I’ve always wondered how bacon was made…
Monthly Archives: November 2006
Here’s a fascinating take on the current mini-wave of atheist literature (by Dawkins, et al) that’s come out recently. The author describes a series of challenges of atheism to theism – and shows how these can be used to strengthen a theist’s position, and faith. For example:
Virtuous atheists actually have a stronger claim to real goodness than virtuous Christians, Jews, or Muslims, because there can be no taint of cupboard love in their obedience to the moral law. They do not believe in a reward for goodness, and thus must love goodness for its own sake. The challenge to religious people is that they ought to do the good as if there were no afterlife, no heaven, no reward. God does not get a reward for all the good things he does, and if we are supposed to become as much the image of God as we can, as we are told in the scriptures, then we should seek out that life of love and service that is its own reward.
The author of the piece is also the author of a book called Natural Religion. It looks a little far-out, and I have not read it, but the description sounds like an interesting insight into the different ways truth is manifest.
I generally like Bono, and think that he makes many persuasive arguments when it comes to third-world indebtedness. Interestingly though, while advocating more tax money go to relieve poverty, U2 has [relocated](http://www.slate.com/id/2152580/?nav=tap3) part of its business to avoid Irish taxes. Generally I don’t see a problem with legally avoiding taxes, but in light of Bono’s activism it seems like hypocrisy to me. From the article:
>[Bono said] “Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents … that’s a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents … that’s a justice issue.”
>And relocating your business offshore in order to avoid paying taxes to the Republic of Ireland, where poverty is [higher than in almost any other developed nation](http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/youth/republic_of_ireland)?
Bono’s hypocrisy seems even more naked when you consider that Ireland is a tax haven for artists. What U2 should do to be morally consistent is announce that they are taking all the money saved in taxes and spending it directly on aid to Africa. Doesn’t help Ireland too much, but it’s ones right to have priorities… (and right now the priority of self is painfully apparent).
Hat tip to [Instapundit](http://instapundit.com/archives/033713.php).
Via [instapundit](http://www.instapundit.com) I read this fascinating article on [state-building vs. nation-building](http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=110106B). Two things stand out to me in particular. One, I find it fascination how much time that MacArthur spent planning for the occupation of Japan – contrast that with the seeming non-planning in occupying Iraq. Also, the idea of codifying existing informal rule-sets to establish a national identity seems quite reasonable. I’m not sure how this would stand up in the real-world, though, with people bent on destroying things just for the sake of destroying them.
Perhaps the answer is one of momentum. The faster a national identity is established, and the more people that buy into it, the more positive momentum is established. When national identity is vague or diminished, group affiliation is preeminent, and there’s a tacit approval of the violence. Tit-for-tat becomes reasonable when no other options look very good.
