Why We Don't Like Handicapped People
Social Activist Thomas Merton Didn't Stay Informed?
Merton didn't trust the media, but he formed strong opinions on current events. It's because Merton was an artist victimized by his left hemisphere. He needed to embrace causes.
Western Civilization Hit Its Apex During Advent 1273
A civilization can, indeed, advance and decline at the same time. Eric Voegelin, New Science of Politics, 132.
As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Abraham Heschel, God in Search of Man
Modern civilization is gnostic civilization. Gnostic civilization is left-hemispheric civilization.
Gnosis: Knowledge. Specifically, explicit knowledge, the kind
Paragraph 7 of This Newman Sermon is Stunning (Plus a Thomas Sowell Kicker)
"Sermon 13: Implicit and Explicit Reason"
The Gnostic: A Person Controlled by His Left Hemisphere, Plus a Cause
Merely being controlled by the left hemisphere doesn't make a person a gnostic. He also needs a cause.
We're Increasingly Lonely Because the Gnostics are Increasingly Powerful
This is a great piece at Plough, drawing de Tocqueville to diagnose the problem with democracy. The bottom line: In a static culture, a man knows his place and settles into quiet contentment. In a democratic culture, no one knows his place and is neither quiet nor content . . . and he&
Middlebrow Writing
There used to be writing that was "middlebrow." You'd find it in urbane and smart publications that were lower than academia and fine writing (highbrow) and higher than sports columnists and dimestore novels (lowbrow).
It was always a limited market. When Henry Fowler self-published his own
Private Tyrants, Public Remedies: A Review of Sohrab Ahmari’s Tyranny, Inc.
Philip Bunn at Front Porch Republic
What de Lubac Would Think About the Synod on Synodality
Robert Imbelli at First Things