Book Review: A Critique of the New Natural Law Theory by Russell Hittinger

A Critique of the New Natural Law Theory by Russell Hittinger

Natural Law Theory has its roots in the ancient Greco-Roman world, though its greatest flowering has been in Catholic ethical teaching in the Middle Ages. Contemporary ethics shies away from what seems out-of-date and specifically Christian, hence utilitarianism and deontology have become popular. In an attempt to update the theory and establish a starting point not dependent on Christianity, Germaine Grisez and John Finnis have spent much effort in crafting a new theory of Natural Law. They enumerate several goods that are conducive to human fulfillment (e.g., life, knowledge, justice, religion) and explain how these goods are irreducible to each other. Since they are irreducible, these goods cannot be put in a hierarchical order. Since they are specifically human, they ought to be pursued. Morally good behavior acts according to these goods, seeking no particular good in a way that would jeopardize the other goods. Grisez and Finnis establish some first principles of practical reason and morality to guide people on their search for these goods.

In a brilliant analysis of their reflections, Russell Hittinger lays out the basic considerations of the Grisez-Finnis theory of natural law. One of the biggest problems in their theory is what constitutes the good of religion. As one sort of human fulfillment, religion is being open to a relationship with the Being that creates and sustains the world (Grisez has a proof for the existence of an uncaused cause that does not get into specifics about the Creator). How this is meaningfully instantiated is difficult to pin down and shifts based on the acceptance of Christian revelation. Both Grisez and Finnis are Catholics and argue for Christian positions on marriage and contraception. Their new formulation of Natural Law lets them develop other arguments which are less than rigorous and convincing for Hittinger.

The book is not for the faint of philosophy and theology. The discussions are well explained but very technical and get far into the minutia of the Grisez-Finnis theory. It strikes me as written more for an academic community or for people already deeply invested in natural law theory. While he is sympathetic to the endeavor to make natural law more appealing, he does make a good argument that the Grisez-Finnis method does not do the job.

Recommended, with the caveat that you need some prep work beforehand to get the most out of it.

Movie Review: Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone (1993) directed by George P. Cosmatos

Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) arrives at Tombstone, Arizona, with his wife Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) hoping to leave his law-enforcement life behind. His brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) are already in town. The brothers plan to make a good life in the boom town. One hotel's bar has a difficult Faro dealer who is driving away business and is too intimidating to be fired. Wyatt goes in, confronts the man, drags him out of the hotel, and then takes the job for 25% of the profits. The hotel owner is happy with the deal. Old friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) shows up with Kate Elder (Joanna Pacula). He's a well-educated Southern gentleman who rubs a lot of people the wrong way with his volatile and eccentric behavior. 

Trouble comes with the Cowboys, a ruthless group of cattle rustlers who provide a lot of business for the town but also a lot of violence. Cowboy leader Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) hears Earp is in town and confronts Wyatt at the gambling table, making it clear that lawmen are not welcome and certainly not expected to enforce the law. The Earp brothers try to stay out of local conflicts, though they find it hard to stand aside as the Cowboys run roughshod over the town, e.g. killing the sheriff (Harry Carey, Jr.), an incident that doesn't get prosecuted for lack of witnesses (though even for film viewers the event looks like it could have been an accident). Virgil becomes disgusted and takes the sheriff job, pulling his brothers in. The situation gets more tense and difficult, leading to the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (which actually happened in a lot behind the stables) and the Vendetta Ride (after the Cowboys cripple Virgil and kill Morgan, Wyatt takes a posse that roams the countryside confronting (i.e. killing) the Cowboys). 

