THL Quiz Dec 3
What two ideas, picked up from novels, plays, and movies, does Lewis reject?
go on being in love forever if married to right person and falling in love is just something that happens irresistibility
Given the distinction between "love" and "being in love," how would Lewis respond to someone who said, "We are no longer in love, so we have to get a divorce?"
love is full of ups and downs, "being in love" is just the honeymoon phase
Anderson asks "why the theory of autogynephilia has generally been dismissed as one explanation for men identifying as women, while the theory of a female brain in a male body has been widely accepted" (111). How does he respond?
peoplefear being regarded as sexually deviant. they may believe that accepting the "feminine essence" concept will help those younger individuals make the transition. For one thing, "parents may be more accepting of a child whom they think ofas a female unfortunately born with a male's body than ofa son who is erotically aroused by the idea of being female
"The Catholic Church makes no claims on the subject of the origin of homosexuality, or its various possible causes. Instead she stresses two basic teachings" (250). What are those teachings?
First, homosexual acts by their very nature can never be considered morally equivalent to heterosexual acts of married persons. They are by nature sterile acts (not based on the complementarity of the sexes), She recognizes that many persons with strong same- sex attractions find themselves affected by these attractions in- voluntarily
What were the findings of the 2011 study on the results of hormonal and surgicaltransitioning at the Karolinska Institute and Gothenburg University in Sweden?
found strong evidence of poor psychological outcomes.
In what sense is Christian morality is a kind of "self-making"?
"I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innu- merable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow- creatures, and with itself." -every choice you make changes you into more of a hellish or heavenly creature
"The Karmic system stresses cause and effect: you get just what you deserve, no more and no less" (35). How is this different from Grace?
"Karma affirms and Grace denies that one gets only what one deserves in this life, that perfect justice rules here and now. Grace affirms that many things that happen to people are undeserved, including the gift of grace itself."
In what sense is karma "impersonal"?
"Karma is an impersonal law, like gravity or thermodynamics, which says that all actions for which one can be held morally responsible have consequences, good or bad, in this and subsequent incarnations."
Why does sacramental confession have an "irreplaceable role" (253) in developing a truly Christian sexuality?
Sacramental confession permits us to experience in a truly super- natural way that we are loved and forgiven by God.
"The Endocrine Society recommends radical, irreversible treatments for gender identitydisorder even while admitting that little is known about its causes" (112). Why?
"Mainstream clinicians and scientists who consider gender discordance to be a mental disorder have been deliberately excluded in the makeup of the steering committees of academic and medical professional societies
What are "karmic consequences"? Is everything that happens to a person due to karma?
"People are born, and then die, and then are reborn in another body. Their new stations in life are karmic consequences ("fruits") of the sorts of moral lives that they lived in previous live" "Not every- thing that happens to a person is due to karma: some things that occur are consequences of one's genetic inheritance, some of one's own choices, some of the choices of others, some of natural events"
"That is why Christians are told not to judge" (91). What does Lewis mean? Should we not say some behaviors are good and some are bad?
"Some of us who seem quite nice people may, in fact, have made so little use of a good heredity and a good upbringing that we are really worse than those whom we regard as fiends. Can we be quite certain how we should have behaved if we had been saddled with the psychological outfit, and then with the bad upbring- ing, and then with the power, say, of Himmler? That is why Christians are told not to judge. We see only the results which a man's choices make out of his raw material. But God does not judge him on the raw material at all, but on what he has done with it" -because we can only see the raw material results, but God judges on what he does with it
What is the difference between propriety and chastity? Are they related?
"The social rule of propriety lays down how much of the human body should be displayed and what subjects can be referred to, and in what words, according to the customs of a given social circle. Thus, while the rule of chastity is the same for all Christians at all times, the rule of propriety changes"
"Does karma really solve the problem of unjust suffering" (39)?
