The New Renaissance will be the age of the exploration of the esthetic dimension of the non sensory. Psalm one tells us that G-d's law is delightful, even though it cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. The sheep are separated from the goats here: some think G-d's law is oppressive and sin is liberating. Others think sin is oppressive and G-d's law is liberating. So Mankind is not one. Mankind is two: we either look back wistfully upon our fighting, feasting, fornicating, animal past or look foward hopefully to our Godly future, where no one murders, steals, rapes, assaults, scams, seduces (OK, maybe within the context of marriage. Duh), etc.

The New Renaissance will be analogous to the old renaissance. In the old renaissance, the ancient Greek and Roman roots of civilization were rediscovered, and studied and a great flowering of creativity followed. But people did not actually become ancient Greeks or Romans. They became the new thing. In the New Renaissance, the ancient Hebrew and Christian roots of civilization will be rediscovered and studied and a great flowering of creativity will follow. But people will not neccessarily become ancient Hebrews or Christians, but rather will become the new thing.

A key to the New Renaissance is "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. The main character, Humbert Humbert, spends many pages trying to paint a poetically beautiful picture of his relationship with the lovely twelve year old girl. In the end, he, in effect, fails: he says "I stole her childhood." this sentence reveals the true nature of what he has done: it is ugly, and any attempt to make it appear beautiful is doomed. The Philosophers of the 20th century have told us that the 2500 year old effort to get at the laws of morality through reason is futile. Logical Positivists tell us to therefore give up on morality. Existentialists tell us to therefore give up on reason. But morality is lawful, even if it is not rational. We intuitively sense it, we just don't know how to get at its laws. But 400 years ago we sensed that nature was lawful and we did not know how to get at its laws until Descartes and Co. came up with the Scientific Method and an understanding of the nature of the laws of nature: the laws of nature are mathematical. You will get nowhere if you do not look for numbers (e.g., e=mc2) Within a mere 400 years after this, we got to the moon. So here is a possible clue as to the nature of the laws of morality: morality is esthetic. Virtue will always be more beautiful than its corresponding sin. Humbert not sexually abusing a lovely twelve year old girl will always be more beautiful than Humbert sexually abusing her. Not having an abortion will always be more beautiful than having an abortion. Not committing adultery will always be more beautiful than committing adultery. Not murdering, stealing, raping, assaulting, scamming, seducing (Alright, already, I don't mean within marriage. Duh.) will always be more beautiful than doing it. So what is the Method? Just like Nabokov did: write stories to bring this out, as a diamond cutter brings out the hidden qualities of a rough stone.

So I envision a new wave of literature in the New Renaissance. And artists illustrating the gleaming facets that the writers have revealed by telling the story of the hidden ugliness of sin. We will taunt and tease the Temptor as though he were a bull in a corrida. We owe kindness to bulls, but not to the Temptor. He is an abstraction and has no flesh and blood. It will be fun. He says "Come on, every one is doing it! It is just natural!" We lead him on and then, Wham! We open the shades and let the light in and he is a terrorified vampire scurrying off to hide inside a dark coffin. Then we do it again. It is not a war to end all wars. It is a soccer game to be won over and over again for the life giving exhilaration of it.

In the New Renaissance, post literature will flourish, and post art. Post literature will reveal the hidden world of the non sensory, post art will make it graspable in an instant, post intellectuals will guide the post novelists and post poets. Post music will energize the prayers that guide the post intellectuals and post dance will energize the post music. And where will all of this take place? Mostly within the post university.

"Higher" education is not very high these days. It is shamelessly oriented toward making loads of money. Oh, and hooking up. The university system as it is may be unreformable. But there was a time when there were no universities and they had to be invented. So now is the time for visionaries to get busy inventing the post university. Cultural Terrorist is 60 years old. He certainly cannot do it himself, not all of it.