Author: Tim Schwab
a novice
After Atypicality
The travels of my sedentary mind
Carry me to lands of sadness,
Where emptiness lies
And others do not see.
The travels of my observing eyes
Only take me to a pained grey.
I look back to the place I once inhabited
And wonder at my path.
Have I swallowed a sullen conviction?
Have I slipped into a pessimism?
Theories of Gender and Sexuality: Almost Progressive
This paper would benefit by having some explanation. This was the final paper of the course and my grades were okay, but not fantastic. I did not make the best grades on earlier papers, partially because I decided to put forward arguments that were what I really thought, instead of conforming to what the professor thought. Ahem. This paper was my last chance to get an A, so I decided to write exactly what was expected of me, to see how good of a grade I could get. I wrote it mostly as a joke, because Mulan is a very sensibly feminist film while most of the thinkers I use to interpret it are, in my opinion, not sensible. Well, I made a 98 on the paper, got an A in the class, and lol’d.
Credit goes to Garrett Malone for a few of the ideas presented in the paper.
Continue reading “Theories of Gender and Sexuality: Almost Progressive”
Apothegms and Observations XXXII
Wisdom of the Moderns: Science and Religion
In W.T. Stace’s 1948 essay “Man Against Darkness,” he outlines the decline of religion in the West and the implications this has for civilization. He notes that modern science suspended contemplation on final causes. This quickly caused a non-teleological cosmology to be widely accepted, either implicitly or explicitly. Religion rests on teleology, so this view of the universe eroded the core of religion, leaving it hollow and unbelievable. Religion is the foundation of values in the West, so Western civilization faces a profound crisis. Stace concludes by briefly examining the way in which we might pull ourselves out of this nihilistic crisis.
Continue reading “Wisdom of the Moderns: Science and Religion”
This Intellectual and the Beginning of Worship
In the past, I have contemplated the meaning of various words such as wisdom, forgiveness, mirth, virtue, sincerity, courage, peace, hope, steadfastness, sacrifice, and love. This has been very fruitful, and I am glad of it. But recently, I realized that I had completely missed a tremendously important word. I had not contemplated worship. Continue reading “This Intellectual and the Beginning of Worship”
Apothegms and Observations XXXI
SIGCSE 2018, With Atypicality
This week I have been attending my first, and possibly my last, research conference. SIGCSE is the premier computer science education conference in the world, or so I am told. In the elevator of my hotel, I met one presenter who was from New Zealand. My randomly paired roommate teaches in Cali.
A Hypothesis, Restated Succinctly, After Engaging With Those Who Disagree
The Hypothesis
A clear biological binary in the sexes (male vs. female) exists for nearly all people. The two genders (man vs. woman) are the stories and profiles of those two sexes throughout history, and how they have been manifested in multiple societies. These profiles have been formed over many millennia of lived experience and intuitive reflection.
Continue reading “A Hypothesis, Restated Succinctly, After Engaging With Those Who Disagree”
A Prayer of Fear and Bereavement
I know not why this grief has come upon me,
But I know You are good.
Thoughts of a Novice 