Comments on: Second thoughts in Illinois

By: Mr. T.

Mr. T. — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:36:22 +0000

As an alum and resident near the University of Clout, I was in no way surprised by the school’s actions.

The fact that the emails are dated back to April, suggests that the timing here is inentional by Hogan and his underlings to try to keep the whole matter on the QT, or minimize fallout by addressing it during the summer recess.

Yet, at about the same time, high-ranking officials in the Vice-Chancellor’s office (google the name “Renee Romano” for a telling story) were demonstrated in emails via FIOA requests to have explicity conspired to hinder, dismantle, and surpress a student organization, the only crime of which was to support the former school symbol. Not only were those included in the conspiracy immune from any form of inquiry by the school’s echelons, but the administration ciricled the wagons around them, and their actions garnered blessings by the professtocracy.

No question a double standard here when you consider that blatant smoking guns of derelictions of academic duty are rewarded, while anonymous hearsay brings the unfavored down.

By: Peter Shoemaker

Peter Shoemaker — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:46:08 +0000

Thank you, Eveningsun, for beating me to the punch. This is very superficial philosophy indeed and there are many, many Catholic educators who could present this line of argument much more coherently and, I would add, with much more tact. One of the alarming aspects of this email is the glib presentation of the natural law argument (with “REALITY” in caps) combined with the straw man account of utilitarianism. Not a firing offense per se, but not highly competent teaching either.

By: Eveningsun

Eveningsun — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:08:40 +0000

No, not a firing offense. Howells is no Mel Gibson, but still, some old tropes seem to have calcified in his mind. Check out, e.g., how easily his email slides from homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality. He needs to take a toilet brush to his brain. I suppose it could have been worse. He could have been busted trying to clarify some bit of Catholic theology by contrasting it to some bit of Jewish theology, and then illustrating the dangers of the latter by suggesting it could lead to the kidnapping and murder of little Christian babies….

By: david foster

david foster — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:00:31 +0000

It doesn’t strike me as a very impressive e-mail. To state in a tone of certainty what “utilitarianism believes” about adult-child sex seems to me a misstatement of utilitarianism, which is a methodology rather than a set of conclusions–different utilitarians could come to different opinions about the matter, but I doubt many would actually say what Howell asserts that they would say.

Also, I thought Catholics believed that *some* moral principles could be derived from Natural Law, while *others* were dependent upon divine revelation. Is this not correct?

Again, not impressive, but not a firing matter, IMNSHO. I can see why students would find the tone irritating, but dealing with irritating people is a part of life.

By: LTEC

LTEC — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:36:02 +0000

“Catholics don’t arrive at their moral conclusions based on their religion. They do so based on a thorough understanding of natural reality.”

I think it’s clear from that sentence that the writer is stating his own understanding of “natural reality” and the morality it should lead to, and that he agrees with the Church on this. It all looks pretty screwy to me. But ALL religion looks pretty screwy to me. This is a course on RELIGION for God’s sake, and people who are offended by these sorts of things should take some other course.

By: Eveningsun

Eveningsun — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:07:58 +0000

Wow. Is Howell teaching his students that utilitarianism says sex with 10-year-olds is OK?

If two men consent to engage in sexual acts, according to utilitarianism, such an act would be morally okay. But notice too that if a ten year old agrees to a sexual act with a 40 year old, such an act would also be moral.

I am not a philosopher, but that sure doesn’t sound right to me.

By: The White Peril 白禍 » Blog Archive » What’s the point in livin’ if you don’t want to dance?

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:47:27 +0000

[...] on 14 July: Erin O’Connor has posted more—apparently, Illinois is reconsidering its decision. O’Connor ends this way: I [...]