A lengthy profile by John Cornwell, which appears in the November issue of Prospect, examines the biography and the philosophical work of Alasdair MacIntyre, particularly in regard to the relevance of his Marx-inflected Thomism for confronting the ongoing crisis of capitalist economies in Europe and the U.S.
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Announcements, events, and opportunities related to topics of interest to TIF readers are posted here. Additionally you may find round-ups of news items and brief commentary on current events.
For a listing of all of the events announcements, click here.
For a listing of announcements regarding books, click here.
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SSRC dissertation workshop
by Jessica PolebaumThe Social Science Research Council's program on religion and the public sphere is now accepting applications for its 2011 Religion and International Affairs Dissertation Workshop.
November 23, 2010
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NEH seminar on the study of religion
by Charles GelmanA professional seminar on the study of religion, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be held next summer at the University of Virginia. Directed by Charles Mathewes and Kurtis Schaeffer, the seminar is intended to introduce participants "to the enormously productive re-thinking of the idea of “religion” that has happened in recent years, in order to assist those interested in developing a richer and more nuanced understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and pitfalls, that come with using the category of “religion” to understand highly diverse manifestations of human practice and belief within the United States and around the world today."
November 29, 2010
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Shari’a, Family, and Democracy
by Jessica PolebaumAbdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, M. Christian Green, and John Witte, Jr., principal investigators of an SSRC-funded project "Shari'a, Family, and Democracy in Nigeria and Beyond," have unveiled a new blog that will address the central issues that animate their research.
December 1, 2010
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Creationist theme park expected to boost KY economy
by Lydia BrawnerKentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced today that the planned creationist theme park Ark Encounter, set to open in 2014, will have a $250 million annual economic impact. “Make no mistake about it, this is a huge deal,” he told the Louisville Courier-Journal.
December 2, 2010
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Video removed from the National Portrait Gallery
by Lydia BrawnerYesterday morning saw the removal of David Wojnarowicz's 1987 video A Fire in My Belly from the National Portrait Gallery's "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" exhibition. This video (which can be viewed here) was deemed controversial for an eleven second clip of ants crawling across a small crucifix.
December 2, 2010
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“When Religion Is Not a Choice”
by Charles GelmanAt the Martin Marty Center's Religion and Culture Web Forum, Slavica Jakelić shares a chapter from her Collectivistic Religions: Religions, Choice, and Identity in Late Modernity, with responses from Grace Davie, Edin Hajdarpasic, and Kevin Schultz.
December 2, 2010
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Buddhism and science
by John D. BoyAt 13.7: Cosmos and Culture, a blog sponsored by NPR, astrophysicist Adam Frank takes on the changing relationship between Buddhism and science. Early interest in Buddhism among scientists had to do with an assumed parallel between the principles of quantum physics and ancient truths of eastern religion. In Frank's estimation, this 1970s discussion was "mostly silly." More recently, however, the discussion has shifted. Today, scientists take an interest in Buddhism in hopes of learning something about mind and consciousness.
December 9, 2010
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Video: Claude Lefort memorial talks
by Charles GelmanVideo of the talks from the Intellectual and Political Memorial for Claude Lefort is now available from Constellations.
December 10, 2010
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Can life be better than bearable?
by Charles GelmanAt The Stone, philosopher Sean D. Kelly muses on Nietzsche's proclamation of the death of God and considers contemporary culture in light of Nietzsche's epidemiology of modern nihilism. Aside from the oddness of seeing Nietzsche analyzed in the The New York Times, there are a few particular issues one could take with Kelly's brief essay.
December 13, 2010