This takes me up to December 25, 2014 in my notebooks.
Every method is a means with a degree of appropriateness to a context and to an end.
The method of doubt establishes that mind has a teleology.
An event requires location (space), duration (time), and actuality (cause).
respect for individuals as protection against mobbing
A theory drawn from or supported by experiments must be interpreted in ways consistent with the possibility and existence of those experiments and the viability of the supporting inferences.
The chief problem with most theories of punishment is detachment of punishment from questions of justice.
(1) Scriptural memorial of the work of Christ
(2) liturgical enactment of the work of Christ
Scripture as implicate Tradition; Tradition as explicate Scripture. Scripture as Tradition in rule; Tradition as Scripture in life.
Tradition as that which is required fully to unfold Scripture
1 Cor 11:23 & the nature of Tradition
Private revelations as probable confirmations and suggestive clarifications.
Form is that which is capable of having likeness to other forms. (Less trivial than it sounds, particularly with respect to cognition.) Matter is that which limits this capability in form (although form may, e.g., insofar as it has reference to matter, have intrinsic limitations as well).
the capital vices as disorders of humanity itself
Truths about bad deeds are easily poisoned by lies, for people will believe anything about those whom they regard as clearly having done wrong.
"How could that which does not make a man worse, make his life worse?" (Marcus Aurelius)
"We are all working together to complete one work; some of us knowingly and consciously and the others consciously." (Marcus Aurelius)
mereotopology as a theory of distinction and relations among the distinguished
faith expressed in works, in authority, in memory, in tradition, in institution, in reasoning, in ascetic life, in mystical life
It is curious that naturalists have a tendency to reject purely formal accounts of mathematics (platonistic) in favor of purely teleological ones (constructivistic).
the intrinsic structure of observation as the most fundamental issue in philosophy of science (note that this includes but is not reducible to the structure of perception)
mereotopological structures implicit in experimentation
the importance of boundary-to-experiment for experimentation -- with some kinds of experiment, this is very clear; boundaries need to be in place for reasons of avoiding contamination, isolating effects, and simplifying reasoning about the experiment
act, potency, and the principle of causality as the intrinsic structure of sensations
the martyr's prize, the tyrant's eternal torment by fire: 4 Macc 9:9, 9:31-32, 10:10-11, 10:15, 11:3, 12:12, 12:18, 13;15, 18:3-5, 18:18, 18:22-23
4 Macc 13:16 -- 'the full armor of self-control, which is divine reason'
4 Macc 14:7 -- 'the seven days of creation move in choral dance around religion'
4 Macc 16:25 -- 'those who die for the sake of God live to God, as do Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs'
4 Macc 17:6 -- 'for your childbearing was from Abraham the father'
4 Macc 17:21 -- 'they having become as it were a ransom for the sin of our nation'
4 Macc 17:22 -- 'through the blood' & 'through their death as a hilasterion' (cp Rm 3:25, Hb 9:11-15, 1 Pt 1:19, 1 Jn 1:7)
Purity is primarily purity of reason.
inquiry into angelic knowledge as inquiry into contemplative life
the preparticles of a particle (preparticular properties) -- even the old atomoi had geometrical preparticles
Two problems w/ common Calvinist approaches to Scripture (which otherwise are often excellent): (1) ambiguity about what Scripture is; (2) treatment of all Scripture as positive law even when it is clearly not being an arbitrary authority but teaching reasons.
pleasure as fineza
Aristotelian logic takes known-making as important.
experimental reasoning as proof by sign/example
continuum : composition :: discrete number : division
aesthetic criticism and the involution of art
All technical skills are refined by an aesthetic criticism appropriate to them.
style as a relation to a medium
the aesthetics of philosophical system (we already see this in much of the comparison of scholasticism and cathedral architecture)
Kardinsky's three internal necessities of art: (1) personal expression; (2) Zeitgeist; (3) helping the cause of art
creativity in experimentation, experiments as works of art
experiment as an extrinsic teleological organization of intrinsic final causes
the depreciation of final and formal causes in modern thought as related to the tendency to ignore the character and conditions of experiment
To predict the future course of scientific inquiry would be to produce it before it was produced. (cp Hulme on creativity in art)
experiment // architecture
in being constructed of design solutions
angelic knowledge : contemplation :: angelic speech : magisterial teaching
Act and potency is how we explain two becoming one.
Our intellect is not of singulars directly not because they are singular but because our minds are acquainted with singulars that are material.
angelic knowledge & angelic speech as limit concepts
recreational use of sophisms
Philosophical or political response to evil is only the vigilance of a siege or leaguer, not an uprooting.
Magic tricks are less often unwound by analysis than by history.
principle of causality as integral to identity: if appearances A remain the same while reality R changes, some cause must maintain A as R changes; if reality R changes, some cause must change it
Tools are a kind of sign, so all animals capable of sign use above a certain sophistication are capable of tool use.
'Full of grace' is used by the angel not merely as a description but as a title under which she may be hailed.
Jesus (1) will be great; (2) will be called Son of the Most High; (3) will be given by God the throne of David his father; (4) will rule over the house of Jacob forever; (5) will have no end to his kingdom; (6) will be called holy, the Son of God.
What is manifested through the prophetic writings is manifested in the fulfillment of them.
To endure in the face of evil and difficulty is in and of itself a good.
sense of Scripture as type of the Spirit's work of Tradition
Benefits and harms obviously must be evaluated not merely quantitatively but also qualitatively.
Christ offers Himself (1) on the altar of the world; (2) on the altar of the Cross; (3) on the altars of His people through His priests; (4) at the Throne of God.
