Sago Boulevard

Stephen Barr has a good article in First Things about moral relativism (via Keith Burgess-Jackson). He’s responding, in part, to Robert Miller’s article - which is also worth reading. I think Barr is basically right. He explains well how modern relativsm emerged from positivism and its effect on public morality and political discourse. Barr has a philosopher’s gift for picking out key nuances in complex arguments and this article puts that skill on display. (more…)

Newsweek lists America’s top 50 rabbis. The criteria:

[A]re the rabbis known nationally/internationally? (20 points.) Do they have a media presence? (10 points.) Are they leaders within their communities? (10 points.) Are they considered leaders in Judaism or their movements? (10 points.) Size of their constituency? (10 points.) Do they have political/social influence? (20 points.) Have they made an impact on Judaism in their career? (10 points.) Have they made a “greater” impact? (10 points.)

I don’t take the list seriously but one aspect jumped out at me. After each name, the article notes the denominational affiliation of the rabbi in parentheses. Featured were the usual four: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and a fifth: Lubavitch!

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Paul Horwitz, guest-blogging at Volokh Conspiracy, writes on the Religious Test Clause in Article V of the Constitution (”[N]o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”) in the context of recent judicial nomination hearings. (more…)

Gary Larson, in The Prehistory of the Far Side:

[T]he key element in any attempt at humor is conflict. Our brain is suddenly jolted into trying to accept something that is unacceptable. The punch line of a joke is the part that conflicts with the first part, thereby surprising us and throwing our synapses into some kind of fire drill… And the emotional response to this kind of conflict can range from laughter to a broken nose. In any humorous vehicle (comedy, cartoons, Pintos, etc.), this conflict, whether subtle or blunt, is mandatory.

What will you be doing tomorrow, between 10AM and noon?