A true friend stabs you in the front”
-Oscar Wilde
Category Archives: Art and Ideas
Random Rajiva: Is Just War theory Christian?
On the face of it, this is an absurd question, since just war theory has a healthy Catholic tradition behind it. Obviously, the questioner is a natural Protestant.
“Even so-called “Christian just-war theory” has nothing to do with Christ. How can armed resistance to tyranny be reconciled with His unambiguous commandment to live as the Lamb of God, even in a world of wolves?
I ask this not in judgement but as someone who struggles with this question myself.
If I’m being honest, I think Christ is right. We can not defeat violence (the essence of the state) by employing the same. Case in point: The fruits of the American Revolution have already rotted into a tyranny far worse than the one that was ostensibly overthrown in armed revolt just over 230 years ago.
What to do, then? The great libertarian Frank Chodorov advocated, first, self-improvement, then education of those already predisposed toward freedom (he believed individualists were born that way, as were socialists.) I think he was correct. And this approach is consistent with the teachings of Christ.
Yours truly,
Robert Brazil
More at Will Grigg’s Pro Libertate.
While I agree with Mr. Grigg – in his response – that taking one part of the Bible (and of the words of Christ) out of context and elevating it over the rest of the material is incorrect, I think his own answer – that the only possible appeal against the power of the state is to the power of God (as evidenced in the Church) — strikes me as inherently problematic.
God as Church will only end up substituting the tyranny of a Pope or priesthood for the current one of the state.
Is this an impasse? I think not, if we dwell a bit more on what it is we mean by that ambiguous signifier, God.
God must surely operate through reason, since he is by definition (supposing one could define such a concept) the reasonableness of reason. Just as he is the lovingness of love, and the essence of every other superlative.
And surely he or she must be the sort of God that is envisioned by the most powerful reasons that have existed, since they would most likely approach his reasonableness the closest.
Check out the beliefs of those possessing the most powerful reasons that have existed (in so far as what they thought is available to us), and we find that they vary. In the past, religious orthodoxy probably prevailed. Then, some form of religious heterodoxy or deism. Often, especially today, and in certain periods of history, atheism or agnosticism.
Can all these viewpoints be right? No – say militant atheists, who use this to “prove” that religion is nonsense.
I say yes, relying on the hoary tale of the nine blind men and the elephant. Each thought he saw the whole creature in the leg, trunk, or tusk. But in fact, they were all wrong in the global sense, and all right in another, more limited, local sense.
All major forms of belief and disbelief (note that I did not say the irrational crazes of deranged minds, which have not had lasting adherents) must therefore have an element of truth in them, but in a limited way.
It follows that whatever laws the state prescribes must be the ones calculated to leave the utmost freedom for the individual that is compatible with upholding the practices that don’t violate the reasonableness of the most reasonable of its citizens.
I would think that that reasonableness is a good enough barrier against state encroachment as long as men remain organized in relatively small, transparent groups. But bigger groups (unless acted upon indirectly through small groups) tend to need more direct and overt coercion to change. Thus, propaganda, war and all the other evils of the state system…
Where does that leave Just War?
(Here, I am not talking about defense of your native country against aggressing invaders — although it’s always possible to stretch what any of those terms mean by the way we define them)
Just War, I think, is still possible for smaller groups and in limited situations that are close enough for us to fully understand. In our current state system where our interests lie everywhere and are interlocked with allies and enemies, where our weapons fall on the innocent and the guilty, not just in this generation but in generations to come, where common practices of chivalrous war have long been lost — in this sort of global imperial system I don’t think that even a just war can be undertaken easily.
So while possible in theory, in practice, I think even a just war is self-destructive. And unnecessary. We now have enough scientific knowledge at our disposal to begin to cast the wisdom traditions (I mean the esoteric teaching of the major religions) into new and effective practices that can dismantle the state system, so that we could end all large-scale wars, at least….if we only chose to.
