Friday Links, February 9, 2018

Should children use eReaders? Maura Roan McKeegan argues they especially need physical books. "Nineteenth-century British educator Charlotte Mason described the ability to focus (in a healthy brain) as a habit of the mind—one that can be gained or lost according to how the mind is trained. For this eighth grader, reading on a Kindle was undoing her habit of concentration. Her mind was losing the ability to be fully present to her books, and she did not like how it felt." (Don't forget, you can subscribe to the digital edition of Dappled Things!)

The Roman Pontiff, recognizing the abysmal quality of modern homiletics, has pontificated that priests should keep their sermons brief. No word yet on whether or not he will rule on the proper length of a short story.

Is there a conflict between reason and revelation? Leo Strauss said yes; Paul DeHart strongly disagrees. "I think that Strauss is badly wrong on this front, due to deep flaws in his conception of philosophy, which, I maintain, is fundamentally incoherent. Because of this incoherence, Strauss fails to show any fundamental tension between reason and revelation. Ultimately, Strauss valorizes opinion over knowledge, leaving us trapped in an epistemic cave from which we can never escape."