Religion and Science

The Galileo Affair: A Documentary History edited and translated with an introduction and notes by maurice a. finocchiaro university of california press, 382 pages, $50 cloth, $12.95  The Galileo affair lasted twenty years. It began pleasantly, almost innocently, in December 1613 in Florence at . . . . Continue Reading »

Discerning . . . to a Point

The Giving and Taking of Life: Essays Ethicalby james turnstead burchtaelluniversity of notre dame press, 324 pages, $29.95 A powerful truth, pressed too far, may finally mislead. That, or something like it, seems to me the right way to describe this book. The essays gathered in this volume are . . . . Continue Reading »

Fixing America

Straight Shooting: What's Wrong with America and How to Fix Itby john silberharper and row, 336 pages, $22.50 This book's seemingly presumptuous subtitle prepared me not to like it. That predisposition was quickly set aside, as was the presumption of presumption. This is a very good book, well worth . . . . Continue Reading »

The Return of the Catholic Whig

In his famous Postscript to The Constitution of Liberty, Friedrich von Hayek identified Thomas Aquinas as “the first Whig,” and has several times since noted how important it is to distinguish the Whig tradition from that of many exponents of the classical liberal tradition. Among Hayek’s . . . . Continue Reading »