Is the Pope a communist?
Hardly, but he is certainly a severe critic of market capitalism. George Weigel sees his recent apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) as a clarion call for a decisive shift in the Catholic Church’s self-understanding, in full […]
An Abbott government: active or passive conservatism?
Ootz recently drew our attention to Waleed Aly’s fine piece in The Monthly Inside Tony Abbott’s Mind: This is Serious. Aly quotes David Marr’s Quarterly Essay on Abbott to resolve the apparent contradiction between Abbott the man of conviction and […]
Are we ever more individual? Or is that the wrong question? A historical sociology of interiority and ascesis
I’ve been reading Guy G. Stroumsa’s The End of Sacrifice, which looks at religious transformations or mutations in the transitions from paganism to Christianity, and Axial moments.
Pope Francis
I promised when LP was revived that I would write a post on the crisis in the Catholic Church. I’d intended to do that during the Conclave, but like everyone else, I am surprised that the election of the new […]
Two marriage equality bills in the House
Not one, but two private members bills that would end the prohibition of gay marriage were introduced to the House of Representatives yesterday. The first is co-sponsored by Adam Bandt of the Greens, and Andrew Wilkie, the second introduced by […]
It’s complicated
Because apparently the best way to counter simplistic, misguided arguments is by making different simplistic, misguided arguments.
How to conduct the debate on same sex marriage
It’s inevitable that the debate on same sex marriage, which has reached a new level since the passage in Queensland last week of the Civil Partnerships Bill and the decisions of the ALP National Conference on the weekend, will be […]
Andrew Fraser’s Civil Unions bill being considered by parliamentary committee
The Legal Affairs, Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services Committee of the Queensland Parliament is holding public hearings today on a bill introduced by Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser to enshrine civil unions in state law. The text of the Civil Partnerships […]
Tone
I really wanted to write a good review of this book, but this was not the book to do it. Abbott is a conviction politician, no matter how angry certain commenter may be when I say that. He wants power, yes, and he is ruthless in his pursuit of it. But he wants power for a reason, not just for its own sake. I just hope that the debate this book sparked gets people talking about what those reasons are.
2011 Melbourne Cup thread
It’s that time of year again. Post whatever you like about the Melbourne Cup – tips for Tuesday, anecdotes, trivia, deconstruction, equine sock puppets, fashion advice, hangover cures, etc.
Saudi women can now vote (still can’t drive)
King Abdullah said his decision came because “we refuse marginalising women’s role in the Saudi society in all fields” and followed “consultations with several scholars”.