The movie walks a fine line between a classic western and the then-popular revisionist western (see Unforgiven or Dances with Wolves). Plenty of shoot-outs fill the screen time, though they are a lot more realistic and a lot less glamorized than in classic westerns. The score is a clear homage to Elmer Bernstein (who did the iconic Magnificent Seven score) and fits well with the gorgeous scenery and dramatic events. The Earps are clearly the good guys but they have a tough time of it, especially figuring out the right thing to do. Wyatt has trouble dealing with his drug-addicted wife, especially when showgirl Josephine (Dana Delany) arrives and captures his heart. He's hardly the squeaky-clean hero of yesterfilm. The town is gritty and half built (it was a boom town, after all, so I'm sure there was plenty of construction ongoing). A lot of bits of regular life are thrown in, like the theaters in Tombstone and the photography studio right next to the O.K. Corral, making the film feel less stagey. The performances are great and the cast look more like actual historical characters and not your favorite actor playing dress-up. The careful blending of all these elements makes the movie more engaging and more compelling. This movie is a great western.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Inventing Wyatt Earp by Allen Barra

Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends by Allen Barra

The American Old West has many historical figures whose stories have been retold and reimagined so many times that plenty of mythology and folklore has been added (or borrowed from others' stories). Wyatt Earp is one such character. His family moved around a lot in his youth and he continued wandering as an adult. He worked as buffalo hunter and a law man in Kansas, he moved to the Arizona Territory to be a prospector and investor (though he wound up being a law man again), he continued on to California, and he had a brief stint in Alaska for the gold rush before returning to California. His fame was based on his time in Arizona. He lived in Tombstone with his brothers where they invested in the mines, dealt cards at one of the hotels, and eventually were pulled in to law enforcement. The Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday had a famous street fight with the Clantons and McLaurys who were part of the Cowboys, a group of cattle rustlers and stagecoach robbers. After the battle, the Cowboys were gunning for the Earps. Virgil Earp was crippled and Morgan Earp was killed in reprisal shootings. Wyatt and Doc went on their Vendetta Ride, killing many of the men responsible for or affiliated with those who attacked Virgil and Morgan. Wyatt tried to put all of that behind him, but press (both favorable and unfavorable) kept bringing back up the Tombstone street fight and the rest of his history.

Allen Barra has painstakingly investigated the life of Wyatt Earp, trying to find what truly happened and who Wyatt truly was. In the late 1800s, the press was not always accurate or unbiased in its reporting (a fact sadly true even today). Records were kept but often lost due to fires or carelessness. A lot of people who wrote memoirs of their lives in Tombstone had an axe to grind or wanted to make a dollar, so exaggerating or confabulating the truth (or just misremembering) happened. Barra looks at all sorts of resources from primary texts and records to pop culture novels and histories. Stuart Lake's Frontier Marshal from the 1930s built a lot of the legend around Earp, lionizing him as a knight errant of the Old West. By the 1960s, plenty of revisionist, anti-Earp attitudes became popular. 

Barra sifts through all the evidence and attitudes to find a more accurate portrayal of Wyatt Earp. He's in the pro-Earp camp and ably argues his position. As with any real person, Earp's life is more complicated than a passing glance reveals. Earp was a quiet person and often avoided violence (or at least killing), making him less colorful than a gambler and adventurer like Doc Holliday. Even so, Earp did seek out adventure and new things like mining and real estate, though he was never great at endeavors outside of law enforcement. He was a just man who did what was right even under hard circumstances. He's an admirable figure once looking past all the larger-than-life stories that have grown up around him.

The book is an interesting history of the Old West and an analysis of how iconic figures are represented and used in popular culture through the years. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (a name it only got decades after it happened) has achieved a mythic standing in American culture. But it is just one of many events in Wyatt Earp's fascinating life.

Highly recommended.

Sample quote, nicely summarizing the attitude of the Earps: "For all their gambling and mining interests, the Earps were active, aggressive lawmen who enforced laws without regard to politics or popularity and who had no compunction about stretching the power of their federal appointments to do so." [p. 154]

Book Review: Ant-Man Season One by T. Defalco et al.

Ant-Man Season One written by Tom Defalco and art by Horacio Domingues

In a modernizing reboot of the Ant-Man character, Hank Pym travels with his wife Maria to Budapest for a science conference. They are supposed to meet at a restaurant but Hank runs late and gets there just as a terrorist bomb destroys the building. The story jumps forward to Hank with a therapist trying to deal with his issues. He's had a bunch of mental health problems throughout his life, making him a bit paranoid. His overbearing father pulls him out of the appointment and bullies him into working for Egghead Innovations. They want to develop the technology that Maria was working on. Hank suspects the company of orchestrating her death and wanting to monetize her discoveries without giving credit. He's given a lab partner, Bill Foster, whom he suspects is a spy. Bill contributes to discovering how to use Pym Particles (which Hank wanted to name after his wife, but the company already announced it) to make things smaller and larger. After conducting a successful experiment, two security guards burst in. Hank is fired and the company wants all the materials, including the research. They wind up shrinking Hank, who manages to flee. But he is going to get revenge on the company and Elihas Starr, the evil corporate honcho who clearly has no good intentions (though his skull is indeed egg-shaped).

