Depends on your theology (or atheology) of course. I’ve never been a fan of “the right side of history”, but the “arc of the moral universe” is a statement of faith in a promise, a promise baked into the world at its creation. It can certainly be made dumb by removing that context, though. - ThreadSky

michaeldemoor.bsky.social • 2 days ago

Depends on your theology (or atheology) of course. I’ve never been a fan of “the right side of history”, but the “arc of the moral universe” is a statement of faith in a promise, a promise baked into the world at its creation.

It can certainly be made dumb by removing that context, though.

Reposted from Jacob T. Levy

Note to myself to write this up:

The “right side of history” / “moral arc of the universe” stuff I’m always complaining about is just the naturalistic fallacy in the future tense.

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ryankturnbull.bsky.social•2 days ago

Have you read Vincent Lloyd’s “Black Natural Law”? I think it teases out a good distinction between good and bad uses of this doctrine. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/black-natural-law-9780199362189?cc=us&lang=en&

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

I haven’t, but I am interested!

ryankturnbull.bsky.social•2 days ago

The TLDR is really just the same insight you find in Antigone that the natural/divine law breaks in to challenge oppression, but doesn’t really work when you try to build a particular order with it. But he goes through a series of Black intellectuals to show this liberationist logic.

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks! Still might read it, though. :)

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

I’m not a Hauerwas guy, but I’ve always kind of liked his metaphor of “the grain of the universe” (maybe even as an alternative way of getting at the “the arc”).

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

As in: the future is open, but when we do justice, we are cutting with the grain of the universe. When we exploit, demean, destroy, we are cutting against the grain. That doesn’t mean we don’t do it, but it has consequences.

roytsao.bsky.social•2 days ago

sure- but the very phrase 'arc of the moral universe' invites that decontextualization. (not necessarily blaming MLK for this- it's just one thing he said, but it's the formula that circulates). theologically this makes sense only in relation to the eschaton

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

Fair enough. It certainly is misused when it’s effectively a way of saying “this will all work out fine.”

As for the relationship of eschatology to history… well… that might be beyond my pay grade.

roytsao.bsky.social•2 days ago

there will be wars, and rumours of wars

michaeldemoor.bsky.social•2 days ago

There always are.

kittysclause.bsky.social•2 days ago

It really is a sentiment that doesn’t make much sense divorced from its context. It’s often the case for so-called “true-isms.”

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