More On Senior Thesis

“No thesis statement should be approved which merely calls for the government to make a new law or spend more money. Assuming the audience of a senior thesis is the high school student body, the only thesis statements that should be approved are those which an audience of high school students can personally, immediately respond to. Likewise, arguing that high schoolers should vote for political candidates in the future who will throw money at a certain cause should likewise be banned. Unfortunately, American politics now centers around the idea that other people should pay for things that I want and allowing students to make such arguments in front of their peers only perpetuates this problem.”

-from “Stopping a Mediocre Senior Thesis Before It Starts,” my latest for CiRCE

The Writing Life

“Very few high school writing teachers are writers. Non-writers who teach writing are generally more optimistic (and more vocal) about the prospect of ‘making good writers’ out of high school students, which is why many parents believe their sons and daughters can become better writers while maintaining debilitating screen addictions, writing very little, and almost never reading good books for pleasure. The sort of writing instruction given by non-writers is not necessarily bad, but it is not the same sort of instruction a writer would give, which is far more glum and obtuse.

-from “Reflections on Publishing 500 Articles In This Column,” my latest for CiRCE.

Other Compelling Lessons I Learned From “The Crown”

“While I appreciate the fact the so-called “Matthew 18 principle” prohibits gossip and slander, many Christians treat the “Matthew 18 principle” as a kind of theological-bureaucratic rigmarole that must be blown through before the real work of dismantling someone’s reputation or career can be “righteously” undertaken. I find it telling that the eighteenth chapter of Matthew existed for nearly 2000 years before modern Christians transformed it into procedural paperwork. For my money, the chief value of the “Matthew 18 principle” is that it slows people down and keeps them relatively quiet for longer than they’d like. I have more confidence in quietude and patience resolving conflict than sitting down to talk.”

-from “Conflict Resolution: A Defense Of Just Bottling It All Up“

Literal

One of the most stunning turns of phrase in Scripture is the description of Christ as “the first born from the dead,” which we often take as a euphemism or a symbolic claim, and yet it really must be taken at face value to be appreciated.

Symmetry

The installation of public water fountains was the work of prohibitionists. Many men claimed they frequented bars because they were thirsty, thus water foundations were installed everywhere in public so their drunkenness was without excuse. This all took place one hundred years ago.

One hundred years later, public water fountains have all been closed and it is now widely known reported that the lockdown and quarantine have lead to a sharp rise in binge drinking.

Of course, people are responsible for what they do, and I am not entirely convinced there is really a connection to see here. This all has more to do with the zeitgeist than with human psychology.

Suicide In Germany

“The individual’s decision to end their own life, based on how they personally define quality of life and a meaningful existence eludes any evaluation on the basis of general values, religious dogmas, societal norms for dealing with life and death, or consideration of objective rationality.”

-The highest court in Germany rules on an individual’s right to suicide, as quoted in Wesley J Smith’s recent summary for First Things