To combat socialism [Otto van] Bismarck put through between 1883 and 1889 a program for social security far beyond anything known in other countries. It included compulsory insurance for workers against old age, sickness, accident and incapacity, and though organized by the State it was financed by employers and employees. It cannot be said that … Continue reading Running Thoughts #31
Author: Tim Constant
All Things Symbolic
All that meets the bodily sense I deemSymbolical, one mighty alphabetTo infant minds; and we in this low worldPlaced with our backs to bright reality,That we might learn with young unwounded kenThe substance from the shadow. -Samuel Coleridge Introduction As a fair warning, this post is abstract. Actually, it is about as abstract as anything … Continue reading All Things Symbolic
Running Thoughts #30
Hitler’s father, Alois, was a bastard and therefore took his mother’s last name. If not for Alois’ father claiming him as his legitimate son, at the decrepit age of 84, Adolf would likely have inherited his paternal grandmother’s maiden name, Schicklgruber. Is it conceivable that the Third Reich could have risen from the ashes of … Continue reading Running Thoughts #30
Running Thoughts #29
Transhumanism is the belief that humans will push beyond the boundaries of mortality and the confines of nature by merging with technology. The only thing new about this is the use of technology to achieve this goal. Humanity's last attempt at transhumanism was at the Tower of Babel. Instead of spreading throughout the earth to … Continue reading Running Thoughts #29
Lune’s Lordly Lessons
The following is a general outline of a talk I gave at our first Men's Advance. Well, call it a well-contoured outline... CS Lewis was the brightest Christian philosopher of the 20th century. He could lay out a theodicy that would have PhD candidates white-knuckling his heady philosophy, yet narrativize the same concept such that … Continue reading Lune’s Lordly Lessons
Communion 201: Means Of Grace
"Wow, still sticking with that whole communion thing, ain't ya?" Yep. Holes need plugging. The good news is, though, I am nearing the end of the exploration and will soon transition from writing the book to the formal editing process. After, I plan to resume normal blog function, documenting the ephemera of life. ********************************************************************* As … Continue reading Communion 201: Means Of Grace
The Attempted Abortion
I'm having an unexpectedly difficult time with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Certainly, the video was traumatic, and it was thrust in my face before I even knew what I was looking at, but I'm no stranger to traumatic injuries. Of course, any political assassination of any figure is disturbing, no matter what side of … Continue reading The Attempted Abortion
Communion 101
As I continue slogging away on the book on communion wine I am writing, others do me the favor of pointing out glaring holes in the hull that need addressing before it is seaworthy. It was pointed out to me that while much of my manuscript deals with the philosophy of signs, the history of … Continue reading Communion 101
America Blows a Gasket
While compiling the "A Study In Scarlet" blog series into one document in preparation for publishing, it became clear that a more detailed look into the mechanics of the decision to adopt grape juice was necessary. This will be the second chapter, and so it will make more sense when read in that context. Call … Continue reading America Blows a Gasket
Deathworks
A Self-Deprecating Preamble Carl S Truman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is one of the most insightful explorations of Western culture since the Protestant Reformation, and the most important book of the last century for understanding the idolization of the self. Indeed, one cannot grasp the slip of Western culture without the … Continue reading Deathworks
Thought Butter 