Since the days when mankind invented agriculture and animal husbandry, we’ve been genetically modifying the plants and animals we consume. Yet for almost a decade scientists have been blurring the line between human and animal by producing human-animal chimeras—a hybrid creature . . . . Continue Reading »
The medical research sector sure has a sense of entitlement—to the point that some seem to think that funding their work matters more than meeting basic community needs. How else explain the hundreds of millions the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine continues to borrow and . . . . Continue Reading »
At the outset, let me say that I am in favor of mediating bioethics committees in hospitals. I have been a member of such a committee. The members and the good they do day in and day out helping families and professionals navigate treacherous waters cannot be quantified.But bioethics . . . . Continue Reading »
If American conservatism is inauthentic but intersecting with ideas of postmodernism through a (non-right liberal) distaste for ideology and incredulity toward meta-narratives, then it is useful to consider some of its rhetorical features. The definition of rhetoric will vary because of the diverse . . . . Continue Reading »
Paul F. Crawford debunks four myths about the Crusades : Myth #1: The crusades represented an unprovoked attack by Western Christians on the Muslim world. Nothing could be further from the truth, and even a cursory chronological review makes that clear. In a.d. 632, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Asia . . . . Continue Reading »
Although philosopher Ed Feser is writing about Catholic bishops , I think this passage is applicable to at least 75 percent of Christian clergy: Here’s how the temporizing approach works. Where the liberal or secularist finds Catholic teaching hopelessly “reactionary,” the . . . . Continue Reading »
In today’s On the Square, First Things editor R.R. Reno asks, ” What makes First Things First Things ? ” The first thing to say about First Things is that it stands for the conviction that our personal and communal submission to the authority of revelation humanizes, and that the . . . . Continue Reading »
Kevin Staley-Joyce sent me the link to this chart describing the process of writing. It is generally accurate for journalistic writing when the material should give you the angle and the outline, but too optimistic if applied to other types of writing when you have to say something insightful and . . . . Continue Reading »
Why do people keep saying that assisted suicide is about terminal illness when nothing else can be done to alleviate suffering, when that premise is patently untrue? Latest example: A UK woman went to Switzerland for assisted suicide to ensure she did not experience the decline associated with old . . . . Continue Reading »
Romneycare—the moniker for the MA universal coverage law, named after former Governor and potential 2012 Republican presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney—is a mini Obamacare. Indeed, the president’s political handlers have said that the inspiration for the national law was the one . . . . Continue Reading »
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
