A historical principle says that the justice of a distribution depends upon how the distribution came about. So, this means that a distribution is just, if it comes about by all just transfers, and it is unjust if it involves any uncorrected unjust transfers. This is the sort of principle that Nozick’s entitlement theory is […]
In the ancient near east there were two common forms of treaties. One is the parity treatise, which happens between two social equals. The other is the suzerainty treatise, which is between the suzerain and their vassal. This latter form is the structure we see in the Sinai Covenant in Exodus 19-24. The suzerain treaty […]
Fannie Lou Hamer’s exquisite character traits are what made her such a leader in the civil rights movement. She was a strong woman who had courage and bravery that was unmatched, Mills writes on pg. 218, “she supported her convictions with every ounce of energy that she had, and my God, that women had some […]
One thing this class has made clear to me is that race is real. I’m not saying it’s real in any scientific or biological way, but real in the sense that people have different experiences in the United States, on account of their race. Thus, when thinking about effective and biblical ministry, it needs to […]
Robert Nozick takes up disagreements with Rawls theory specifically with the difference principle and his original position. He criticizes the difference principle for being an end-state principle and how influenced it is to mitigate this notion of morally arbitrary facts, specifically the morally arbitrariness of natural assets and what social class you’re born into. He […]
When it comes to voluntary euthanasia, there are a lot of arguments in favor of showing that it can be morally permissible. One of the chief arguments is from an appeal to self-determination. I don’t think this appeal to self-determination, or what some people call autonomy, should convince us that voluntary euthanasia is moral. Self-determination […]
Religion has been the motivation for civic engagement among black people for their entire existence in America. It hasn’t been the only motivation, and Christianity hasn’t been the only religion to bring influence, but it is clear that Christianity has played a central role in motivating black people to stand up against oppression. The interesting […]
The dispute between Clifford and James is largely on what grounds do we have to believe something and what is the function of belief. Clifford takes the hard stance and says that reason alone should justify our beliefs. Clifford sees belief as being intimately connected to representing the truth of reality. Therefore, it’s important to […]
God’s church doesn’t have a mission, rather God’s mission has a church. I can’t underestimate the potency this change of perspective has had on my understanding of God’s mission on earth and my place in it. It has deepened and enriched my understanding of God’s fundamentally missional nature. It has also challenged some of my […]
There are so many topics worthy of reflection swirling in my head, but I want to focus on the black/white paradigm and the way this interacts with Asian Americans. This way of thinking has led to much ignorance of Asian American issues and silencing of those who have tried to share their experiences. The black/white […]
Power of Words 