Archive for category Academics

David Brooks, who writes for the New York Times, has been one of my favorite social and political commentators for quite some time. I first came across him on PBS’s wonderful Newshour, where in political commentary he’s the conservative counterpart to the liberal Mark Shields.

One of the things I’ve always liked about both Brooks and Shields, however, is that it has always appeared that to them being “conservative” or “liberal” does not mean being a part of a “team” that’s engaged in a win-or-lose competition. Thinking like that is what got us into the disgustingly polarized politics we’re in today. Rather, they seem to understand that these terms are general philosophical positions upon a multi-axial spectrum of governance. As such, they are not exclusive categories.

In other words, Brooks is an “old” conservative. He’s far more in line with men of Reagan’s ilk than are all the current Mad Tea Partiers and wingnutters who fall all over each other in the crazed dash to grab ol’ Ronnie’s fallen standard.

Anyway, I bring all this up because his most recent column is pretty darn perceptive. Most of them are, of course. Indeed, his previous column pointed out the fact — uncomfortable though it is for the ignorant “Obama-is-a-liberal-socialist-fascist-etc” crowd — that the sitting President has thus far been very successful in pursuing a much-needed “light but energetic, decentralized but forceful reform approach” to education in this country. That should be music to conservatives’ ears, but most of them (Brooks obviously excepted) are too busy shouting nonsense to actually listen to what’s being said. (Much of the hard left of the liberal party ain’t doing a whole lot better, though ironically they, too, are yelling at Obama, which actually speaks much to the truth of him.) This most recent column from Brooks is particularly close to my heart, though, since it essentially defends the humanities.

Go us.

Watching the political debate ranting unfolding in our country, in which people of all stripes refuse to consider alternative positions — and certainly not their own — in any critical way, I’ve been reminded of how we all need to remember the dangers of indoctrination in, well, anything. It leads to a kind of black and white thinking that blinds us to the very real grayness of the world and our lives within it.

The following video is a statement about just that, from the combined efforts of two brilliant YouTube videographers (and brothers), QualiaSoup and TheraminTrees.  It’s easy to imagine this problem in religious terms — and indeed they present the issue through that lens — but critical thinking is something that applies to everything in life, from our politics to our social interactions.

Enjoy:

With all the illness hereabouts — I was struck down with the norovirus after all — and quite a bit of backlogged grading to slog through, I’m rather tardy in relaying the fact that the Brunanburh Casebook is out of my hands. The book clocked in at over 440 pages without the endmatter, so it’s a big one. I’m enormously pleased that its yet another step closer to bookshelves, and I’m sure my wonderful team of fellow contributors feels the same. I really do think the book will do much to encourage fresh study of a battle that shaped much of the subsequent history of the British Isles. I’m crossing my fingers for an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

I’ve not seen any of it yet due to the aforementioned illnesses and what-not, but in another day or two I’m suddenly going to be wondering what the heck I should do with all the time I’m no longer spending on a tenth-century battle!

Well, the truth behind the word hobbit, anyway.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be giving a brief talk at the College of Charleston about the medieval origins of Tolkien’s most famous (supposed) coinage. Mine is the last paper in a set of three about Tolkien, the first session in the annual meeting of the Philological Association of the Carolinas. The other papers are from Keith Kelly of Georgia Gwinnett College and Noah Koubenec of The Citadel. Should be quite entertaining and educational.

9 am tomorrow. Tate Center.

The truth is out there.

Every now and then one of my classes — for mysterious reasons — will turn to a discussion of, well, Life, the Universe, and Everything. Usually this involves me giving an impromptu lecture on quantum physics and/or how very bitty we are in comparison to the Universe.

In honor of that, here’s a link to a nice summary of some of the currently leading candidates for a “Theory of Everything.” Love it.