"reincarnation and kar- ma—so it is usually said—have always existed. There was no begin- ning. But if that is the case, then of course no explanation of unjust suffering is given. Every event of suffering is explained in terms of things that occurred in previous lives. Accordingly, the explanation of apparently unjust suffering is never in fact given, but is only indefinitely postponed.15 There would be an explanation for any particular evil event, but not for the question of why there is any evil at all"
"As long as you are proud you cannot know God." Why not?
A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.
Discuss each of the long-term physical outcomes of these treatments:
(a) no true reassignment: People who have Sex reassignment surgery do not become the opposite sex, because they do not change their organismal organization for reproduction; they merely acquire the outward appearance of a change in bodily organization. (b) lack of organismal integration: Plastic surgery on the reproductive organs does not create the organs of the opposite Sex.
What observations does White make about a Manichaean attitude toward sexuality?
- Manichaeans think human sexuality is a zone separated from God/has nothing to do with him
White argues that contraception "is problematic because it severs the connection between conjugal union and procreation, intentionally sterilizing human sexuality" (245). What reasons does he give for this view?
- contraception changes the meaning of the sexual act by making it essentially about mutual sexual pleasure.
The spiritual stakes of sex are in some sense always high, never low. Explain
- sex is never merely an animal action, it is also always personal, engaging in human freedom and reason, giving it a "moral center" and touching upon the spiritual dimension of the human person
What distinction does St. Thomas Aquinas draw between the essence and the final cause /ultimate purpose of marriage? How does this distinction help clarify the situation of involuntarily sterile spouses, or spouses past child-bearing age?
- the essence of marriage is the vows of fidelity and lifelong monogamy - the procreation and eduction of children is the ultimate purpose of marriage -only need the intention of having children to fulfill marriage
"In all cases, the starting point is to recognize that feelings are not the same as reality" (97). Explain.
. Mental health professionals must not simply help people survive with whatever beliefs they happen to hold, but help people accept the truth, as they work through the deeper issues beneath the false beliefs.
"One may object that this whole vision stands at odds with the experience of many married couples who love each other very deeply, and who have children, but who also use contraception term-5periodically in their relationship." How does White respond?
1. the Church's teaching on this matter has to do with ways that married couples can orient the whole of their lives toward God, including even their sexual intimacy, in union with the grace of Christ. Contraception disrupts this process in discrete instances, even in those who otherwise seek to do what is good and right. 2. various forms of physical and chemical contraception that are commonly used by married couples func- tion not only to thwart the conception of new human life, but act in addition as abortifacients. They impede the implantation of a newly conceived human zygote in the wall of the mother's uterus, or cause the lining of the uterine wall to shed after the implanta- tion of the zygote, thereby destroying a newly conceived human life. This kind of contraception, which is not rare, is disdainful of the dignity of human life 3. if a married couple use contraception within the context of an otherwise fruitful and faithful relationship, they contribute to a cultural redefinition of sexuality in doing so. Their children and friends can readily perceive from their example that sexuality can be divorced from openness to life. Therefore, sexuality in prin- ciple can be severed from marital commitment and transformed into a uniquely aesthetic act performed between consenting adults.
"Before we can be cured we must want to be cured." Why don't we want to be cured of our unchaste desires? Would you add or remove any of the reasons Lewis gives?
A famous Christian long ago told us that when he was a young man he prayed con- stantly for chastity; but years later he realised that while his lips had been saying, 'Oh Lord, make me chaste,' his heart had been secretly adding, 'But please don't do it just yet.' This may happen in prayers for other virtues too; but there are three reasons why it is now specially difficult for us to desire—let alone to achieve—complete chastity. Warped natures and propaganda for lust make us feel that desires we are resisting are natural Deterred from seriously attempting christian chastity bc think it is impossible before trying it People often misunderstand what psychology teaches about repressions
Why does Ryan reject the analogy between "sex reassignment" surgery and a heart transplant?
