Blog 7 - Paul Nesselroade

Educational Convening at Equal Justice Initiative

Paul Nesselroade November 19, 2022

On November 17-18, 2022 I had the privilege of attending an Educational Convening in Montgomery, Alabama, sponsored by and located at the headquarters of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) – an organization committed to “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” Bryan Stevenson, the founder and author of the book “Just Mercy” was our main presenter. (A movie with the same title featuring Bryan and the work of EJI was released in 2019.) The two day event

Human Dignity: Invented or Discovered (reprised)

Paul Nesselroade November 13, 2022

(Talk delivered to AUHP students at Nov, 2022 orientation meeting.) As you know, the honors experience here at Asbury is a themed enrichment program – “Studies in Virtue and Human Value.” This evening, I want to invite you to walk along with me as we explore our theme for a few moments. Our program’s two guiding questions are, “What gives humans value or dignity?” and “What are the implications of finding value in ourselves and others?” We can start by recognizing that most everyone feels like they have value, it’s instinctive – I am somebody, and my life is

Premier of “Don’t Forget Us,” Documentary

Paul Nesselroade November 1, 2022

On Wednesday evening, October 26th, nearly 350 students and community members crowded into the new CLC auditorium to view the first Asbury-student directed and shot documentary, Don’t Forget Us. The evening featured the 42 minute film followed by two panel discussions. The film project was the idea of Journalism professor, Rich Manieri, who traveled with his team of students to Germany and Poland to provide oversight for the project, also helping to write of the script. Here is a link to most of the events of the evening, including the documentary and the panel discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Z9ZthcOao. Prof. Manieri plans to

Documentary Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage Displays the Power of Story through “Weapons of the Spirit”

Paul Nesselroade October 27, 2022

October 24, 2022 (Reprinted with permission from www.asbury.edu) This week, Asbury welcomed the last Honors Program speaker for fall 2022 to the Miller screening room for a chance to watch a newly remastered version of his 1989 feature documentary, Weapons of the Spirit. Emmy-winning French-American documentary filmmaker and child survivor of the Holocaust, Pierre Sauvage, discussed the inspiration behind his film, as well as some of the key themes and messages that flow through the experience. Sauvage did not grow up religiously Jewish and did not find out about his ethnicity until the age of 18 because of his parents

Dr. Jennifer Frey speaks about Happiness and Human Flourishing at Asbury University

Paul Nesselroade October 25, 2022

On Monday evening, October 10th, University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Frey, delivered an address to the Asbury community entitled, “Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness” to a packed Kinlaw Board room. She presented a clear, passionate, and convincing argument for a rediscovery of a more traditional and communal understanding of what nurtures human flourishing and well-being, frequently and effortlessly weaving the thoughts and understandings of such luminary thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, as well as many others into her argument. Following her talk, students in Asbury’s Studies in Virtue and Human Value

Filmmaker and Holocaust Survivor, Pierre Sauvage, to show documentary at Asbury

Paul Nesselroade October 13, 2022

Pierre Sauvage will show his award-winning documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, on Asbury’s campus on Thursday, Oct, 20th. At the conclusion of the film, Pierre will field questions from the audience. Afterward, Pierre will be featured at a fireside chat with the AUHP students at Asbury guesthouse, Windsor Manor. Here is a brief description I wrote for to help our AUHP students understand the unique nature of this documentary: This film is not a typical holocaust documentary. It does situate itself within the larger holocaust story, but it gets particular – it dives deep into the specifics of the people

Dr. Jennifer Frey to Speak at Asbury

Paul Nesselroade October 6, 2022

Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness University of South Carolina philosopher, and featured Veritas Forum speaker, Dr. Jennifer Frey, will be visiting Asbury on the evening of Monday, October 10th. Her talk, to be held in the Kinlaw Board Room at 7pm, will be entitled, “Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness.”

Misleading Intuitions

Paul Nesselroade July 6, 2022

A reflection on 25 days with students in Germany and Poland One of the strongest intuitions of thought uncovered by psychological researchers has to do with the pairing of goodness and beauty. It is most readily detected when we encounter beautiful faces or scenery with the result being that we naturally feel that goodness must be there as well. The effect is so reliable that it has its own name, the “physical-attractiveness stereotype,” or more generally (albeit more awkwardly), the “what-is-beautiful-is-good” effect. And the flip side is also true. That is, when we find something to be good, our judgments

Treblinka and Warsaw

Paul Nesselroade June 3, 2022

Ghost Tracks, Stones of Remembrance, and a Reborn City Looking Westward The second and last day of this trip extension saw Paul and Mary Blair join me for a tour of Treblinka, the death camp about 2 hours outside of Warsaw – where more than 800,000 people (mostly Jews) were exterminated by the Nazi Operation Reinhardt. I shall say no more. Here are some pictures: Then, we made our way to Warsaw and enjoyed a little taste of what this rebuilt city has to offer – a brief glance left me with the firm impression that it (and Poland), though

Lublin and Majdanek

Paul Nesselroade June 2, 2022

A couple extra days of exploring in Poland I am able to spend a couple extra days in Poland with good friends Paul and Mary Blair. The first day was spent in Lublin, touring Majdanek, one of the death camps in Poland, and then exploring Lublin’s downtown. Here are some pics: Tomorrow we will make our way up to Warsaw. Treblinka will be toured.

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