It is up to us.
Just my random thoughts.
Ron Paul Revolution: The Declaration of Arbroath
“Yet if he should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320, a late medieval document begging for the Pope’s intervention in a struggle between Scotland and England.
(sorry, I first wrote Ireland by accident)
Bush on World War III
“That George W. Bush is a born-again Christian is not a national secret. Neither is the fact that his brand of Christianity, evangelicalism, embraces the notion of the “end of days,” the coming of the Apocalypse as foretold (so they say) in the Book of Revelations and elsewhere in the Bible. President Bush’s frequent reference to “the evil one” suggests that he not only believes in the Antichrist but actively proselytizes on the Antichrist’s physical presence on Earth at this time. If one takes in the writing and speeches of those in the evangelical community today concerning the “rapture,” the numerous references to the current situation in the Middle East, especially on the events unfolding around Iran and its nuclear program, make it very clear that, at least in the minds of these evangelicals, there is a clear link between the “end of days” prophesy and U.S.-Iran policy. That James Dobson, one of the most powerful and influential evangelical voices in America today, would be invited to the White House with like-minded clergy to discuss President Bush’s Iran policy is absurd unless one makes the link between Bush’s personal faith, the extreme religious beliefs of Dobson and the potential of Armageddon-like conflict (World War III). At this point, the absurd becomes unthinkable, except it is all too real….”
Comment:
The problem is that people see this as only a Christian evangelical interpretation. Unfortunately, many other religions – Islam, Hindu, even New Age – have teachings which can be used to support an “end times” interpretation — if one chose to do so.
Again, the source of the problem is not so much religion per se as literalism…
Herbie Hancock on being in sync….
Piano great Herbie Hancock on how the individual best contributes to the collective:
“I also realize now that there’s an infinite way of looking at things. Sometimes you have to create a vision, a path for a vision. It may not be apparent and you may have to forge it yourself. And that will be the way to move your life forward.
Oh, yeah! Oh, by the way, I chant every day. Primarily in the morning and the evening. Even before going on stage I say
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times—the idea is to get in sync with the moment. But anyway–
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That’s how we chant.
Thank you. That’s great.
You’re welcome.
What does that chant mean to you?
It is the name of life. It’s like the sound of life. When you invoke that by saying Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that sound, that energy, touches everything in the universe. At the same time—and just think about this—within the life of a human being is the universe. So, we all have the universe inside at our core. That’s the microcosm. And then the physical universe that we see is a macrocosm. It takes the work of chanting and living your life, and listening to the signs that are a result of chanting, for the best pathway toward the development of your life, and the uncovering of your highest condition of life, which is your Buddha nature.
Yeah. It really is cool. And it’s very open. That’s the other thing about this Buddhism, it’s not exclusive; it’s inclusive. It doesn’t say that any other religions are wrong and it’s my way or the highway. Nothing like that. I don’t feel like I have rejected Christianity or Judaism or Islam. I feel like I’ve embraced the truth that’s in everything. Because there is truth in all of those pursuits. And others, too. It’s a great way to feel.
It sounds very enlivening.
It’s really cool. I can’t even begin to scratch the surface to tell you how great this practice really is. It’s life-changing in that, in doing this, you actually get closer to who you really are.
What have you discovered about who you really are?
That I’m a human being at the core. And that there’s a great beauty to each human being. Each human being exists because there’s something they have to offer for the evolution of the universe that only they can fulfill.
It might be something as simple as saying the right word to the right person at the right time—and that could change the course of history. You never really know. But the whole thing is to work at the process of being in sync with the universe, so that everything will align at the proper time so that you can deliver that which is your life mission. And that’s why we’re here as individuals. And then there’s our contribution to the collective. It makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?”
More here.
Comment:
The chant he’s referring to is the salutation to the Lotus sutra. I don’t know it, but I’ve used chants (in the mind, not vocally) on and off.
