The link below is to an open source article I have just published with my blogging contributor friend, Chris Wojtulewicz. It’s an inquiry into AI and the theology of motherhood. We’re calling this approach to moral theology Lacanian Thomism. It’s really for those who like a meaty long read. In its own way, it’s a…
“Shopping for luxury has become a lingua franca in today’s world” (Olivier Gabet, director of the Museum of Decoractive Arts, Paris). Likely, this statement horrifies many. Fashion, luxury, vanity, and even beauty have had a difficult history in the West. ~~~~~ Here, in brief, is what some philosophers have argued. Plato: luxury and vanity are…
Universities: The Future of Policing?
Adam Smith thinks of fashion as enchantment, so, too, Lacan. Early modern philosophy, iconically dating to Descartes, is a watershed in European consciousness. Before then, gods and demons prevailed, after, everything is only matter in motion. You and I, our dogs and cats, that’s what we are. Many philosophers reacted negatively to this new…
I do not know precise numbers but I’d bet the vast, vast majority — and maybe all — of fashion’s leaders (owners, designers, editors, etc) and the principal consumers have much of their money lodged in tax havens. Over at Catholic World Report, I have an assessment of a recent Vatican document’s arguments about the…
Over at Law & Liberty, I explore how Smith would morally assess Patagonia’s new moral stance on making fleece vests for banking houses: https://www.lawliberty.org/2019/04/25/fleecing-the-bankers-patagonia-environmentalism/
The moral and political character of Smith’s thinking, and thus the meaning of the Scottish Enlightenment, is increasingly contested. My latest at Law & Liberty: Anxious Trade
Hope you enjoy my new reflection, “Smith’s Scientific Milestones”: https://www.adamsmithworks.org/speakings
Here’s a new piece by my good friend Chris Wojtulewicz. It’s a fascinating inquiry into the tastes and meaning of rock icon, David Bowie. V&R is delighted to host another guest blog by Chris. ~~~~~~~~~~~ David Bowie’s Creed Fragrance, Change, God David Bowie used to like wearing Silver Mountain Water by Creed, as you will…
V&R Chapter 6 uses the play theory of Huizinga to explore the ethics of fashion. When I published V&R in 2016, I had never delved in detail into Lacan and his French contemporary, Roger Caillois. Since then, I have been reading both intently. Blog posts lately have shown the power of their thinking for reflecting…