Jason Joseph

Wendell Berry’s comments on gay marriage last month raised some eyebrows among conservatives. Were his comments a ‘ Grandpa Simpson moment ’ or the logical outcome of Porcher presuppositions?  Below are snippets of what he said. On Nature: “If it can be argued that . . . . Continue Reading »

George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novel Game of Thrones is the first novel in a seven book series titled The Song of Ice and Fire which has been turned into a hit HBO show.   This post is confined to the first book and will not address the show’s sleaziness, but those interested in . . . . Continue Reading »

In the October issue of First Things , Pierre Manent has an article titled Human Unity Real and Imagined .  He argues the European Project is a manifestation of Auguste Comte’s ‘Religion of humanity’ which does not constitute a real community of action.  It is not clear why . . . . Continue Reading »

Last month’s issue of First Things had an exchange between Patrick Deneen and Daniel Mahoney.  Deneen repeated many of the arguments he has made in other articles and posts e.g. Lockeanism =’s Progressivism .  On the other hand, he did seem to pivot to the center on one . . . . Continue Reading »

Fans of the hit TV show LOST speculated after the first couple of seasons that it was secretly a presentation of Purgatory.  The buzz over this thesis grew to such large proportions that the producers had to release a letter denying the rumors.  Now two years after the show is finished, . . . . Continue Reading »

In 2005 the APA famously articulated the “no difference” thesis: the moral equivalence of children’s outcomes in regards to heterosexual and gay parenting. The debate was apparently over, but two studies released last week have reignited the issue. The first study contends the . . . . Continue Reading »

The Hunger Games is a dystopia about a country named Panem, in which one city, the Capitol, rules twelve other districts.  Due to the districts’ rebellion, the Capitol has instituted the Hunger Games: each district submits two children to a contest where they fight to the death.  . . . . Continue Reading »

Thomas Hibbs has updated his book Shows About Nothing: Nihilism in Popular Culture in light of films and TV shows of the last decade like Christopher Nolan’s movies and AMC’s Mad Men. He says Nihilism has been the reigning philosophy in Hollywood since the 1960’s.  By Nihilism, . . . . Continue Reading »

Last week Ross Douthat posted a comparison of The Sopranos and The Wire .  He sees the two shows in terms of psychology v. sociology, the former being the more insightful because it presents flesh and blood human beings while the latter reduces its characters to their surrounding culture in . . . . Continue Reading »

Front Porcher Patrick Deneen criticizes the critics of the HHS mandate for using the “dominant privatistic language of liberalism.”  He agrees this is the prudent strategy, but believes it masks the deeper divide between Catholic and Modern political thought in general.  Such a . . . . Continue Reading »