Cowardice among academics? I believe the virtue opposite to cowardice is called Courage. It is one of the four “Cardinal Virtues” along with Wisdom, Self-Control and Justice. Most of Plato’s and Aristotle’s discussions revolved around these concepts. But not only is Courage lacking in today’s academia but arguably so are Wisdom, Justice and Self-Control also in short supply. And a political science major at Idaho State University could complete a BA in four years and almost never hear the word “virtue” mentioned once.
This: "We are, these days, a nation in the thrall of lazy, dishonest, spineless, clueless, incompetent, yet endlessly entitled and arrogant academics, bureaucrats, politicians, media figures, and other “experts” who can’t seem to find their way from their heads to their asses with their hands when something important, like, say, COVID or the 25th Amendment, is in play."
The boys in girls' sports might be heroes. Suppose our society has a secular but sacred belief that women are greater-than-or-equal to men in all things. Sports can serve many functions but making a spectacle of sports serves as a proxy for the experience of war - for the spectators. The commentary of a professional tennis match, men's or women's, describes two warriors battling for their lives. I'm not a military strategist and I don't know how this might be modeled, but suppose, even with modern military technology, a squad of 120-pound women are unlikely to win against a squad of 180-pound men. It could be our sacred beliefs are providing a false sense of security. In which case, it might be good for us to see a person-assigned-the-sex-of-male-at-birth (a.k.a., a boy) in a ring with a person-assigned-the-sex-of-female-at-birth. Also see: https://fiamengofile.substack.com/p/agreed-its-not-fair-for-female-athletes
Cowardice among academics? I believe the virtue opposite to cowardice is called Courage. It is one of the four “Cardinal Virtues” along with Wisdom, Self-Control and Justice. Most of Plato’s and Aristotle’s discussions revolved around these concepts. But not only is Courage lacking in today’s academia but arguably so are Wisdom, Justice and Self-Control also in short supply. And a political science major at Idaho State University could complete a BA in four years and almost never hear the word “virtue” mentioned once.
Awesome rant! Powerfully, brilliantly worded piece!
This: "We are, these days, a nation in the thrall of lazy, dishonest, spineless, clueless, incompetent, yet endlessly entitled and arrogant academics, bureaucrats, politicians, media figures, and other “experts” who can’t seem to find their way from their heads to their asses with their hands when something important, like, say, COVID or the 25th Amendment, is in play."
The boys in girls' sports might be heroes. Suppose our society has a secular but sacred belief that women are greater-than-or-equal to men in all things. Sports can serve many functions but making a spectacle of sports serves as a proxy for the experience of war - for the spectators. The commentary of a professional tennis match, men's or women's, describes two warriors battling for their lives. I'm not a military strategist and I don't know how this might be modeled, but suppose, even with modern military technology, a squad of 120-pound women are unlikely to win against a squad of 180-pound men. It could be our sacred beliefs are providing a false sense of security. In which case, it might be good for us to see a person-assigned-the-sex-of-male-at-birth (a.k.a., a boy) in a ring with a person-assigned-the-sex-of-female-at-birth. Also see: https://fiamengofile.substack.com/p/agreed-its-not-fair-for-female-athletes