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Objectivity is Alive But Not Well Understood

Recognizing the subjectivity of my personal perspective doesn’t kill objectivity. It may just need a little resuscitation.

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Faith Featured Origami Elephants Uncategorized

I Still Believe in Christmas

What is there to believe in Christmas when you no longer believe in God? My personal thoughts on what I’d like my son to grow up to celebrate at Christmas.

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Featured Origami Elephants

The “Other Side” of Addiction

Posting pictures of overdosed addicts to the internet is NOT helpful intervention.

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Featured Origami Elephants Podcast Pop Culture Uncategorized

Is Unethical Good Enough?

When rhetoric ratchets up, we risk miscommunicating our position in favor of enflaming passion. Can distinguishing between moral and ethical concerns help us hear one another better?

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Featured Movies Origami Elephants Podcast Pop Culture

My Favorite “Pregnancy” Film? Fargo

When we take a look at the genre of pregnancy movies it rapidly emerges that culturally we have a very narrow view of pregnant women. But then there’s Fargo…

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Origami Elephants Podcast

Gorillas in the Zoo with Tripp York

Bryne and JR. welcome author and professor Tripp York to discuss the recent death of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo. Bringing insights from his book THE END OF CAPTIVITY to bear, Tripp invites us to consider the very nature of zoos – and the animal kingdom.

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The Zika Virus and the Problem of Existence

Origami Elephants returns after an extended hiatus! Maybe it’s Bryne’s new baby, but we’ve been thinking about Zika, and the implications the virus has for questions of human existence. Listen up as we debate life, death and everything in between.

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Featured Movies Origami Elephants Podcast Pop Culture

Focus on Spotlight

Spotlight is another fantastic film in a genre that only seems to be gaining momentum: a turning away from the traditional virtue narrative in favor of focusing on system failure.

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Featured Origami Elephants Podcast

The Problem with the Virtuous Hero

Bryne and JR. recap some of our favorite films of a very good year, then dive into a couple that signal a shift in how we are telling stories as a culture. The Big Short, Sicario and Netflix’ Making a Murderer demonstrate an important shift away from the traditional virtue narrative Americans like so much toward more complicated, complex and honest storytelling. We evaluate this shift, and why we are so excited for it.

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Featured Movies Origami Elephants Pop Culture TV

Moral Storytelling in The Big Short and Making a Murderer

America loves a good hero, but new stories, like The Big Short and Making a Murderer, have made it to screen that focus on systematic failure rather than personal victory. Find out how they frame the moral dilemma differently.