The Limits of Knowing

The tower of knowing reaches higher and higher into the sky. Its foundations support apparently infinite extension. Each floor includes the beginning of a staircase that ascends to yet another level. We build this tower faster and faster. We build machines to speed up the process even more – through automation, efficiency, scalability. And yetContinue reading “The Limits of Knowing”

What is Given is Given Equally

(Note: all photographs these days are taken by my daughter Fionnghuala) It can be helpful to see the way in which everything is given equally (or appears equally), and how the extent to which there appears to be inequality is essentially a function of our narrative impulse. Imagine someone places on the table before youContinue reading “What is Given is Given Equally”

Why I Switched to a Creative Commons License

Earlier this week I shifted the license on this website from a traditional copyright to a Creative Commons license, specifically an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. My reasons for doing this are important, and I want to share them. I’ve been aware of Creative Commmons licenses for some time and, in spirit, I have always preferredContinue reading “Why I Switched to a Creative Commons License”

Tell all the truth but tell it slant –

In 1872, Emily Dickinson wrote a poem (1263 – “Tell all the truth but tell it slant”) that neatly sums up how human beings awaken to knowledge of God. When she wrote this poem, Dickinson’s greatest work was behind her; there is a sense in which these eight lines feel almost like an afterthought. ButContinue reading “Tell all the truth but tell it slant –”