Spring Break
Grateful for critics, unafraid of controversy
Jake Morgan - Special to The Collegian
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Opinion
Thank you, Nathan Britton. Thank you, Calvin Freiburger, Danielle Larsen, Joel Gehrke and thank you, Kyle Smith.
To them, I am a "leftist" (or "anarchist") who seeks, with my "flawed knowledge of history," to undermine the "eternal foundations" of the college and, as such, am bound to suffer the "punishment of eternal fire." If you can say anything about these individuals, though, it is that they have, in the words of Kyle Smith, a citadel to defend. They have an idea of place, of belief, of home.
Do I agree with these individuals? Certainly not. I believe their paradigm to be deeply concerning, and antithetical to both this college and a broader concept of human worth. In every case, though, I would prefer a vigilant opposition, an alternative proposition (antithesis), than a complete lack of a thesis embodied by the apathetic, or, far worse, the "rationale" of this campus.
Rational prudence represents nothing less than the complete and utter lack of belief. "Belief" here is some set of core ideology, Weaver's metaphysical rock, if you will, or personal axioms that reject out of hand the concept of compromise. Now, my ranting against on-campus recruitment or support of a gay-straight alliance is not my metaphysical rock per se, but is a manifestation of that same ideal, the physical realization of my thesis. When one is prepared to surrender that ground to the circumstance of the moment, by way of taking the middle of the road, or agreeing to disagree, that ground is forever lost to the shifting sands of the temporal. There can be no belief, no person (as a distinction from the animal), within the "icy waters of egotistical calculation" that prudence presupposes.
There is a reason Josh Turner's "Long Black Train" is heading to "the middle of nowhere." The wasteland of pragmatism embodies the greatest enemy of the "liberal arts" or, indeed, any philosophical system that posits inherent human worth. We may have our disagreements over the mission of the college, but I believe we can agree that the founders sought to anchor the college in something beyond on the temporal - some meaning, spirit or capital "T" Truth.
To them, I am a "leftist" (or "anarchist") who seeks, with my "flawed knowledge of history," to undermine the "eternal foundations" of the college and, as such, am bound to suffer the "punishment of eternal fire." If you can say anything about these individuals, though, it is that they have, in the words of Kyle Smith, a citadel to defend. They have an idea of place, of belief, of home.
Do I agree with these individuals? Certainly not. I believe their paradigm to be deeply concerning, and antithetical to both this college and a broader concept of human worth. In every case, though, I would prefer a vigilant opposition, an alternative proposition (antithesis), than a complete lack of a thesis embodied by the apathetic, or, far worse, the "rationale" of this campus.
Rational prudence represents nothing less than the complete and utter lack of belief. "Belief" here is some set of core ideology, Weaver's metaphysical rock, if you will, or personal axioms that reject out of hand the concept of compromise. Now, my ranting against on-campus recruitment or support of a gay-straight alliance is not my metaphysical rock per se, but is a manifestation of that same ideal, the physical realization of my thesis. When one is prepared to surrender that ground to the circumstance of the moment, by way of taking the middle of the road, or agreeing to disagree, that ground is forever lost to the shifting sands of the temporal. There can be no belief, no person (as a distinction from the animal), within the "icy waters of egotistical calculation" that prudence presupposes.
There is a reason Josh Turner's "Long Black Train" is heading to "the middle of nowhere." The wasteland of pragmatism embodies the greatest enemy of the "liberal arts" or, indeed, any philosophical system that posits inherent human worth. We may have our disagreements over the mission of the college, but I believe we can agree that the founders sought to anchor the college in something beyond on the temporal - some meaning, spirit or capital "T" Truth.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
ejeezy
posted 4/25/09 @ 6:23 PM EST
Metaphysical Rock? physical realization? The wasteland of pragmatism? Mr. Morgan I disagree with your opinion on multiple key points, including your ill-founded belief in truth (with a capital T), but what disgusts me more then your opinion is your unbelievable ignorance. (Continued…)
A Charger
posted 5/10/09 @ 11:23 PM EST
The same forces which in the last century spawned the sexual revolution, the welfare state, and destruction of the American family have arrived at Hillsdale College. (Continued…)
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