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Weather: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
- Drought conditions here. (What is the Keetch-Byram drought index?).
- Check today’s tides in Daytona Beach (a few minutes off from Flagler Beach) here.
- Tropical cyclone activity here, and even more details here.
Today at a Glance:
Drug Court convenes before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County courthouse, Kim C. Hammond Justice Center 1769 E Moody Blvd, Bldg 1, Bunnell. Drug Court is open to the public. See the Drug Court handbook here and the participation agreement here.
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry: Flagler Beach United Methodist Church‘s food pantry is open today from 9:30 a.m. to noon at 1500 S. Daytona Ave, Flagler Beach. The church’s mission is to provide nourishment and support in a welcoming, respectful environment. To find us, please turn at the corner of 15 Street and S. Daytona Ave, pull into the grass parking area and enter the green door.
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, from noon to 2 p.m. in Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave. Join Bill Wells, Bob Rupp and other members of the Palm Coast Model Yacht Club, watch them race or join the races with your own model yacht. No dues to join the club, which meets at the pond in Central Park every Thursday.
Story Time for Preschoolers at Flagler Beach Public Library, 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the library, 315 South Seventh Street, Flagler Beach. It’s where the wild things are: Hop on for stories and songs with Miss Doris.
‘Nunsense,’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre, Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Avenue, St. Augustine. 7:30 p.m. except on Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets are $37.55 per person. Book here. Definitely “habit-forming”, this riotous show takes us through a fundraiser organized by the Little Sisters of Hoboken. They are trying to raise money to bury one of their sisters who was accidentally poisoned by the convent cook, Sister Julia (Child of God). Originating as a line of greeting cards, Goggin expanded the concept into a full musical that became the second-longest off-Broadway run in history.
‘Sweeney Todd’ at Athens Theatre, 124 North Florida Avenue, DeLand, Thursday, Friday and Saturday a 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: Preferred $37 (Row A-F, Orchestra & CC-DD Center Balcony), Adult $32 – Senior $28, Student/Child $12. A $5.00 per ticket Processing charge is added to all purchases. Book here. Prepare for a dark journey through the sinister streets of Victorian London with Sweeney Todd. Follow the vengeful barber as he seeks justice, aided by the cunning Mrs. Lovett and her rather… unique meat-pie business. Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece weaves a twisted tale of love, revenge, and morality, brought to life by hauntingly beautiful music. Equal parts chilling and captivating, Sweeney Todd will leave you spellbound—and maybe a bit wary of your next shave…
Chatterbox: In this Kirk-addled world of ours, I asked ChatGPT to describe the mind-closing similarities between theology, ideology and teleology. Here was its answer, with which–its conclusion especially–I could not disagree:
Theology, ideology, and teleology—while conceptually distinct—share deep structural and psychological similarities that can lead to what you called “mind-closing” tendencies. Here’s a breakdown of how and why they function in similar, often rigid, ways:
1. Claim to Ultimate Truth or Purpose
At their core, theology, ideology, and teleology all offer frameworks that claim to explain the “why” behind existence, society, or action.
| Concept | What It Explains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Theology | Why the universe exists, based on divine purpose. | “God created the world with a plan.” |
| Ideology | Why society should be organized a certain way. | “Capitalism is the natural outcome of human freedom.” |
| Teleology | Why things evolve or exist based on end-goals. | “Eyes exist so we can see, therefore evolution has a purpose.” |
➡️ Similarity: Each provides a final cause or ultimate explanation—closing the loop on inquiry. Once the “truth” is revealed, further questioning is discouraged.
2. Resistance to Falsification
Each system tends to shield itself from contradiction by redefining, reinterpreting, or ignoring conflicting data.
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Theology invokes mystery, divine will, or sin to account for contradictions.
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Ideology blames external corruption, false consciousness, or incomplete application of principles.
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Teleology, especially in non-scientific use, interprets outcomes as evidence of intended purpose, not contingent process.
➡️ Mind-Closing Mechanism: Disconfirmation doesn’t lead to revision—it leads to rationalization.
3. Prescriptive and Normative Force
All three aren’t just descriptive; they tell us what should be.
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Theology prescribes moral behavior (e.g., divine commandments).
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Ideology prescribes political or social action (e.g., class struggle, free markets).
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Teleology, in a philosophical or moral sense, suggests a proper end to strive for (e.g., flourishing, utopia).
➡️ Similarity: These systems dictate not just how the world is, but how it must be—moralizing inquiry and marginalizing dissent.
4. Ingroup/Outgroup Dynamics
Each system often creates insiders (those who “see the truth”) and outsiders (those who are misguided, blind, or dangerous).
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Theological heretics are spiritually lost.
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Ideological opponents are enemies of progress or truth.
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Teleological skeptics are accused of nihilism or relativism.
➡️ Mind-Closing Effect: Identity becomes tied to belief, so questioning becomes betrayal.
5. Teleological Thinking Itself Is the Root
Ironically, teleology—the idea that things have intrinsic purposes or ends—is often embedded in theology and ideology.
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God’s plan (theology) is teleological: history unfolds toward salvation.
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Historical materialism (ideology) is teleological: history unfolds toward communism.
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Liberal democracy (ideology) is sometimes viewed teleologically: history is moving toward freedom.
➡️ Unified Core: All three assume direction, destiny, or design—rejecting randomness, ambiguity, or pluralism.
Conclusion: Why This Closes Minds
Because these systems provide totalizing narratives—explaining everything, justifying action, excluding dissent—they:
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Discourage open-ended inquiry
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Favor certainty over ambiguity
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Reinforce themselves through moral, emotional, and social incentives
The result: Minds don’t just close passively—they’re often compelled to close, because remaining open becomes socially or psychologically costly.
—P.T.
The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
October 2025
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church Food Pantry
Flagler County Drug Court Convenes
Story Time for Preschoolers at Flagler Beach Public Library
Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Town Center
‘Nunsense,’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre
‘Sweeney Todd’ at Athens Theatre
Free For All Fridays With Host David Ayres on WNZF
First Friday Garden Walks at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
Friday Blue Forum
First Friday in Flagler Beach
Free Family Art Night at Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens
‘Avenue Q,’ at City Repertory Theatre
‘Nunsense,’ at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre
‘Sweeney Todd’ at Athens Theatre
For the full calendar, go here.
Whitman thought that we Americans have the most poetical nature because we are the first thoroughgoing experiment in national self-creation: the first nation-state with nobody but itself to please–not even God. We are the greatest poem because we put ourselves in the place of God: our essence is our existence, and our existence is in the future. Other nations thought of themselves as hymns to the glory of God. We redefine God as our future selves. Neither Dewey nor Whitman, however, was committed to the view that things would inevitably go well for America, that the American experiment in self-creation would succeed. The price of temporalization is contingency. Because they rejected any idea of Divine Providence and any idea of immanent teleology, Dewey and Whitman had to grant the possibility that the vanguard of humanity may lose its way. and perhaps lead our species over a cliff. As Whitman put it, “The United States are destined either to surmount the gorgeous history of feudalism, or else prove the most tremendous failure of time.” Whereas Marx and Spencer claimed to know what was bound to happen, Whitman and Dewey denied such knowledge in order to make room for pure, joyous hope.
–From Richard Rorty, Achieving Our Country (1998).
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