'General' Category
Civil Disobedience: Has it Come to This?
Followers of the Center for Bioethics and this blog know that I have endorsed and signed the Manhattan Declaration, a Christian statement of solidarity in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. In previous posts (1/10/2010 and 7/06/2010), I have pointed out that speaking out for life, families, and conscience may [...]
Freedom of Worship is Not Enough
Followers of the Center for Bioethics know that I have signed and endorsed the Manhattan Declaration (see A Christian Call to Action earlier this year). This public statement, drafted by prominent theologians and religious leaders, endorses three primary principles: 1) the sanctity of human life; 2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of [...]
Free Will: Does it Exist? Does it Matter? (21)
Is free will just an illusion? Determinism implies that human beings have no real choices. If so, then moral philosophy and ethics have no basis. Here are excerpts from a debate between a theist (Dr. Dennis Sullivan, Cedarville University) and an atheist (Dr. William Provine, Cornell University). Sources: Robert Kane: A Contemporary Introduction to Free [...]
Are You a Speciesist?
Hello, my name is Dennis, and I suffer from speciesism, a terrible “moral flaw” and an “addictive condition.” People with this condition think that human beings are somehow special, and entitled to more rights than other species. For more information on these matters, read the “confession” of my fellow speciesist, Ben Mitchell. His story is [...]
Do We Have Free Will?
Now wait a minute, you may say. That’s a silly question. Of course we have free will — we all make choices, and we are accountable for our actions. Hmm, not so fast. Some claim that only physical and naturalistic forces are at work in the universe. What we perceive as free will is merely [...]
A Christian Call to Action
As we begin the New Year, I have mixed feelings about the ethical direction of American society – a curious combination of unease and hope. Unease, because it appears that Congress and the courts are increasing their efforts to devalue human life and to attack the family. But I also have hope, in the growing [...]
Cleaning House
The President’s Council on Bioethics has been disbanded. The White House has told the members last week that their services are no longer required. Appointed in November, 2001 by the Bush Administration, the Council has provided valuable input on some of the most difficult ethical issues in our modern culture. New technologies, both at the [...]
Who is to Blame?
Ellen Goodman is an op-ed columnist for the Boston Globe. Her nationally-syndicated column is usually thoughtful, well-written and balanced. As a liberal, she often critiques social conservative positions. I usually disagree with her, but she always gives me something to think about. That is why I am troubled by her June 5th piece, “The Myth [...]
Courage Takes Many Forms
Prestigious scholar Mary Ann Glendon is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. She was informed last December that she was to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal at the university’s annual Commencement exercises, a great honor that she was looking forward to. Then came the news that [...]
On Oprah, No Less!
Sometimes the truth has a way of getting out. On March 29th, Michael J. Fox and Dr. Oz were guests on the Oprah show. The topic, of course, was stem cell research. The medical expert used a real preserved brain to show the area of the midbrain affected by Parkinson’s Disease, called the substantia nigra. [...]