A transplanted heart plays the functional role it is supposed to fill in the cardiovascular system by pumping blood. Nothing like this can happen ifan artificial vagina is created for a man, or a penis for a \Yoman. Even a transplant could not "integrate a male sex organ into the biological life of a being whose root capacities are female, or vice versa."
One objection to Karma is that "karma needs a personal judge or administrator who makes karmic decisions" (39). Why?
After example of a person who suffers from painful disease because of misdeeds in previous lives: "How is it "decided" that the just karmic consequence in this case is suffering from the pain- ful disease rather than, say, living as a poor beggar? If the pain is indeed due to misdeeds in past lives, then without some sort of personal administrator or supervisor of karma, it is not easy to see how karmic "decisions" as to just and proper consequences are to be made.14 The upshot is that karma needs a personal judge or administrator who makes karmic decisions."
"The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins." Why? Do you agree or disagree?
All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual (putting other people in the wrong, bossing, patronising, spoiling, power, hatred)
What is a system of salvation
Any religious method of achieving a diagnosis an a cure of the human condition
Lewis suggests that the devil would be glad to see you become charitable and chaste and brave out of a sense of pride. Why?
Because that is still a sin, you are still only looking for yourself/acting for yourself
Davis writes that "there are crucial points of agreement between Karma and Grace" (33). What are they?
Both agree that the deepest human problems are in spiritual nature Both agree that moral right and wrong are objective (facts about the nature of reality itself) Both agree that justice lies behind the real or apparent injustices and inequities that we see in the world
What does humility "look like"? How does the humble person act?
Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.
Is it the case that "a married couple must intentionally aim at conceiving a child in every human sexual act"? How does the distinction between "refraining from performing a natural action, and engaging in a disordered action" impact this issue?
Each case needs to aim to create life BUT if you can't have kids its okay bc you still have the intention or originally wanted kids
"Good and evil both increase at compound interest." What does this mean?
Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An appar- ently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.
In what sense is Freud an amateur?
He specializes in neurotics but not general philosophy, so when he speaks of it he is an amateur
What do you make of Lewis' argument that, in some situations, a marriage will require a head? Distinct from this, what do you make of his argument that the head should be the man?
I HATE HIM SO MUCH WOMEN CAN BE THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE IF THEY WANT YOU SON OF AN UGLY DUCKLING THERE'S NOTHING UNNATURAL ABOUT THAT
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious?"
I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoret- ically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people
Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which thoroughly approves of the body" (98). Explain.
I know some muddle- headed Christians have talked as if Christianity thought that sex, or the body, or pleasure, were bad in themselves. But they were wrong. Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which thoroughly approves of the body—which believes that matter is good, that God Himself once took on a human body, that some kind of body is going to be given to us even in Heaven and is going to be an essential part of our hap- piness, or beauty and our energy. Matter is good, god had body, we'll have body in heaven
How does the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) define gender dysphoria? What aspect of the definition does Ryan find "politicized"?
In the most recent edition of the Diagllostic and Statistical Manual ofMelltal Disorders (DSM-S), gender dysphoria is defined as "incongruence between one's experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender in conjunction with "clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."" Immediately we notice some politi- cized language, in the reference to assigned gender rather than biological sex.
What does Lewis say about "isolating" sexual pleasure?
It is supposed to be a part of other things (marriage union) and you're separating it from that
Ryan writes that people suffering from gender dysphoria "are not generally finding well-being through sex reassignment procedures; and these poor outcomes cannot be explained solely by social stigma" (94). Explain.
It is true that transgender individuals face discrimination and other kinds ofsocial stress, but the research doesn't show these factors to be solely J r chiefly responsible for the relatively poor mental health of transgender mbpopulations. We need to seek more ,ffective therapies based on scientific evidence, and this requires gaining a :Iearer understanding of what causes gender dysphoria.
Why is vanity the "the least bad and most pardonable sort" of pride?
