One of the trends that troubles me about the current iteration of the GOP is its anti-intellectualism. I've been particularly chagrined about the shenanigans at the EPA under the current administration, where the new mission seems to be "prepare ye the way of the...industry goons." Science? What science?
One strain of anti-intellectualism arises from greed, I'd argue, but another weaves itself through evangelical thought. I used to think of Adventures in Odyssey as a harmless show for kids, but Elwood was taken aback by anti-intellectualism aimed at the Eugene character. (This was a long time ago, in Eugene's pre-conversion grad student days.) In evangelical circles there's a lot of emphasis on the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom -- with the implication, sometimes, that someone who doesn't know God can't possess any wisdom.
This is your periodic reminder that in the Catholic tradition we believe God calls us out of double darkness: out of sin and into holiness, of course, but also out of ignorance and into knowledge. St. Albert the Great is venerated these days as a doctor of the Church, but he did not restrict himself to theology. He was quite a polymath, actually, with expertise in many branches of science. St. Albert the Great was a living embodiment of the truth that we can honor God by developing our minds, that we can learn more about God by learning more about creation. Growth in truth leads us to God who is Truth.
There are a lot of reasons to oppose the tax bill that's currently under consideration. Many of them have to do with the just distribution of resources. The ones on my mind tonight, though, have to do with the anti-education stipulations of the bill. It's hard enough to be a grad student without having your tuition waiver taxed. Student loan debt can no longer be deducted under the proposed bill, augmenting the costs of education for students who don't have the means to pay it all up front (i.e., most of them). Education becomes less affordable for families if they can't take the Lifetime Learning Credit. Every one of these ideas is a bad idea. Every one makes education less affordable.
I feel confident that St. Albert the Great would disapprove. Tell your elected officials all about it.
PS I went in search of a half-remembered story in which Albert the Great was so distracted by his studies that he burned the cakes he was supposed to be watching while traveling incognito. Turns out that story is actually about Alfred the Great, 400 years earlier. As far as I know Albert the Great never had his ears boxed by any irate peasants for his failures at the hearth.
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