The Next Time Your Blood Boils
Ponder this quote from Allan Bloom, author of The Closing of the American Mind:
“Indignation is the soul’s defense against the wound of doubt about its own; it reorders the cosmos to support the justice of its cause…Recognizing indignation for what it is constitutes knowledge of the soul.”
Example No.1 from SLCSpin: http://www.slcspin.com/?p=408.
Jobu said,
June 30, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
I suspect Bloom’s point is sometimes right, but not always or even most of the time.
I get pretty indignant when I hear of a person violently violating another person (murder, assault, rape, etc.). Are you suggesting that my indignation is my defense against some type of doubt?
Lyall said,
June 30, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Jobu,
You bring up a good point. My counter is that the indignation you talk about is what leads to lynch mobs and a forfeiture of justice when that indignation clouds out all other considerations.
I think Blooms point also says that your indignation gives you a prime opportunity to examine what is it about someone being violently violated that stirs the emotions you are feeling. You most likely won’t change your point of view but your emotions become more informed, and you are more able to as Christ taught hate the sin and love the sinner. You can also able to create civil society instead of living in a society of vigilante (sp) justice, which means that the violently violated becomes ever more a part of your world, thus you promote the very thing you initially abhored.
Jobu said,
June 30, 2008 @ 11:42 pm
Your response has to be the most self-righteous comment I’ve read in a very long time.
I ‘ll refrain from being indignant at your attempt to connect me to lynch mobs. If I just get outraged instead of getting indignant, is that any better or does my outrage connect me to lynch mobs too?
Also, I don’t need a lecture from you or anyone else about Christ.
An opportunity to examine what it is about someone being violently violated that stirs emotions? Are you kidding me?
It’s easy to avoid being indignant and outraged when you are the source of these types comments instead of the target.
Jobu said,
June 30, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
One other thing. Bloom was also wrong when he criticized Reagan for calling the Soviet Union the Evil Empire. Reagan was right. Bloom was wrong.
Lyall said,
July 1, 2008 @ 10:24 am
jobu,
thanks for proving bloom’s point