If we feel stymied by the imprecision of sonograms and other tools for looking inside the bodies of others, we should feel at least as frightened by the fallibility of our own wills, and the unreliable view they give us of the souls of others. Continue Reading »
Here are five bioethical issues that have the potential to explode into controversy. Continue Reading »
Is human dignity served by the removal of any and all impediments to individual choice? Or is true liberty found in the ties that bind? Continue Reading »
For those who are interested, a draft version of my new article, “Of Human Dignities,” is now available on the Social Science Research Network site. The article will appear in a forthcoming symposium in the Notre Dame Law Review on the 50th anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae, the Vatican II . . . . Continue Reading »
Pedro Pozas, a Spanish animal-rights activist, made international headlines in 2006 when he declared, “I am an ape.” Pozas was speaking as an advocate for the Great Ape Project (GAP), the brainchild of Princeton utilitarian bioethicist Peter Singer and Italian animal-rights philosopher Paola . . . . Continue Reading »
Faith, Fiction and Force in Medieval Baptismal Debates by marcia colish cua, 384 pages, $69.95 B aptism seems so simple: water and the formula “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” But like so many religious practices, it can be celebrated in different ways, with . . . . Continue Reading »
The following address was given at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary on March, 17 2015.Vatican II ended in December 1965 with an outpouring of enthusiasm and hope. The Council's hope was grounded in two things: a renewed Catholic faith, and confidence in the skill and goodness of human reason.Half a century has passed since then. A lot has happened. The world today is a very different place than it was in 1965. And much more complex. That’s our reality, and it has implications for the way we live our faith, which is one of the reasons we’re here tonight. Continue Reading »
Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has composed a message to the Christian community replete with intellectual light and heartfelt warmth, and it is a great honor to be asked to respond to him. I would like to focus on three topics: creative minorities, universalism, and Christianity in a post-Constantinian . . . . Continue Reading »
Yesterday, we were treated to the news Peter links to below, on Pat Robertson’s betrayal of basic Christian teaching on marriage in the face of Alzheimer’s. And over at the good ship Ricochet, there was a chilling report on the state of infanticide law in Canada (If I recall correctly, . . . . Continue Reading »
This morning I awoke to this very caring—yet disturbing—column (“Searching for Dignity in Old Age” published in the Tampa Tribune), awaiting perusal in my e-mail. Real estate developer Jim Dyal writes movingly of his intense grief at the increasing debility and dementia of . . . . Continue Reading »
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