Essay #2: Words, Words, Words

Words are rude tools with which we communicate the human experience. Portions of that experience are secondary constructs that can be analyzed to reveal their component parts. But some experiences are primary. They are not made of smaller pieces. They are what they are and the ramifications emanate from their essential nature. You do not have sex with a sibling or an offspring because it is a violation of the nature of those relationships. This is why, in much of medieval Europe, it was illegal to sleep with your stepchild. This is why filmmaker Woody Allen’s reputation was destroyed when he ran off with his wife’s adopted daughter. Despite what materialist thinkers tell us, morality is not merely a question of the potential consequences of bad actions. It is designed to guard the integrity of relational life. It is designed to keep the human experience human. ...The post-modern idea that words do not adhere to these meanings is nonsense.