The story follows a very paint-by-numbers plot, which would be okay if other parts made up the deficit. Hank is sympathetically depicted but the other characters are much more two-dimensional, except when they need to provide more drama or a plot twist. These instances come off very unconvincingly, like when the security guards know how to use the miniaturization equipment on Hank, or when Bill betrays Hank but then instantly is back on his side. No wonder Hank has mental issues! The art is just okay and occasional jokes lighten the mood. Overall, this is not a satisfying reboot for Ant-Man.

The book also has the first issue of Avengers Academy, where Hank Pym gathers a bunch of young people with superpowers. They were all taken in by Norman Osborne who tried to develop their powers for his own nefarious purposes. Now, they are training to be heroes. They seem like an interesting enough set of new characters but I do not plan to read more about them.

Not recommended--there's nothing terrible here other than an impression of blandness.

TV Review: House of Cards (1990)

House of Cards (1990) written by Andrew Davies from the novel by Michael Dobbs and directed by Paul Seed

Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson) is the conservative party's Chief Whip, meaning he is well connected to other politicians and is adept at dealing in the background with problems and opportunities. When he is passed over for promotion by the Prime Minister (David Lyon), Urquhart puts his skills to use to unseat the PM and get himself moved into the position. He has the dirt on several people and is able to create a scandal involving the PM's brother, an unreliable but thoroughly inoffensive fellow. Urquhart develops a new, useful connection--a young and ambitious reported named Mattie Storin (Susannah Haker) who is enamored of Urquhart. She is very loyal to him, but will her investigation into the scandal upset his carefully laid plans?

Urquhart is like Shakespeare's Richard III in many ways. The primary way is his monologues to the camera/audience, where he explains what is going on or gives wry commentary (though sometimes he just throws knowing glances). He even has a catch phrase that's entered popular culture, "You might well think that, I couldn't possibly comment," much like "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse." Like King Richard, he is a master political manipulator, using everyone while pretending to be loyal, devoted, and unambitious. He successfully deflects suspicion onto other people, discrediting other potential rivals for PM. At one point, he event mentions Richard III to his wife (Diane Fletcher), who plays the supportive Lady MacBeth. The only two things Urquhart does not have are royal blood and a hunchback.

The story is engagingly dramatic. Viewers are tempted to root for Urquhart, who is a brilliant man, but cannot possibly condone his conniving behavior. His ability to put on a pleasant, friendly face is unnerving and fascinating, like a car wreck on the roadside. It's so hard to look away. Soon enough, viewers root for his downfall, to see that flaw that will trip him up. Is he skillful enough to avoid the comeuppance he deserves?

Highly recommended--this is a first class political thriller, smart as a whip, or even as the Whip it portrays! The political corruption is pretty bad (there's a bit of on-screen sex, drugs, and murder), so this is not a show for kids, or the feint of heart.

Lake Artemesia, Maryland

Lake Artemesia Natural Area did not start out as the bucolic surroundings of a 33-acre lake. The first settlers found several small ponds in the area and used them to raise goldfish. In 1972, Artemesia Dref inherited six acres. She donated it to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. They worked with the Metro rail developers who needed dirt and gravel to build a base for the Green Line train. That train runs along the western edge of the park. They took the resources out and put in the large lake with a mile-and-a-half trail around the lake. They also put in bathrooms, fishing piers, and a lot of landscape to make a nice habitat for the locals, both human and non-human.

Map of Lake Artemesia

We parked just north of the lake. As we walked in, we saw a hawk swooping in from the south. The hawk had a squirrel in its talons. The hawk landed on a branch about thirty feet up. As I thought about whether I should distract my kids from watching the fowl eat his lunch, another hawk flew up to the same branch and made a play for the lunch item. Literally feathers were flying. The new hawk flew off, leaving the first hawk as we see him below...