The prayer from the Way of the Pilgrim (an Orthodox classic) is one:
“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”
The Gayatri mantra (the most famous Hindu chant) is another:
om. bhur bhuvah. svah. tát savitúr váreniyam bhárgo devásya dhimahi dhíyo yó nah. pracodáyat
Which translates loosely as –
“O divine trinity of body (matter), energy, and mind, we meditate on your splendour. May the radiance of your light illuminate our intellects, destroy our sins, and guide us in the right direction. ”
Literally, the reference in the Vedas (the Hindu scriptures) is to Savitur, the sun-god, which would make this a pagan chant in the eyes of orthodox Christians. But personally, I have no difficulty seeing Savitur metaphorically as the Christ.
Torture Files: The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
“When the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush administration appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations.
But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.
The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures….”
From Der Spiegel, in the New York Times.
Well, I hate to say I told you so….
But I wrote about this in relation to the torture of women in Iraq in July- August 2004.
and in relation to rendition flights in December 2005
and in relation to undisclosed abuse in February 2006.
and in relation to the way the media works in such things in November 2005
and in relation to the broader picture: opinion-making and legal culture in my book.
Investigative journalism is a bit irrelevant in all this, ultimately. Any one with a ear for truth can hear when people are lying. The real question is why do people not have a ear for lies anymore? Why are they selective about what lies they want to fall for and what they want to see through? I would venture to guess here — but I think — a little black humor here — I will wait for copyright protection first.
And even then, maybe, pass.
Why go out to educate people, I wonder. Who are they to me? They should be free to be ignorant.
Education, in my humble elitist opinion, is not for everyone. It is not a right. It is a privilege (and a punishment) for those who go looking for that sort of privilege and punishment. It demands self-discipline, humility before truth, and ethical behavior to your fellow man. And even then, it is not entirely in your hands how or where you get it.
It will come to you…. or depart from you as the spirit lists.
Let him who has ears hear…..
MindBody: Father of genetics or mother of invention?
“Francis Crick, the Nobel Prize-winning father of modern genetics, was under the influence of LSD when he first deduced the double-helix structure of DNA nearly 50 years ago. “The abrasive and unorthodox Crick and his brilliant American co-researcher James Watson famously celebrated their eureka moment in March 1953 by running from the now legendary Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge to the nearby Eagle pub, where they announced over pints of bitter that they had discovered the secret of life….”
More by Alun Rees
Comment:
Yeah, yeah, yeah…
The genius Crick on crack — what a crock.
There’s another story there that’s more interesting and much darker…
The greater part of the credit for the discovery should actually go to the brilliant Rosalind Franklin, at the time about 30-31. Franklin died at only 37, cutting short a highly productive career. At least, Crick had the grace to eventually concede that she was two steps away from the double helix (can we trust that concession, I wonder). Watson actually trashed her in a vainglorious account of his own genius.
I first saw the film, The Double Helix, when I was booted out of Heathrow – for having forgotten my green card – at the interesting hour of 1 PM in London. Sent to a rather curious establishment run by the younger son of a Marathi businessman – who confided in me that he could sneak me into the London population, undetected, for the right sum, if I wished. Having neither the sum nor the wish, I managed to invite myself to friends of a friend whom I vaguely recalled lived somewhere near Kensington. The friends of the friend were as kind as they were bright – she, a psychiatrist, he a researcher at the Cavendish lab.
“Oh, Cavendish – Watson and Crick! Double helix!” I said with the gush that the not-faintly-scientific reserve for the annointed ones of modern society. That’s when I learned about Rosalind Franklin and the theft of her work.
“In [The Double Helix by James Watson] he tells about how happy they were, he and Crick, that my husband was not allowed to come because had he come, he would no doubt have seen these excellent photographs that Rosalind Franklin made and had and which, when they saw them, with their other data, they were able to work out the structure of DNA…[If] ever there was a woman who was mistreated, it was Rosalind Franklin, and she didn’t get the notice that she should have gotten for her work on DNA.”