It shows that you are not yet completely contented with your own admiration. You value other people enough to want them to look at you.n.
"Is there enough subjective satisfaction from sex reassignment procedures to make the case for them" (101)?
Judging from the evidence available so far, the psychological benefit is not very great, and this isn't surprising when the result is so artificial. "Transgendered men do not become women, nor do transgendered women become men" through hormones and surgery
How is the status of the "karmic heir" a problem for Karma?
Karmic heirs = future persons who are the reincarnates of those human beings and who inherit their karma Tom is the karmic heir of Bill: "Karma only seems just—and that this system of salvation is entirely just is one of the most important claims made by its defenders—if Tom is (the reincarnation of) Bill. That is,Tom must be a continuation of the life of Bill. Otherwise it will hardly be fair that Tom experiences the karmic consequences of Bill's deeds. But the conceptual difficulty here is that on philo- sophical grounds, it seems that Tom cannot be Bill." "it is a serious problem for defenders of Karma to explain—even if it is true that all human beings have karmic heirs—why I should believe that my karmic heir is me." No bodily, memory, or immaterial similarities between the two
"Christian Love (or Charity) for our neighbours is quite a different thing from liking or affection" (130). Explain.
Natural liking or affection for people makes it easier to be 'charitable' towards them. It is, therefore, normally a duty to encourage our affections—to 'like' people as much as we can (just as it is often our duty to encourage our liking for exer- cise or wholesome food)—not because this liking is itself the virtue of charity, but because it is a help to it.
1. "Pride is essentially competitive in a way the other vices are not" (122). Explain.
Now what you want to get clear is that Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident.
What does justice have to do with marriage? What does it mean to say that "unchastity is not improved by adding perjury" (107)?
One fault is not mended mended by adding another
What analogy is drawn between gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa? Give other examples of dysphorias that show parallels to gender dysphoria.
The "disordered assumption" of those who identify as the opposite sex, he says, is similar to the faulty assumption ofthosc who suffer from anorexia nervosa, who believe themselves to be overweight when in fact they are dangerously thin." Dr. Josephson describes the phenomenon as a "delusion," which in psychiatry refers to "a fixed, false belief which is held despite clear evidence to the con- trary." He too draws a parallel between the beliefs involved in anorexia and the belief that one is the opposite sex "despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary." Other parallels = body dysmorphic disorder, body integrity disorder, etc.
"Is the central spiritual problem for human beings false consciousness or guilt" (47)? What is your view?
The author says "Most religions of Karma seem to teach that the central human problem grows out of our clinging to a false view of reality and that what we most deeply need is enlightenment. Most religions of Grace teach that the human predicament develops out of our guilt for wrongdoing and that what we most deeply need is forgiveness or redemption. It may be difficult to decide whether human sinfulness is due to false consciousness or whether false consciousness is due to human sinfulness." My view is that guilt for wrongdoing is the central spiritual problem
Why does God forbid pride?
The point is, He wants you to know Him: wants to give you Himself. And He and you are two things of such a kind that if you really get into any kind of touch with Him you will, in fact, be humble—delightedly humble, feeling the infinite relief of having for once got rid of all the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all your life. He is trying to make you humble in order to make this moment possible: trying to take off a lot of silly, ugly, fancy-dress in which we have all got ourselves up and are strutting about like the little idiots we are.
What are the components of every moral choice, and where does the "moral problem" arise?
The two components are act of choosing and the feelings/impulses that are the raw material (normal or unnatural) of his choice The moral problem arises when the unnatural feeling of raw material comes into play
. What evidence does Lewis present that our sexual instinct has "gone wrong"? How does he respond to the objection that it is not the instinct which has gone wrong, but society's repression of the instinct that accounts for the problem?