The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is offered on the altar under the sign of the separation of Body and Blood.
enacted vs unenacted memorial
hierarchies of art structured by the two poles of ingenuity-based rendering in visible way of the universal essence, and technical copying of the particular appearance
rhyparography
models as analogical experiments
Intellect 'is a part of ourselves, and we ascend toward it.' (Plotinus)
reproduction as economic system
a dusk of images
the link between the sublime and the purifying
Medieval commentaries often called Lamentations 'Lamentation of Lamentations' to highlight parallel with Song of Songs; seems to be due to Paschasius Radbertus.
Lamentations and salutiferus dolor
Lamentations read morally as an account of human fallenness & repentance; allegorically as an account of persecution
giving one's cheek to the smiter: Lam 3:30 // Mt 5:39
Lam 4:20-22 & atonement
"There are only three ways of judging the prophets: they told the truth, deliberately invented a tale, or were victims of an illusion." Herschel, God in Search of Man
transmission of original sin as negative image of transmission of original justice; the transmission of original justice as parallel/analogous to sacred Tradition
Adam / Christ
Head of humanity / Head of Mystical Body
human solidarity / charitable union of members in Mystical Body
original justice / impress of Christ through faith and sacrament
generation (genealogy) / tradition
fake-awesome as misdirected sublimity (C. Hodge)
Balaam's Ass as a type of the Church (Irenaeus)
obligations arising from summation of possible actions with respect to (1) happiness of oneself; (2) happiness of others; (3) self-harm; (4) harming of others
omniscience Ps 139:1-6
omnipresence Ps 139:7-12
omnipotence Ps 139:13-16
holiness Ps 139:17-24
"each of us has been the Adam of his own soul" (2 Baruch 54:19)
Sir 3:3 & Jesus' honoring of his Father as atonement for sins
Tob 12:9 & Jesus' works of mercy as atonement for sins
'Generations' in Genesis seems to suggest an inheritance or reception-from (note particular 2:4, but also 6:9, where it seems it must include more than mere descent).
The Church teaches not only by laying down definitive limits but also by giving nondefinitive central lines. (Church approval & encouragement of popular devotions is a good example.)
bread of God Lv 3:11,16; 21:6,8,17,22f.
washed with water Lv 8:6-9
anointed with oil Lv8:12
consecrated by sacrifice Lv 8:14ff
David made king (1) privately in Bethlehem (1 Sam 16:13); (2) over Judah in Hebron (2 Sam 2:4); (3) over all Israel in Hebron (2 Sam 5:3)
The canon of the more difficult reading is simply that simple elimination of difficulty may always be done to eliminate difficulty, but introduction of difficulty requires special causal explanation. (i.e., it is based on the asymmetry of removal and addition)
As the sacraments are the presence of Christ and His Spirit, priests serve them and are not lords of them.
impartial spectator and the virtue of prudence (when Smith uses 'prudence', of course, he means something very narrow)
Note esp. his discussion of systems based on propriety, in which he holds that the propriety must be determined by "the sympathetic feelings of the impartial and well-informed spectator"
honor & tradition as integral to large-scale and extensive forms of caring
Without honor, caring becomes betrayal.
the general structure of the Pentateuch as the general structure of reception of revelation
original justice as intrinsic covenant, as radical solidarity, as that which unites priesthood, prophecy, and royalty in a unified (unfragmented) seminal form
To think of Christian life as encounter is not bold enough.
Interpretation of a text is limited by one's ability to discover its final causes.
The starting point of philosophical theology is -- everything available.
knowledge of good and evil as being situated so as to pronounce on what is to be done (see W. Malcolm Clark's 1969 article on this, which is quite a good start)
Merismus is always toned or valenced.
"Life is not made for delicate souls." (Seneca)
"An ugly man, if alive, is more beautiful than a man portrayed in a statue, however beautiful it may be." (Plotinus)
progress of calendar calculation, music, architecture in the liturgical commonwealth
the role of analogies of analogies in theory formation
Jer 1:10 & the papacy (Innocent III)
Melchizedek as a type of the papacy (Innocent III)
what is useful in common as approximation of the just
"every friendship is found in community" (Aristotle)
style as the presence of the author
People most fear death as powerlessness or else as ending of delight.
Titus 2:11-14 & the cardinal virtues
The first step in being a true friend to another is being a true friend to oneself.
Writing on its own presupposes an immense number of things about sensation and cognition.
The good of friendship cannot be reduced to pleasure or preference-satisfaction, although some friendships are constituted by mutual pursuit of pleasure or preference-satisfaction.
plurality of societies and plurality of hopes
A totalitarian regime attempts to eliminate sources of hope.
galley effect and perspective
Doctor debet habere fundamentum doctrinae, et perfectionem.
certain forms of higher criticism as giving heed to fables (purely speculative scenarios) and endless genealogies (of texts)
sophrosyne in Titus
cinema as a visual medium for exhibiting aspiration (sometimes by negative): aspiration made visible and audible in a followable narrative
Without honor and tradition, there is no romance; not because every romantic must directly draw on them but because every action is recognized as romantic only in light of them.
the baptism of John & Jesus as participating in Jewish prophetic tradition (// circumcision and Jesus as participating in Jewish covenant)
symbolism as the natural cognitive environment of human beings
(1) The means to an end can only be agreeable where the end is agreeable. (T 3.3.1.9 (SBN 577))
(2) Means to an end are only valued so far as the end is valued. (T 3.3.6.2 (SBN 619))
(3) Whoever chooses the means chooses the end. (T 3.2.7.4 (SBN 536)
(4) It is a contradiction in terms that anything pleases as a means to an end where the end itself in no wise affects us. (EPM 5.17 (SBN 219))
Liberalizing an institution without breaking it is not a straightforward matter; the danger is that one will achieve the goal at the cost of making people think it not worth their time and energy in the first place.
the danger of not appreciating Scripture in its own right, of using it solely as a means for addressing this question or that
