Why this book Life of Moses is my first attempt at reading a work by the early church fathers. It was written by St. Gregory of the small town of Nyssa in Cappadocia, a region in present day Turkey. Gregory lived during the last days of the Roman empire (born AD 335, died AD 395).... Continue Reading →
Book review: “Letters to a Young Mormon” by Adam Miller
Goodreads summary This book is composed as a series of letters. The letters are meant for a young Mormon who is familiar with Mormon life but green in their faith. I imagined myself writing these letters to my own children and struggled, in relation to how we talk about things at church, to say my... Continue Reading →
Book review: “Conscience and Community: Sterling M. McMurrin, Obert C. Tanner & Lowell L. Bennion”
Goodreads Summary Lowell Bennion, Sterling McMurrin, and Obert Tanner were colleagues whose lives often intertwined. All professors at the University of Utah, these three scholars addressed issues and events of their time; each influenced the thought and culture of Mormonism, helping to institute a period of intellectual life and social activism. In Conscience and Community... Continue Reading →
Book review: “The Pity of It All: A History of Jews in Germany, 1743-1933”
The Pity of It All by Amos Elon is my most recent delve into German history through the eyes of German Jews. I have encountered many of the characters in the dramatis personae before: Moses Mendelssohn figured prominently as one of the great rationalists in The Age of Reason: From Kant to Fichte. Hannah Arendt,... Continue Reading →
Post-conference thoughts
It's been a few days since the end of conference, giving me enough time to piece together a few of my thoughts. I haven't had time to completely read through all the talks yet, so I may do a few follow-up posts with some more in-depth thoughts on specific talks or themes. But wow! What... Continue Reading →
Book review: “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure”
Rating 5/5 Goodreads Summary The generation now coming of age has been taught three Great Untruths: their feelings are always right; they should avoid pain and discomfort; and they should look for faults in others and not themselves. These three Great Untruths are part of a larger philosophy that sees young people as fragile creatures... Continue Reading →
Book review of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling: Abraham’s fine line between faith and child sacrifice
I have wanted to delve a little deeper into philosophy for a while now, but it always is so intimidating. I have a copy of Kant's Kritik der reinen Vernunft (Critique of Pure Reason) in the original German sitting on my bookshelf that I pull out every time I feel in the mood for an... Continue Reading →