Wednesday, October 28, 2009  Riding high in the saddle  Francis
Beckwith is in a tizzy. Sometimes you have to wonder when the
poor guy isn’t in a tizzy. Apparently, “coming home” hasn’t
brought him the peace of mind he was seeking.         You
wouldn’t expect a philosophy prof. to exhibit quite so much
philosophical naiveté.  i) For starters, when speakers (or
writers) use a designation, it’s not necessarily to make a point
about the referent. Oftentimes, it’s just a common way of
referring to something. A conventional, recognizable
designation.  In that context, such usage carries no special
significance one way or the other. There’s no subtext.  ii) At
other times, the speaker will, indeed, use a designation to make
a point. But one of the odd things about Beckwith’s outrage is
that “Roman Catholic” or “Roman Catholicism” comports perfectly
well with the self-understanding of his denomination. According
to the official legend that underwrites his denomination, Peter,
as vicar of Christ, was the first bishop