Category Archives: philosophy and religion

What Do People Really Think About You?

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Do you ever think about what other people think about you? I mean more than the usual, “Oh my god, I’m so fat” way that people worry about. What I’m trying to get at is what people really think about you as a person. Where do others see you fitting in their world, and what do they think you’re really like?

Questions like this constantly fascinate me because the answers are so odd. The instructor for my Intro to Ethical Theory class in college brought up and interesting point one day, namely that people are walking contradictions. It’s true. People carry around wildly contradicting beliefs, and yet somehow they manage to make it through the day without a core identity meltdown. A few people I know claim to believe in religious principles of equality and fairness, yet they’re the first ones to justify low tipping on the grounds that, “Well, they should’ve gotten a different job if they wanted more money.”

Other times it’s not so simple. Even thieves believe stealing is wrong. I’m sure plenty of politicians believe lying is wrong, even though they’re perfectly aware that many promises made during campaigns aren’t going to get a follow-through. People aren’t strong all the time. We have weaknesses, systemic and momentary. What’s more, there’s a certain part of us that only we see. The mind is perfectly transparent, but it’s a one-way window. We know deep down what we really think, want, and believe. But other people see something else. It’s filtered by what we let out and what they observe. We are distortions of ourselves in the eyes of others.

Recently somebody told me that I’m a constant source of optimism. Ha! I tried to correct the fellow, but he wouldn’t believe a word of it. It makes me wonder what he sees in me that would make him see such a thing. Yet somehow, through that strange alchemy of observation and action, it’s the picture he formed in his head. How does that happen?

I think he’s the optimistic one. It’d take an endless font of hope to think I’m one of the joy-ridden people.

Suffer the Children

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This is a follow-up to an article I’m fairly certain I blogged (but can’t seem to
find). I usually attend masses performed by fathers of the Oratorian Community (of
Saint Philip Neri). This particular oratory caters mostly to college students. When
I go to a parish for mass, I’m appalled by the the misbehavior of the children there
and the lack of discipline exercised by their parents.

Follow-up:
Let the Children Run?

“I received many comments from readers about toddlers running around church (see
May 11). Some of the comments came from parents of large families who confirmed
that it is possible to teach children to be quiet in Church, especially when given
good example by mom and dad.”

Let
the Little Children Run?
And Observations on “Redemptionis Sacramentum”

“ROME, MAY 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of
liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University.”

“Q: Little children frequently run around during the Mass fondly watched by their
parents. Do parents have any responsibility in this regard? — R.C., Bangalore,
India”

“A: This, apparently, is a ubiquitous pastoral problem, and expresses a tension that
is part and parcel of being Catholic.”

Update 03/22/07:The demographics of Sundmay morning mass attendance at the Oratory has changed a lot. There are now several graduate students and young professionals with children attending. That young adults are drawn to the solemn liturgies offered by the Oratorians is a blessing and surely one of the fruits of eucharistic adoration. However, sometimes the children are inconsolable, unruly, and/or fidgety to the point being distruptive. Consequently, since these articles now have more relevance to Oratorians, I’ve decided to move this post up from 05/26/04 so that it gets more readers.

Utilitarianism 101 for Animal Liberation

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The famous utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer became an early darling of the animal rights movement for his book, Animal Liberation. Imagine, then the betrayal that some felt when Singer came out in favor of not just any animal research, but primate research.

This should not be too surprising if one has studied a bit of utilitarianism, which measures actions by their ends, not their means–it is a consequentialist philosophy, after all. Therefore, while animals do sometimes trump human babies in Singer’s calculus most of the time (which is one reason why many folks detest him), it need not be always the case. In fact, as I recall, Singer did concede in Practical Ethics that in some cases humans could justifiably eat animals if there were not other viable food source (e.g., the Gobi desert or the Arctic circle, I would suppose, where edible plants are in short supply). I guess the animal lib types were too busy hyperventilating about Singer’s otherwise strong support to notice that little fly in the ointment.

Take home message: it’s really hard to pin anyone down if he’s a utilitarian, because if society wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and decides that a particular minority has too much property or is otherwise cramping the style of the majority…well, I mentioned something about the ends justifying the means, yes?

Atrocities have been and will be committed by people of all philosophical and ideological stripes, but perhaps we can at least steer clear of philosophies (like Singer’s) that threaten to hopeless muddle any and all moral lines and let us lie to ourselves about what’s really going on? In this regard, I stand with the animal lib types, though I’m not against animal research per se.

Romanists = Boogymen

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A Few Rare Pearls

It has often been my complaint that John McArthur was a bit wishy-washy, but he gets real serious, and dare I say, very “fundamental” in this [podcasted sermon] message. If there are any Romanists reading this, you definitely need to hear this message, as pastor McArthur deals with the subject of whether evangelicals should regard Romanists as brothers and sisters in the Faith, or as unbelievers who should be evangelized.

Listen and comment.