Department
St. Michael's College CoursesCourse Code
SMC103Y1Professor
Michael O ConnorThis preview shows half of the first page. to view the full 2 pages of the document.

Thurs. March 31, 2011
SMC 103
Lecture Notes
- Problem w/ pie = it’s a fixed size thus we think that in order for us to get
more, someone gets less
- Actually, the addition of people makes it stronger + better (just one person
w/ a baseball + bat isn’t much – more ppl you add, better game)
Ch. 2 = problem
Ch.3 = gratidude
Ch.4 = point of our being
- rather than building an argument by sequence, she goes around.. ?
- always thinking of “more”
Ch. 5 = Empire of “More”
-> constant yearn for “more”, is growing but it’s sick within, it’s dying, its an
Empire in Decline
- primary source of decline = loss of vision, loses what its living for, ideals, etc
How to cope:
a) Conservatism – look for what is enduring
-> many fail to see the importance for stability and contunity ; way of dealing
is doomed to failure. Why?
i) Bc disconnect - 1) Social conservatism + 2) fiscal conservatism – both
actually don’t fit together , clash (don’t work bc they clash)
ii)Coercion
b) Liberalism – has underlying trust that what is good for each person is good
for common good. This only works is there is enough to go around. Only way
around this is to talk of economics.. ?
-> M’s critics: ??
1. Individualism
c) … against – enemy
ex. War on terror
What is the point of our being?
- M wants to point at God as our point of being (p.57)
- 139 ? “It will end as it began – in goodness”
- not about scarity, competition, having more but of our relationship with
God… it will end in goodness
- gives examples of ppl 1st – story of bricklayers
- p. 136 – 2nd example: Newman has sense of his point of being..
- p. 135 - 3rd example:M’s catechism – never forgot “who made you? God.
Why? to show his goodness + be happy with him forever”
- not just about escaping
- out of God’s goodness, it is possible to construct a “Parallel Culture”
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