Long Awaited Late Blog -- Due 11AM Monday

OK guys, here it is. I believe that nothing is worth reading if we do not, at some point find a way to tie the text to our lives, our context, our values.

Since the very anchor of Inferno is values, I am going to ask you to play Dante one more time.

This posting is not about sin. It's about values.

Rank, from least to most important, the nine values you hold dear. For each value, type up about 3-5 sentences explaining
1) Why you feel this way and 2) How and why you believe that this is a core value in our society.

You should be able to articulate the value in one or two nouns. Example: Integrity, Fidelity etc. AND you should use only positive language. (Discuss values from the standpoint of what we SHOULD do, not what we should NOT do.

Due 11AM Monday morning.

Enjoy.

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!

Some of you aren't reading the instructions!!!

I asked for what Dante considers virtuous BASED on what he considers sinful.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SIMPLY EXPLAIN WHY HE PUNISHES SINNERS!!!!

PATIENCE is a virtue. . .

Well, it turns out that I went on vacation too. Just to show that I'm not entirely crazy, I want to let you know that this posting will be open for comments until 6:30 AM Tuesday morning.

I've been thinking during the break about why so many of us resent Dante for his Inferno. It is pretty arrogant, when you think about it, to create a Hell and then assign people to it. Although you all have one a similar thing with your previous post. You stated your values by articulating what you think might be considered a "sin" in the future.

I think we need to look at Inferno in a different light. Let's look at what Dante considers to be BAD, and conclude from that what Dante considers to be GOOD. For instance:

Dante condemns the Carnal NOT for their sexual behavior, but for the fact that they let their sexuality rule their behavior. The Carnal aren't punished for having sex. They are punished for letting sex take over their reason, decision making, and responsibility.

THEREFORE: We can conclude that Dante sees DISCIPLINE as virtuous. He has no problem with sex. After all it was given to us by God. Rather, he sees how we can damage ourselves and others if we do not exercise some discipline over our sexual appetite.

There you have it. Dante sees DISCIPLINE as virtuous. (The same case can be made with the Gluttons).

Your job is to scan what you have read so far, look through your journals, and come up with 5 VIRTUES that you can derive from your reading. In other words, examine the sins and tell me what Dante considers to be virtuous.

You must support each virtue with a brief analysis of a Canto. YOU MAY NOT USE THE SAME CANTO MORE THAN ONCE.

ALSO, YOU MAY NOT USE THE CARNAL. NOR MAY YOU USE THE GLUTTONS. I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN YOU DISCIPLINE. YOU MUST FIND 5 DIFFERENT ONES.

Go forth an be brilliant (before 6:30 Tuesday morning)!

Heckuva Job!!

Kudos to all who got their comment in on time tonight!! I managed to read all of them and can see that you're really thinking. Furthermore, I think that a close examination of all the comments points to a common values base among you.

Think about this: In a way, you just did what Dante does in Inferno. You have articulated a statement of values. Right and wrong. You have done so in a kind of order that says where your moral priorities are. Pretty cool, huh?

G

FutureSin

Hal Finney, and several others, have been in a fascinating blog debate about cultural norms and their evolution. The question is interesting: what will future generations consider to be sins? You should read the essay here:

Morality Of The Future

After you have read the essay, answer me this: What practices (rituals, policies, activities, forms of leisure) do we engage in as a society today that will be condemned, as sins, by future generations? In other words, what do we do today that future generations will call decadent and barbaric?

For instance, slavery was considered perfectley acceptable in the late 1700's. We're ashamed of it now.

Post your comment by 11 PM tonight.

Reminder . . .

To all those who are posting comments to the First Things First post: SIGN YOUR COMMENT!!!!!! NAME AND PERIOD!!!! GOODNESS GRACIOUS SAKES ALIVE!!!!

First thing's first. . .

Hope you enjoy the little devil up above.

I know that it's been a long time since I last posted, but I've been having a "devil" of a time figuring out how to blog Inferno. Then I realized that I never asked you this simple question. I'd like you to post your answer, with explanation and examples, in the comments by 10pm Sunday.

What, exactly, is "sin"?

Change of Plans

Just to let you know: the blog won't be up this weekend. We'll get started with it this week. Remember to do your journals!