Meme. Now where have I heard that term? Richard Dawkins! Now how did he end up in our little blogosphere? When I first read Christianne’s email, I knew that word sounded familiar, but it didn’t ring a bell because I was thinking in blog terms. Although Dawkins is obviously brilliant, I can’t say that I’m a big fan of his – for a number of reasons. But that’s not the point of all this, now is it? (I’m just mad at Dawkins because following these 1-2-3 directions is gonna make me look like a complete nerd. In my defense, I have not finished this book yet.) I would’ve rather talked about the “knowno” in reference to the ontological argument, than do a “meme.” But that’s another blog I suppose, and well, I don’t always get my way. Guess I gotta follow the rules? By the way, Di, I took that little test about my will-power disposition. Ummm . . . don’t ask.
On to the matter at hand. The book that was sitting closest to me as I read Christianne’s email and blog was Jay Richards’ The Untamed God. The fifth sentence reads, “Thomist scholars have vociferously denied that theirs is a view of God and creation commonly participating in a third reality, being.”
At this point you’re riveted right?
It gets better.
I guess the next three lines are what I’m really supposed to be putting up, huh? Richards continues, “An investigation of Thomas’s Summa Theologica justifies their complaint. Thomas’s view is essentially that of Quenstedt’s, whereby all things that have being derive it from the primary being of God. God is the basis of all being.”
Does everyone feel as edified as I do? Gotcha sitting on the edge of your seats, huh?
I’m being unkind and unfair to Richards. It is and interesting book, but reading it is like swimming in molasses. It might be sweet, but it is exceedingly sticky and thick.
I might do better on the next meme category. But that will take more time for me to consider and write about. Let me just post the 1-2-3 meme for now.
Christianne, I really like Chaim Potok’s work. Also, I’ve been wanting to check out Blue Like Jazz. (But I will put that up for question #9; let me not get ahead of myself.)
Almost forgot. I tag:
Tammy
Clayton
Andrea
Shriyaa
Di
Posts
18 comments:
Welcome back to blogworld Nate! I'm assuming you're feeling better and that makes me happy. You must be wicked smart to be reading this kind of stuff. GB would be all over it. I'll tell you a funny story about that. Greg gave me a copy of his dissertation before it was published so I sat down and tried to read it and I seriously couldn't get through the first paragraph! I consider myself relatively bright, but the metaphysics he was writing about sort of has a language all its own that I was completely unfamiliar with. I had to sit down with a stack of encyclopedias on one side of me and a dictionary on the other side to begin plowing through it. I finally gave up at some point. Anyway, this makes me connect the two of you. Welcome back!
Terri,
It’s funny that you mention Greg’s dissertation here. Jay Richards’ book refers to Charles Hartshorne quite a bit (but, strangely, fails to interact with Greg’s work). And it was Hartshorne’s Di-Polar theism that Greg’s dissertation engaged if I remember correctly. I’ve been meaning to get a copy of his dissertation and read it. I’ve read a good chunk of his other stuff though. In fact, I think Imma mention that in my response to the second meme theme.
Yay! Two down, eight more to go. (People, I mean, that I tagged.) For those new to this meme thing and who got tagged but might not know what it's all about, here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five other people to do the same.
It's kinda silly but also fun, especially if you get a holler of a book, like Nate did here. What the heck are you reading, man?!?! Makes me feel like I'm back in college with all this Summa Theologica stuff. Which I didn't understand or appreciate in the least when I had to read it. I keep it around just in case someday I decide to appreciate it in the way I should.
And dude, you just betrayed yourself with all that talk to Terri in your comment right there. See? You ARE a freaking genius. Dude! Love it. Gotta love the smarts.
PS: Terri, it just says so much about your "relative brightness" that Greg would ask you to read through it in the first place. He knows you, and he asked for your opinion, so yeah, he must know that you're one bright girl! And now I know that even more, too. You got brains AND heart -- a double whammy of good amazingness.
Di-Polar Theism sounds intensely interesting. While I find most of GB's writing amazingly comprehendible, I attribute that more to his ability to communicate really complex ideas in an understandable way than to my being wicked smart as you or relatively bright as Terri. I'm thinking his dissertation would be quite a work out for my neurons. I'll be content to just relate to the title for now.
nate, seriously dude...you got it going on in the brain pan. i looked up the dissertation on amazon and it costs over $60! want me to see if i can get you a cheaper copy? i honestly don't know if i can, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
(thanks for the complement christianne. i can keep up most of the time, but certain areas leave me in the dust pretty quickly.)
and di: i'm pretty sure you'd hate his dissertation. let's just say it's not for mass consumption. :)
i love that i spelled "compliment" wrong when the compliment was that i was so smart. ha!
Christianne & Terri,
You guys have me blushin over here with all the smart comments. Did Tammy pay you two to set me up? Lol. Thanks for the nice words though.
Terri, if you can get me a cheaper copy, I would be very grateful! But, if you can't, I'd be happy to pay for it. I love Greg's stuff.
Di, you're right. He is a great teacher. I have downloaded a couple WHC sermons and listen to them.
Now, I gotta tell you . . . everyone in this lil bloggin community is sharp as a tack. Foreal, I'm always thinkin, "These folks are mad smart."
Yeah, I have to admit ... I was lost with a lot of that (my brain is completely inured in some pretty thick work stuff today. BLEH! It was definitely a blast from the past to see 'Summa Theologica' mentioned, though I felt kinda in the loop at least knowing some of what Richard Dawkins has written.
Nate, you can't fool us. You are some crazy kind of smart. Epigenetics, Dawkins, & all. I hope it rubs off on the rest of us. And I can't wait to get started on this meme too!!
Yeah. Check that out. I can't even close parentheses today.
;o)
Ha ha, we are all so wicked smart that we can't keep up with our own fingers! Our brains run faster than our ability to type! Yeah, that's it! :)
I love you guys.
Nate
you are all over my head here so I will bow out gracefully. I think I will just stick to my shallow non-thought provoking life of cartoons and hope all of you intellectuals will love me anyway.
YES WE WILL, TAMMY! And you are waaaaay smarter than you think or give yourself credit for. But that's because you're humble as all get out.
all of life's riddles are solved in cartoons.
Nate's back! Yahoo!
And what a comeback...killer brainy post that generates a thread of brilliant comments...the man's on FIRE!
Sarah, It's good to be back. Good to see you.
Terri & Tammy, cartoons (fiction and fantasy) can definitely be a means of solving problems and riddles. I was proofing one of Clayton's papers and he picked up on that theme (rhymes with meme . . . lol). He was discussing how a person can explore and engage various forms of prejudice through the vehicle of fantasy in a way that is not possible through the medium of nonfiction. It makes the touchy very much touchable. So you've got academic support for your use of cartoons. :)
okay, i would have had to look up at least 10 words just in the two little book excerpts you put out there.... i don't miss assigned reading.
Blue, you crack me up. Glad to see you poppin in on me. :) Peace.
Hi Nate it is 9:30am where are you? sleeping most likely. You are part bat. (that was not meant to be a mean comment.) I think you may convert me as well, now that you have hooked up that computer.
I find myself 3am, glass of water,
and a round trip to check my e-mails ...bad me.
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