There is no getting away from it; the Christian rule is, 'Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence.' Now this is so difficult and so contrary to our instincts, that obviously either Christianity is wrong or our sexual instinct, as it now is, has gone wrong. One or the other. Of course, being a Christian, I think it is the instinct which has gone wrong. But I have other reasons for thinking so. The biological purpose of sex is children, just as the biological purpose of eating is to repair the body. Now if we eat whenever we feel inclined and just as much as we want, it is quite true most of us will eat too much: but not terrifically too much. One man may eat enough for two, but he does not eat enough for ten. The appetite goes a little beyond its biological purpose, but not enormously. But if a healthy young man indulged his sexual appetite whenever he felt inclined, and if each act produced a baby, then in ten years he might easily populate a small village. This appetite is in ludicrous and preposterous excess of its function." The repression is the same as how a starving man and glutinous man both thinking about food
How is "ancient Gnosticism" implicit in the claim that a person is "trapped" in the wrong body, i.e., "that the real person is of a gender, or sex, different from what the body indicates" (105)? What are some of the philosophical problems involved in such a claim?
To a Gnostic, "the body serves at the pleasure of the conscious self, to which it is subject. What exactly is this real me, the conscious self that is distinct from the body? What is it sensing when it has an "internal sense of gender"? What does it mean for the inner self to have a "gender identity"? What do transgender activists actually mean when they claim that people who identify as the opposite sex really are the opposite sex?
What are the "five criticisms of Grace" Davis offers?
Who gets the Grace Why doesn't God intervene more often Grace can be morally corrupting Not enough time (one life isn't enough time to achieve salvation) Grace is immoral (some people can get treated better than they deserve)
How does Davis respond to the five criticisms of Grace mentioned above (#5)?
Who gets the Grace -Human beings freely choose whether to receive the grace of God or not Why doesn't God intervene more often -God's desire for human beings to be morally free limits the frequency of divine intervention Grace can be morally corrupting -Yes, but the proper way to understand grace is to see it as costly and as requiring effort and risk Those who use Grace as an excuse for moral laxity are not genuine recipients of Grace Not enough time (one life isn't enough time to achieve salvation) -The point is not that we all achieve sainthood, but that we are graciously forgiven for not achieving it Grace is immoral (some people can get treated better than they deserve) -Normally we should treat people just as they deserve, but at times it is morally allowable (never required) to treat someone better than he or she deserves and rightness or wrongness of grace cannot be settled by pointing to examples of moral behavior in the natural or human realm
In adult males, evidence suggests that "there are two distinct types of male-to-female transsexuals: homosexual and autogynephilic" (109). Explain.
conflicted and guilt-ridden homosexual men who saw a sex-change as a way to resolve their conflicts over homosexuality by allowing them to behave sexually as females with men. The other group, mostly older men, consisted of heterosexual (and some bisexual) males who found intense sexual arousal in cross-dressing as females.
What hormonal and surgical treatments are recommended by the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health?
recommending that these people be given cross-sex hormones: testosterone to masculinize women, and estrogen to feminize men Both the Endocrine Society and WpATH recommend sex reassignment surgery as an approp~iate next step after hormone treatment.
"The way we live out our human sexuality inevitably affects the three central relations in our lives: how we relate to God, to other human persons, and to ourselves as beings capable of love and responsibility" (242). Explain.
relates us to God bc it is a reproductive power at base , and God creates the spiritual soul of the new human this process forms
What significance does Ryan find in the change in definition from "gender identity disorder" to "gender dysphoria"?
that earlier clinical definition correctly encompassed the dual nature of the disorder The older clinical guidelines reflected the fact that the incongruence itself-the disconnection between bodily reality and subjective self-understanding-is properly a matter of concern.
"There is no scientific evidence that a transgender identity is biologically determined" (107). Explain.
the existing studies that show some brain differences among individuals have not shown significant differences between groups. There are no brain studies demonstrating a "predictive power" in any of the biological differences examined evidence-though by no means conclusive-that other factors must be involved.
