Opus Dei Exposed
My review of Gareth Gore’s engrossing exposé of Opus Dei in U.S. Catholic.
Carlo Rovelli on Reason and Faith
“From a theoretical point of view, the search for a compromise between reason and religion marks the evolution of Christian thought and nourishes the philosophy of the church fathers, from Saint Augustine to Saint Thomas. Seen from the point of view of a modern scientist, these efforts have a kind of desperate, tragic grandeur. Other… Continue reading Carlo Rovelli on Reason and Faith
Book Notes
One of my favorite lines from one of Anthony Burgess’s greatest (and underappreciated) novels. “Mrs. Killigrew, whose husband played bridge all the time, discovered a passion for a man whose face was covered with warts. Why was this? In a story you had to find a reason, but real life gets on very well without… Continue reading Book Notes
Scot Lehigh’s Just East of Nowhere
Veteran Boston Globe columnist Scot Lehigh’s first novel, Just East of Nowhere, is a delightful surprise. Published this past summer by Islandport Press in Maine, Just East… is a little too easily described as a ‘coming of age’ story, a genre I frankly dislike. But in Mr. Lehigh’s telling, this is more of a mystery,… Continue reading Scot Lehigh’s Just East of Nowhere
Rebecca Bratten Weiss and The Gods We Have Eaten
It’s hard not to envy the experience and the deep reading of philosophy and literature which writer-farmer Rebecca Bratten Weiss brings to bear in the marvelous poems she’s been composing for almost a decade. A former adjunct professor of literature, Rebecca is the digital editor of U.S. Catholic (for whom I’ve written). Her articles and… Continue reading Rebecca Bratten Weiss and The Gods We Have Eaten
When Faith Meets Science…
He hopes that his book draws enough interest to justify the publicatioin of a second volume, where he could present topics he addressed in the third and fourth Italian volumes, which are currently used in courses at the master’s-degree level.
Sabine Hossenfelder’s Existential Physics
My review of Sabine Hossenfelder’s new book is up at U.S. Catholic. “Hossenfelder rejects the ‘faith versus science’ dichotomy too often recycled in these books. She makes it clear from the beginning of her own, Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions, that spiritual ideas and traditions can be perfectly compatible with modern physics… Continue reading Sabine Hossenfelder’s Existential Physics
The Discovery of Jean Rhys
With thanks to the inimitable James Wood in the New Yorker. The books overlap enough to disclose a composite type: an outsider, a youngish Englishwoman of ambiguous ethnicity (“But you are English—or aren’t you?” Marya is asked), curiously unidentifiable by the traditional English markers of accent and education (“She was born in the West Indies… Continue reading The Discovery of Jean Rhys
Slovenia 2022
Some highlights from the family trip to Slovenia this June.
Kertzer’s New Book on Pius XII and Hitler
The Atlantic features a damning excerpt from David I. Kertzer’s forthcoming book on Pope Pius XII and his negotiations with Hitler. ‘Pius XII and Adolf Hitler had no affection for each other. Yet each man had his own reasons for initiating these talks. The pope placed the highest priority on reaching a deal with the… Continue reading Kertzer’s New Book on Pius XII and Hitler
No More ‘Thoughts and Prayers’…
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr puts it better than anyone about the Republican Senators who refuse to allow any kind of gun regulation while children continue to be killed in this country…
Shirley Hazzard’s Voice
If you’v never read anything by Shirley Hazzard, you need to. I’m hooked, after reading an appreciation of her stories in Commonweal a couple of months back…
Talk Radio Europe
Just had a delightful chat with Giles Brown of Talk Radio Europe on clocks and camshafts. Will post a link to the show once it’s online!
Social Media Is No Guarantee of Sales
From today’s New York Times. ‘An author’s platform has long been something publishers look at — does she have a radio show, for example, or a regular guest spot on TV? But as local news outlets and book coverage have dwindled, the avenues for book publicity have shrunk, making an author’s ability to help get… Continue reading Social Media Is No Guarantee of Sales
Clinging to St. Augustine
An excellent article by Prof. Kenneth Kemp (who was at the recent conference on evolution sponsored by Society of Catholic Scientists), critically reviews a recent intelligent design book by a misguided Dominican priest. But interestingly, Kemp highlights the self-inflicted problem genomics poses to Catholic theology when it comes to original sin, as it is understood… Continue reading Clinging to St. Augustine
The Challenge of A.I.
My article on artificial intelligence, ‘Minds Without Brains?’ is in the April issue of Commonweal. Online here. This was a fascinating piece to write, especially given the chance to speak with so many people in the field.
The Final Frontier… or The Undiscovered Country?
I just finished David Whitehouse’s Space 2069. It’s a sobering read for those of us who remember the Apollo moon landings and the contraction of NASA’s more ambitious programs after that. The bulk of the book is devoted to current plans to return to the Moon and to explore Mars. The last third of the… Continue reading The Final Frontier… or The Undiscovered Country?