Category Archives: Education

Beware of Narrowing the Wide World of Sports

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

American media have long stood accused of partisan partnering to tilt their coverage of national politics. Now, the broadcast of the 2024 Olympics has reminded us of another arena in the world of competitive storytelling. Our society’s participation in reality, … Continue reading →

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Behold Our Post-Truth Society—Breaking News, Broken Politics

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

The past three weeks of mesmerizing political news revealed one sign of societal mayhem not yet pounced upon by pundits. “Post-truth” thinking, a virus first diagnosed in the public square eight years ago, outed itself as a major force at … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Carter and Friends: Hope for Today’s Malaise

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

We tend to shower praise on people who “fit in,” but it’s more instructive to appreciate folks who are unique—which is everyone. Former President Jimmy Carter has blazed new trails, and The Washington Post on June 22 reminded us that … Continue reading →

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Pope Calls for ‘Healthy Politics’ to Remedy AI Wounds

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Pope Francis brought his campaign for a new modus vivendi between humans and artificial intelligence directly to a meeting of world leaders on June 14. His sobering message: Governments—and all of us—must up our game in confronting the moral hazard … Continue reading →

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‘I Remind You, You’re Under Oath’

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Amid the courtroom traumas of lawfare and divisive political chatter we might call “jawfare,” one upbeat element of America’s news diet still speaks well of us. Journalists chronicle this edifying subtext halfheartedly, more in its breach than in its observance. … Continue reading →

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‘There’s the Glass House. Here’s the Stone.’

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Our society’s embrace of the all-purpose polarizer—the worldview labeled “oppressed vs. oppressor” or “victim vs. victimizer”—prompts us to weaponize everything, including guilt. We’ve got lots of glass houses and plenty of stones. Guilt is already a formidable material when it … Continue reading →

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Updating the Pope’s AI Messages—Download Data, Upload Souls

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary is also published in Phronesis in Pieces, found at billschmitt.substack.com. Six months can bring a lot of action in the world of artificial intelligence. Pope Francis began 2024 with two messages to the Catholic Church probing AI’s prospects … Continue reading →

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Catholics Have Work to Do; Tech Schools Can Help

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

To celebrate this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, May 1, we can channel the earthly father of Jesus and imagine his joy that Catholics increasingly see promise in a “tech school” education. Americans have rediscovered the need to “get … Continue reading →

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Big Mess on Campus: ‘Fighting Irish’ Lessons on Unrest

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

The current tumult on college campuses, a sad erosion of their status as centers of wonder, excellence, and shared learning, invites us to go back a half-century and recall how one university community experienced a previous era of unrest. Let’s … Continue reading →

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Our Magical Mystery Tour–Now Departing from Reality

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Also check out the Magis Center blog, which this week posted a previous, related commentary by Bill Schmitt: “We Seek Authenticity, But Be Careful Defining What’s Real.” The Magis Center is directed by Father Robert Spitzer, SJ. Breathe in the … Continue reading →

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