The Georgetown Chronicles: First Day of Class

Yesterday I decided to buy a new suit to celebrate the new job. I quite like it, but let's face it: the socks are the best part.

Medieval Ethics was graciously canceled because of low enrollment, so this semester it's just Intro to Philosophy. I have thirty students, whose names I'm going to struggle to learn because Georgetown is still requiring masking in class -- though nowhere else, which is super-science-y -- and so I have fewer cues to go by. But good heavens, they read the heck out of Plato's Euthyphro.

Oddly, several people thanked me after class. Does that mean I did a good job? No idea. Maybe Georgetown students are just incredibly nice. One guy asked if he could put his pastor in touch with me so I could do an adult formation thing for his parish (a Lutheran church near Capitol Hill). Sure, why not? Another thanked me for being "reasonable": "I'm an atheist, so I was worried about this, but I like the way you took other views seriously."

It's kind of the job. Unless you're a compatibilist, in which case I don't know how to talk to you.

My department chair emails me to ask some questions about the Chalcedonian definition. This ends up sending me to the Greek for Hebrews 4:15, which I'm pretty sure has never happened before in my communication with chairs.

Tomorrow I'm interviewing with these guys for documentaries about medieval stuff. That should be fun. Then the Apology for Thursday.