hell’s handmaiden

Not content with the wars we are fighting and apparently not powerful enough to declare war directly, Bush has decided to do the next best thing and push “the other guy” toward declaring war, toward starting the fight, because– as we all know– picking and prodding and pressuring someone into starting a fight means that the bully didn’t start the fight. Fortunately, I think “the other guy” might be smarter than our president, and might just keep right one fighting under the table while George makes himself look like an ass.

I’ve been thinking about apologies, but not the kind in the headline. I’ve been thinking about apologetics– “the study of the defense of a doctrine or belief“.

The term apologetics etymologically derives from the Classical Greek word apologia. In the Classical Greek legal system two key technical terms were employed: the prosecution delivered the kategoria (κατηγορία), and the defendant replied with an apologia. To deliver an apologia then meant making a formal speech to reply and rebut the charges, as in the case of Socrates’ defense.

Apologetics

The term is now almost always applied in religious contexts, but such is not absolutely necessary.