think Simon is right.

Sleep for the Sake of Body and Soul

2011-09-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that we need sleep to maintain physical health. A lack of sleep can also have a negative psychological impact. A recent study of 71 Norwegian cadets supports the idea that a lack of sleep can also have negative moral consequences:

"Prior to being sleep-deprived, the cadets were asked to take the Defining Issues Test, an examination based on Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Those who score well on the test demonstrate the ability to think abstractly about moral decisions, to effectively weigh harm vs. benefit. Those who score poorly tend to give self-serving answers or strictly follow the rules without evaluating the consequences."

When the cadets had a good night's rest--an average of 8 hours--they scored well on the test. When they had much less sleep, roughly 2-3 hours (which is common in combat situations) they scored poorly on the test. Perhaps this is at least part of the reason for some of the morally questionable and immoral choices made in combat situations. Most of us will fortunately never face such situations. What relevance might this study have for us?

A bit of introspection and consultation of common sense supports the conclusion of this study. When rested, we are more likely to have a general sense of well-being which can support moral motivation. When tired, such motivation can be undermined. Fatigue can make us more prone to being frustrated, angry, and anxious. I am certainly less patient with my children and with my students when I'm in need of sleep.

A good night's sleep is not sufficient for having good character. However, it looks like it is one more thing we can do to promote it in ourselves. And given the fragility of goodness in many situations that we find ourselves in, every little thing we can do to strengthen our character is worth the effort.

A Few Philosophical Quotes

2011-08-24T08:08:00.001-07:00

"for we are inquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our inquiry would have been of no use"

Aristotle

“It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.”

Rene Descartes

“What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.”
Plato

Sports and Character

2011-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

When my kids play a sport, or when I'm coaching a team, I want them to learn how to play the game, enjoy themselves, and be physically and psychologically healthier as a result of their participation. I'd like them to learn to cooperate with others, work together for a common goal, respond appropriately to victory and defeat, and grow in virtues like courage, humility, patience, and perseverance. This seems naive, given not only the headlines involving star athletes involved in illegal drugs, sexual assaults, and cheating by using performance-enhancing drugs, but also the behavior of coaches, parents, and players in youth sports. I've seen and been witness to some outlandish behavior by coaches and parents. Sport often seems to bring out the worst in people.

So is the cliche "sports build character" true, or not?

It seems to me that participation in sports can build character, but it doesn't just happen, we must be intentional about it. Parents and coaches need to demonstrate through their words and actions the values of sports that translate well into daily life, including respect for oneself and others, fairness, grace in defeat, humility in victory, and the virtue of self-denial.

I'd like to suggest a book that I've found helpful as a coach and parent by Craig Clifford and philosopher Randolph Feezell, Coaching for Character. It not only discusses the moral values relevant to sports, but gives practical tips for teaching these values and encouraging their formation in the character of young athletes.
The answer to our question, then, is yes. Sports do build character, though there is potential for this to happen much more than it does. Whether or not we come closer to reaching that potential, like so many other important issues in our lives, is, ultimately, up to us.