A stolen lunch?

After the excitement, we walked to the entrance to the park which has a nice gate.

One side of the gate

The other side, photobombed

The lake is pretty but when we visited in February the surface was mostly a coat of ice. Some birds congregated in the middle where the water was in its liquid form.

Our first view of the lake

The children found a couple of flat rocks which looked like good pedestals for statues. They posed.

Many different interpretations

We continued around the lake.

More ice

Trying to see if the birds were frozen in place

Part of the park restoration was putting up some milkweed as a feeding station for migrating monarch butterflies. They even put up a bench for non-monarchs to relax in the area.

Informational sign

Posing for a picture

A silly pose

The bottom part of the lake was also frozen over, though it had its unfrozen bits by the shore.

Icy lake

Different sheets of ice

Some restrooms and fishing spots

Some mallards were on the edge of the lake looking a little chilly.

Not trapped in the ice

More frozen lake

The sun trying to do its job

A nice candid shot

A small bridge gave us a short cut.

Maybe we could have walked across the ice?

Those poor birds again

On the way out, we passed the tree where the hawk landed. It was gone but I noticed the dead squirrel lying on the ground. I thought about pointing it out to the kids and making some joke about not eating food off the ground. They were already ahead of me and ready for the next adventure. And, dear reader, I did not take a picture of the corpse.

Farewell sign

We may come back in warmer weather with bikes to explore the area. Another bridge leads out of the park onto the Indian Creek Trail which goes by the College Park Airport.

Movie Review: No Time to Die (2021)

No Time to Die (2021) directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

James Bond (Daniel Craig) has retired from the spy's life. He's become world-weary after a visit to Vesper's grave (his girlfriend in Casino Royale) turns into an assassination attempt. He was there with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) and he thinks she was working for his nemesis, SPECTRE. He retires but gets dragged back in when Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) needs help infiltrating a Cuban meeting of SPECTRE. The British and the Americans are trying to hunt down a new weapon called Heracles and the scientist who operates it. The scientist was kidnapped by SPECTRE from a secret MI-6 lab, so M (Ralph Fiennes) knows more than he's admitting to. The situation gets more exciting and complicated as the story rockets along.

The movie is very atypical for a James Bond film. The opening sequence, usually a throw-away bit of action and excitement, is a slow-burn horror with 007 nowhere in sight. Once that's done, viewers do get the excitement of the graveyard assassination and subsequent chase scene. The movie has plenty of amazing action scenes and exotic locales that are more typical for Bond. But then the weapon and M's dubious motivation and judgment does not follow the typical pro-United Kingdom tone of most Bond films. Like Casino Royale, Bond has a character arc in the film. He's much more three-dimensional than the Bonds of the Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan eras. The ending is extremely atypical but very satisfying for the story the filmmakers are telling here. 

Recommended, even though this is a much bigger departure than On Her Majesty's Secret Service for a Bond film. If you are looking for mindless action fun, this is not the film for you.

Book Review: Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder Vol. 5 by M. Mignola et al.

Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder Volume 5: The Gates of Heaven story by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by D'Israeli, colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins

Sir Edward is called to investigate thefts of various occult objects. One was taken from a museum where he meets some occult investigators from Oxford University. He's not so interested to strike up an alliance, even though the police give Sir Edward little to no help. Both investigations continue and eventually come together with a government-run facility that researches various unexplained technologies from the past. All these resources fight a scientific madman's attempt to access arcane power that could destroy the world.

The plot is well-worn territory in the Hellboy universe. The artifacts are not that amazing or interesting, they are more like MacGuffins to move the story forward. There's not a lot of character development or new, intriguing, fun characters (though readers do meet a Victorian-era Bruttenholm, presumably an ascendant of Hellboy's foster-father). The art is a little more cartoony than typical but still works well for the story, delivering the horror or suspense when it needs too.

Mildly recommended.

Saint Mary's Chapel, Baltimore

A continuation of yesterpost!