– Ava Helen Pauling, interview with Lee Herzenberg, Sept. 1977
We think of intellectual elites as somehow purer than financial or political elites. We see them as untouched by the same temptations. Above the usual vices. It may be time to become more realistic. And to question the people and the practices in the temple of science.
Rage against the war-machine….
“Freedom” ~ Alice Cooper
“We the people of the United States
In order to form a more perfect union
Stop pretending that you’ve never been bad
You’re never wrong and you’ve never been dirty
You’re such a saint, that ain’t the way we see you
You want to rule us with an iron hand
You change the lyrics and become Big Brother
This ain’t Russia, you ain’t my Dad or Mother
(They never knew anyway)
‘Cuz I never walk away from what I know is right
But I’m gonna turn my back on you….
Freedom, we’re gonna ring the bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom –
Raise your fist and yell!”
Tell it,
Burying your head in the sand hoping your life won’t be confiscated for the greater good is insane- it’s already on the chopping block with taxation at over 40%. Announcements over public address systems to be on “orange alert,” whatever that is, is insanity. Perpetual war in hopes of finding peace is insanity. Bloated government is insanity. Bleating like sheep at the ballot box in hopes of changing things is insanity.
If you can’t think of what to yell – experiment. Are you a man or a mouse? Squeak up! For starters, take yourself out into the middle of the street, take a deep breath and scream, “NOOOO!” Would I tell you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, dear reader? NO, I WOULDN’T. Take a page from Network and try screaming out your window, we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take this anymore! See if it makes you feel crazier or more sane than ever. Do you want to live or do you want to keep dying, slowly, one bitch-ass, bullshit law at a time?!
What’s that, you say? Your neighbors will think you’re crazy? Sorry, they are not thinking about you that much. To keep taking it up the tailpipe like they do is what’s crazy. To keep voting for more of the goddamn same is what’s crazy. Maybe they’re just waiting for someone else to rage at the machine first. Revolution was an outrageous notion too. Aren’t you glad it happened? Let that teenage energy buried inside you out of prison. Someone has to be first. Get up off of that thing! Don’t expect someone else to do this. You have to show the world that it is not crazy to object to tyranny. Putting human beings in cages or killing them en masse, now that is crazy!
Don’t make me come over there and get all up in your face, damn it! You’ll be sorry. Do you really want a visit from the
The Boss turns his back on the Mob…
“Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake.”
The mistake is the Iraq war and the singer is
Bruce Springsteen on his new album, Magic, available on the net already and just in the stores.
“We don’t measure the blood we’ve drawn anymore,”
“We just stack the bodies outside the door.”
MindBody: Parallel Universe proof?
“The parallel universe theory, first proposed in 1950 by the US physicist Hugh Everett, helps explain mysteries of quantum mechanics that have baffled scientists for decades, it is claimed.
In Everett’s “many worlds” universe, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes, each one is played out – in its own universe.
A motorist who has a near miss, for instance, might feel relieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe, another version of the same driver will have been killed. Yet another universe will see the motorist recover after treatment in hospital. The number of alternative scenarios is endless.
It is a bizarre idea which has been dismissed as fanciful by many experts. But the new research from Oxford shows that it offers a mathematical answer to quantum conundrums that cannot be dismissed lightly – and suggests that Dr Everett, who was a Phd student at Princeton University when he came up with the theory, was on the right track….”
More here.
Now how long have science fiction writers, poets, mystics, yogis, and even ordinary self-aware people been suggesting this? For aeons.
More here at the Telegraph.
Of course, we await further proof and analysis of this story.
If only it would get through to people that if we spent more time importing the implications of science into moribund fossilized social/political theory, our current murderous, crime-spawning, corporate- state system would be long dead — gone the way of every other bad idea… and maybe with it, total war and our insane weapons arsenals…