Month: April 2011
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Eric Gill on holy work
A synthesis of the thought of Eric Gill (1882-1940), sculptor, stone mason, wooden engraver: Of holiness. To work is to worship. Of the nature of man. Every man is a kind of artist (=craftsman) Of the nature of work. “Art is skill in making; the good work is the skilful work.” — Excerpts from A Holy Tradition of…
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Time to rethink the concept of ‘higher education’?
Professor X* reviews the state of higher education 2 years after his well-read Atlantic expose. A few choice bits: The university experience in the 1970s: “My pursuit was rather solipsistic and no doubt shortsighted but harmless–a solitary pastime, like collecting penguin figurines or breeding orchids.” The university experience the 2000s: College now “was a place where…
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On philosophical counseling and Willy Wonka
This past summer, I was having lunch with a friend of mine. Over fish tacos, he asked me what reason I had to believe that I could work with end-of-life conversation partners. How did I know that I could bring them peace of mind? I told him I did not know, and my intuition was that…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 