Daily Read 6: Essay Aeon | 100 RCs for Practice - CAT PDF Download

Essay 1

Essay Name: A gospel of enjoyment
By: Charly Coleman (Edited by Sam Haselby) 

Apparently, the Carthusian monks who distil the herbal liqueur Chartreuse have been struggling to maintain a work-life balance.

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/chartreuse-economic-theology-and-the-french-spirit-of-capitalism

Summary and Theme

The article examines the decision of Carthusian monks in France to limit the production of Chartreuse despite high demand, reflecting a broader French ethos that values quality of life over economic rationality. This choice is emblematic of a French economic theology that prioritizes spiritual and environmental concerns over profit, contrasting with traditional capitalist values. The theme delves into the historical and cultural factors that shape this uniquely French approach to economics, which intertwines with the country's Catholic heritage and its influence on national attitudes towards work, leisure, and consumption.

Difficult Words

• Carthusian: A member of a Catholic religious order of monks noted for their commitment to solitude and contemplation.
• Transhistorical: Existing or applicable throughout history.
• Sacramental theology: A branch of theology that studies the signs and symbols of God's presence, as believed to be manifested in Christian sacraments.
• Transubstantiation: The Catholic doctrine that bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist.
• Sans-culottes: The common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, many of whom became radical and militant partisans in the French Revolution.
• Assignat: A form of paper money used during the French Revolution, backed by confiscated church property.
• Sacralisation: The act of endowing something with sacred character.
• Jouissance: Physical or intellectual pleasure, delight, or ecstasy.

Essay 2

Essay Name: The life of Wanda Półtawska
By: Joy Neumeyer (Edited by Sam Haselby)

In the late 20th century, Pope John Paul II emerged as the charismatic guru of abortion opponents.  

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/ravensbruck-to-papal-advisor-the-life-of-wanda-poltawska

Summary and Theme

The article traces the life of Wanda Półtawska, a psychiatrist and survivor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp, and her influence on Pope John Paul II's stance against abortion. It explores Półtawska's traumatic experiences during World War II, her close relationship with Karol Wojtyła (the future pope), and her contributions to the development of 'family theology'. The theme revolves around the intersection of personal trauma, religious belief, and political influence, particularly how Półtawska's wartime experiences and medical career shaped her views on sexuality and family, which in turn influenced the Catholic Church's teachings on contraception and abortion.

Difficult Words

• Charismatic: Possessing an extraordinary ability to attract.
• Ideologies: Systems of ideas and ideals, especially those that form the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
• Martyrdom: The death or suffering of a martyr.
• Intelligentsia: Intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, especially when regarded as possessing culture and political influence.
• Asocial: Lacking the capacity for social interaction.
• Lesbische Liebe (LL): German for 'lesbian love'.
• Ascesis: Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
• Encyclical: A papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Canonise: Officially declare (a dead person) to be a saint.
• Neurosis: A relatively mild mental illness that is not caused by organic disease, involving symptoms of stress.
• Secular: Denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.

Essay 3

Essay Name: Deep warming
By: Mark Buchanan (Edited by Cameron Allan McKean) 

The world will be transformed. By 2050, we will be driving electric cars and flying in aircraft running on synthetic fuels produced through solar and wind energy. 

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/theres-a-deeper-problem-hiding-beneath-global-warming

Summary and Theme

The article discusses the overlooked issue of 'deep warming,' a problem that persists beneath the more widely recognized threat of global warming. Deep warming refers to the inevitable increase in Earth's surface temperature due to waste heat generated from human energy use, regardless of the energy source. This issue is intrinsic to our relationship with energy itself, as all energy use ultimately converts to heat, contributing to the planet's warming. The theme highlights the historical trend of exponential energy consumption growth and the potential future where waste heat could pose as significant a threat to our climate as greenhouse gases. It emphasizes the need for a radical change in our energy consumption patterns and the pursuit of renewable energy sources to mitigate the impact of waste heat.

Difficult Words

• Waste heat: Unavoidable heat energy released into the environment during any energy use.
• Thermodynamics: The branch of physical science that deals with the relations between heat and other forms of energy.
• Exponential growth: Increase in number or size, at a constantly growing rate.
• Planetary heating imbalance: The difference between the energy Earth receives from the sun and the energy it radiates back into space.
• Greenhouse gases: Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat, contributing to global warming.
• Biogeophysical: Relating to the biological, geological, and physical processes of the environment.
• Inexorable: Impossible to stop or prevent.
• Ubiquitous: Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
• Convection: The movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.
• Rebound effect: The behavioral or other systemic responses to the introduction of new technologies or policies that increase the efficiency with which a resource is used.