Robert T. Miller

Suppose you’re having an intellectual discussion with someone, and just when you have completely demolished his position, he says something like, “You know, civility should be a guiding principle here. It’s apparent that this discussion is becoming very divisive. We must learn to . . . . Continue Reading »

Over at the New Liturgical Movement blog, Gregor Kollmorgen notes that the Vatican Secretariart of State will issue a note today regarding the prayer Pro Judeis to be used in the Good Friday liturgy in the rite of Bl. John XXII, i.e., the 1962 Missale Romanum. Kollmorgen writes: The following from . . . . Continue Reading »

I don’t usually write about partisan politics (I find the whole thing rather depressing), but reading the news coverage today about Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards dropping out of the presidential race, I had the following thought. Suppose that the Republicans ultimately nominate John McCain . . . . Continue Reading »

Regarding Ryan’s ruminations on S.M. Hutchens’ review of E.O. Wilson’s The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (warning: I’ve read neither the book nor the review, just Ryan’s post about them), I think Ryan has it right in concluding that in Wilson’s . . . . Continue Reading »

I’ve heard of the odor of sanctity, but this carries things rather too far . . . . . Continue Reading »

Although I sympathize with much of what Senator DeMint and Professor Woodard say in their Web article last week, I think some of their arguments go too far. The main point that Senator DeMint and Professor Woodard make is that “the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the practice . . . . Continue Reading »

Regarding Cassell’s argument at the Volokh Conspiracy, Jody, I have no opinion on the merits of the particular case at issue, but generally speaking—in opposition to your claim —I think it makes a lot of sense to allow victims to present evidence at the sentencing hearings of . . . . Continue Reading »

The recent law graduate you met at jury duty , Anthony, was no nit-wit, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. In fact, she was probably pretty sharp. She knew that it’s a reversible error to seat a juror who says that he or she can’t be fair, and, presumably because she . . . . Continue Reading »

I agree, Jody, that there is an interesting and important connection between the division in the Church over liturgy and the division in the Church over moral issues, and that it’s no accident that those who support traditional morality also support the traditional liturgy while those who . . . . Continue Reading »

One of my favorite intellectual puzzles is figuring out what deep conceptual presuppositions cause some people to be conservatives, other people to be liberals. That is, on a range of issues that would seem largely unrelated—say, abortion, affirmative action, and gun control—it turns that . . . . Continue Reading »