Topics I've wanted to write about, but have been too lazy to follow up on

1) The power of status vs. the power of action.

Question: How can black liberation theology claim an analogy between the suffering of African-Americans and the suffering of Jesus Christ. This question should lead us to discuss the possibility of a catholic [small c] or universalist interpretation of the suffering of Jesus Christ and it's application to current identity politics.

2)Bush wants to send more troops to Iraq in 2009. Secretary Gates wants to send more troops to Afghanistan in 2009. The problem of moral equivalency when discussing just war theory, and their application to the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns, respectively.

3) Why philosophy is so critical for the future. How philosophy creates "intellectual space" for new ideas. Discuss Plato and Aristotle and the dark ages; Hegel and Marxism and evolution; and Rawls with 20th century liberalism.

Follow up with what ideas we need now, and how will philosophy create space for them?


4) The difference between justice and forgiveness. Hypothesis: Justice is retribution against another side, while forgiveness is the return of equilibrium between two sides with a grievance against the other side. The real question this post should address is why we think justice is a better form of conflict resolution than forgiveness.

5) Discussing why I have a personal beef against metaphysics and new age crap, but why i seem to respect organized religion.

Answer: one has cultural and historical relevance, one is a snake oil with the primary aim being to enrich the author.

6) Why am I a Liberal Democrat? I'm pro-war, pro-globalization and pro-Israel. Pretty vague and loaded terms, to be sure. But as Kurt Campbell once said: "People don't realized that democrats with foreign policy expertise are democrats because of domestic policy reasons, not foreign-policy reason." The purpose of this exercise to ensure that, in the future, i don't turn into some joe lieberman/henry "scoop" jackson nutball that used my differing views on foreign policy to fuck over the party I love so much.