http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/obamas-theologian/video-brooksdionne.shtml#slideshow
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Learning in Long Form
The last two weeks we have talked about whether people have lost the ability or will to learn in long form, so this is a test of your ability and will to do so. I recently listened to this incredible interview with columnist EJ Dionne and David Brooks about the influence of Reinhold Niebuhr on the Obama presidency. The video is 80 plus minutes, but I challenge you to do some learning in long form. Post your thoughts about learning in long form and the content of the video interview. (This is the make up of the 30 minutes that we are missing this week.)
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Even though the interview was quite long, Dionne and Brooks presented some very thought provoking and informative ideas. What really kept me interested though was the catfight that I was sure was going to break out at any moment. The organizers of the discussion picked two people on complete opposite ends of the political spectrum, but it made for a very passionate discussion. Fortunately, Dionne and Brooks did seem to find some common ground on Niebuhr’s influence on Obama and the “echoes” they discussed were very interesting. One very clear parallel between Niebuhr and Obama was their views on the need for “reconciling faith with modern pluralistic society”. Obama has openly acknowledged the need for separating some of his own personal beliefs from what would be best for the country as a whole. Obama’s claim to moral responsibility really does seem to be rooted in his study of Neibuhr’s ideas. Obama also follows Neibuhr’s idea that people are born with evil and the government should be obligated to step in and create structures that came help “tame” people into being moral citizens. In order to follow through with that obligation, the government should use its power with control and modesty so as not to come off as a bully. On this idea of managing human nature problems with moral responsibility, Obama also channels Neiburh when he addresses human nature with social policies and does not encourage programs that simply pour money into solving the country’s problems. Each of these parallels was very interesting and it’s amazing to see how clearly Obama seems to be following a lot of Neibuhr’s “teachings” during his term.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of learning in long form, I feel like I get much more out of the shorter videos we watch in class that out of long, scholarly interviews (I’m sure that’s the case for most people). A cliff notes version of this interview would have done wonders for my comprehension of what parallels Dionne and Brooks were drawing, but they didn’t speak too far over my head so I feel like I still have a pretty good idea of what they were saying. Regardless, it was an interesting piece and for the sake of my interest in the class I hope we stick with shorter videos in the future…
This video was extremely long, i didn't have a problem following it, but it seems really slow. i like when the videos get straight to the point. i thought it was hillarious that the had two very different ideas and aspects dealing with polotical view points.I agree that people need to have more faith and thought it was interesting to see that Obama feels strongly about that issue. I see how Obama draws opinions from Neibuhr's ideas, but they seem to be morally correct. Even if he is a theologist his ideas are valid.I think this country needs to be more conservitive, morally responsible for their actions and to have religion in their life.I don't see too much negative out of these points.Hopefully Obama can instill some of these traits with the help of the governmet and the willing public.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, now I know why learning in long form has perished from schools. I found it extremely hard to concentrate after the first 30 minutes. I did however find it very interesting that anyone spent that much time on the intersection of church and state and its connection to Obama.
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