Geoff's Miscellany

[This is a repost from 2013 with an additional translation added to the list below]

Text

Λέγω γὰρ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τῆς δοθείσης μοι παντὶ τῷ ὄντι ἐν ὑμῖν μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρ᾽ ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν ἀλλὰ φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἐμέρισεν μέτρον πίστεως. (Rom 12:3 BGT)

Translation

Upon first glance the obvious translation/meaning is, "For, I say to all of you through the grace which was given to me, do not think about yourselves more highly than it is necessary to think, but rather think [w/respect to yourselves] in a manner that leads to temperance; each one as God has given a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

When I heard that Daniel Dennett's new book on consciousness was released, I didn't care. He has a tendency to argue in this format:

1. Here's an idea it isn't worth explaining from the past.
2. Here's my alternative that uses sciency words.
3. It cannot be explained by current science, but with enough scientific advances, it obviously will be explained.
4. Logic, etc.

I'm hardly exaggerating. It's like Sam Harris, but less endearing because it isn't podcast format and he doesn't look like Zoolander. I stopped reading Dennett's books when I recognized that pattern.

This little piece from the desert Fathers helpfully illustrates Matthew 5:14-16:

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba, as far as I can I say my Little Office. I fast a little. I pray. I meditate. I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else am I to do?” “What else,” Abba Lot says, “can I do?” Then the old man stood up, stretched his hands towards heaven and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire, and he said to him, “If you will, you can become all flame.”

Jesus, in the passage mentioned, challenges his disciples to be the light of the world. Abba Joseph above tells Abba Lot, "If you will [desire to be a light], you can become all flame."

Previously, I mentioned the bizarre timing. 

Two years ago, around the end of October, I ran into a friend at the bookstore. He was bandaged and seemed rather disheveled. He was wearing a hospital bracelet. A few days or weeks later (I can't remember), his wife called to let me know that he had disappeared. I figured that he was as good as dead. And so for the past two years, I listen to some of the music he wrote in November and I think briefly about our friendship, what I learned, what I could do better in current friendships, and pray for his family, etc. 

Eric L. Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal[1]

Below is a summary of Johnson’s rules for Christian reading. It’s a useful part of his book. Because these are my own words, anything poorly stated is my own fault, not Johnson’s.

1. The goal of Christian reading, even leisure reading, is conformity to Christ. Therefore what and how we read matter.
2. The Holy Spirit is the Christian reading light. This metaphor indicates that while reading, the Christian is cooperating with the Holy Spirit in coming to have self-knowledge, knowledge about what is being read, knowledge about the author, knowledge about the world, and knowledge about God.
3. New Christians should ask wise guides for help in reading, both what to read, and how to understand it.
4. There is a natural hierarchy in the texts we read:
   1. The canon of Scripture.
   2. Classic texts of the Christian traditions.
   3. Other quality texts (I would add, classical texts of one’s national, ethnic, or intellectual tradition).
   4. Inferior texts that aren’t worth reading.
   5. Bad texts which draw the readers from what is true, good, or beautiful.
   6. Banned texts, some texts are simply justifiably censured and censored.
5. Non-Canonical texts need to be read with trust and suspicion.
6. Reading non-Christian texts wisely increases wisdom and is therefore worthwhile.

References

Scott Adams is of the opinion that goals are for losers and systems are for winners. The reasoning is that goals make it psychologically easy to stop doing everything it took to achieve them once you achieve them (this problem is the main point of the book The Slight Edge). But not only so, goals make it harder to do the needful thing, because every day you haven't achieved your goal, wake up defeated. So he recommends systems, daily/weekly, monthly tasks that move you in a positive direction regardless of the final outcome.