9th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 3:30
Room: 312
Presenter(s): Timothy Carl Williams
Title: Aversion to the Best: The Subtle Advances of Sloth
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Cameron H. J. Jorgenson , Divinity

Edmund Burke famously declared: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Given that ancient Christian spirituality describes "sloth" as avoidance of what is necessary and best, this vice presents an existential threat to both communities and individuals alike. This paper proposes that the despair and aggression evident in contemporary tragedies like mass shootings is rooted in sloth and its subtle encroachment upon marriages, families, and communities. In an age simultaneously characterized by both workaholism and ceaseless entertainment, identifying and remediating the effects of sloth is a pressing concern.