Mother Seton's house in Baltimore is right next to the first Catholic seminary in the United States. The buildings from St. Mary's Seminary and university are gone except for the Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple. Construction began in 1806 and was finished in 1808, the year that Mother Seton came to Baltimore. The chapel was designed by French architect Maximilian Godefroy. He also taught at the college. The chapel follows the neo-Gothic style and is the first one of that style built in the United States.

Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple

The chapel, like Mother Seton's house, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The chapel is still in use today, though mostly for special events. St. Mary's University moved to Emmitsburg in 1809.

Main altar

The organ

The chapel was slowly adorned as money became available through the years. The stained glass windows were added one section at a time.

Behind the altar with Saint Joseph

Also behind the altar but not as well lit

A statue of Mary at the temple

Below the main altar is a crypt not open to the public.

Glass floor over the crypt

Another angle on the main altar

The upper chapel was used by the college students. The lower chapel served the needs of the neighborhood, which at the time had a lot of French speakers--people from France, Canada, Haiti, and other areas. The chapel is where Mother Seton took her vows as a Sister of Charity of Saint Joseph.

Main altar of the lower chapel

Two women who helped found the Oblate Sisters of Providence also worshipped here. Mother Mary Lange founded the order which focused on educating girls of African descent. 

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange

Sister Theresa Maxis Duchemin was one of the first Oblates, eventually becoming the Superior General of the order. 

Sr. Theresa Maxis Duchemin

Mother Seton House, Baltimore

Elizabeth Ann Seton had a tough life. She was born in New York City as Elizabeth Bayley in 1774. She married William Seton in 1794. He worked in shipping and was well-to-do, but he also suffered from tuberculosis. They had five children. Their fortunes waned in the early 1800s and he became more sick. Doctors recommended a warmer climate so Elizabeth and their eldest daughter moved with him to Italy. He died there in 1803. She moved back to New York where she converted to Catholicism. Now on the outs with the wealthy New York crowd, she was invited to Baltimore by a visiting French priest who was involved in the United States' first seminary (located in Baltimore). She moved in 1808 and started both a school and a religious order that focused on educating children. Her Baltimore home is on the National Register of Historic Places and is available for touring.

St. Mary's Historic Site, Baltimore

The house is a small, unassuming three-story building on North Paca Street. At the time, the area was rural. Near the house was St. Mary's Seminary, which was first housed in the One Mile Tavern, which was one mile from Baltimore. The seminary was founded in 1791 and by the time Mother Seton came it included a university for students not becoming priests. She started a boarding school for girls in the house (including her own daughters) and her sons went to the university.

The back of the house

Our tour started in the kitchen, which was not the usual entrance for guests. It has the standard fireplace for cooking as well as the original key to the home.

Typical kitchen appliances circa 1808

I wonder how easy it would have been to pick the lock?

The front parlor was where guests were entertained. As an upperclass woman, Elizabeth knew her piano and probably taught the girls to play.

The parlor fire place

For entertainment purposes only?

The building has a lot of original furnishings and woodwork. The building had several orchards around it, probably the source of the wood.

Stairs going up

View of the front door (proper guest entrance) from the landing

The second floor had the school rooms. Mother Seton only had about ten students. In that time, paper was expensive so they used tablets for their academic work.

The school room

The table full of tablets

Another room was dedicated to arts like sewing, weaving, spinning, and other skills expected of young girls back in the day.

More educational equipment

The second floor includes a small display of Mother Seton's personal items. She used a lap desk while traveling. Also on display is a painting of Jesus Christ that hung in her room at St. Mary's in Emmitsburg where she died in 1821. 

No, she did not have a statue of herself!

Her room on the second floor is very modest. Her clothes on display were the widow's outfit at the time. That garb became the habit for the order she established, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph.

Reproductions of her clothes

Her bed

The top floor was the dormitory for the girls. The entire floor is one room and has several beds spread out at different corners. 

Dorm bed

Maybe coveted for being near the fireplace?

Mother Seton took religious vows at St. Mary's Chapel (which will be seen in the next post) and moved out to Emmitsburg with the seminary and university in 1809. The map below shows the university as the red L-shaped building on the left, the chapel in the center, and Mother Seton's house on the lower right.

Map of the location in 1808