Marriage: Real Bodily Union
A response to FamilyScholars Blogger Barry Deutsch.
Marriage: Merely a Social Construct?
A response to Northwestern Law Professor Andrew Koppelman.
Christmas and Western Civilization
Though Christmas is a religious holiday, secularists should appreciate its great contribution to Western Civilization: the lesson that all men are equal in their fundamental human dignity.
Moral Principles and Human Happiness
Moral principles should be derived from experience about what makes people happy, not from logic.
Kant the Bogey Man
Kant was right: we need principles to guide our judgments.
The Argument Against Gay Marriage: And Why it Doesn’t Fail
A response to NYU Law Professor Kenji Yoshino.
Polyamory in the 21st Century
A book on the polyamorous community by a “participant observer” provides a window into a weird, confused, and growing world.
Socialism and Solidarity
It is at our own peril that we ignore the nexus between moral convictions, the institutions in which they are realized, and our economic culture.
Arsenic and the Meaning of Life
The problem with reductionist accounts of life.
William Brennan and the Creation of a Right to Abortion
One man’s biography becomes the story of jurisprudence when constitutional interpretation is governed by personality and politics.
The Moral Frontiers of Stem Cell Research
Though recent progress in induced pluripotent stem-cell research may reduce reliance on embryonic stem cells, it is no moral panacea.
The Ambitions of Natural Law Ethics: A Reply to Arkes
What’s unnatural about the Kantian take on natural law.
The Particular Appeal of Universal Principles
Responding to a review of his most recent book, Hadley Arkes asks some questions about the nature of natural law.
Illegal Immigration and the Rule of Law
Laws regulating immigration are analogous to those requiring the payment of taxes or the licensing of physicians. Granting amnesty to illegal immigrants is not in itself unjust, but it may be imprudent.
Just the Facts, Ma’am
When a woman claims to be a man, should the university and the press play along?
The Shock of Recognition
Newly defined and vigorously enforced rights have proliferated even as they are uprooted from any philosophic grounding.
Pro-Lifers and “Repeal and Replace”
We need a healthcare law that is not only pro-life but that also addresses our healthcare system’s persistent problems and looming challenges.
No Such Thing as a “Muslim World”
In Jakarta President Obama spoke astutely about Muslims, but he engaged in dangerous obfuscation regarding al-Qaeda.
Constitutional Illusions
A new book by Hadley Arkes draws attention to the contradictions and ambiguities of the republic’s jurisprudence.
Abortion Law is Family Law
Abortion law is usually seen as a matter of constitutional law. Is it time for that to change?
Ambiguity at the American Acropolis
An exhibition by contemporary artist Enrique Martínez Celaya at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (on view through November 23rd) is a unique chance to contrast the uncertainty of our own age with the New Medievalism of the great American architect, Ralph Adams Cram.
Campus Political Correctness and the Costs of Free Speech
It is difficult to speak up and defend certain unpopular truths on today’s college campuses. But it is also urgently needed and greatly rewarding.
Arranged: Happily Wholesome in a Brooklyn World
A recent film follows two women whose shared values offer an unexpected opportunity for friendship.
Unemployment and the Minimum Wage
To stimulate job creation, Democrats favor government spending and Republicans favor tax cuts, but is there a more direct way?