Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Government Worker
The conditions that inspired “The Scarlet Letter” highlight the gap between public employment and civic motives.
Woman Up
In one of this year’s most important books, Kay Hymowitz explores how the rise of women has turned men into boys.
The Reckless, Profitable Elimination of Down Syndrome
A new Down syndrome test raises important questions.
Nicholas Kristof and Toddlers: When You Really Need a Fact Checker
Think overpopulation, poverty, climate change, and abortion can all be solved by more birth control? Think again.
Being Human in an Age of Unbelief
Four points in defense of human dignity. Adapted from an address delivered last night at the University of Pennsylvania.
Conservatives and Social Justice
Conservatives shouldn’t ignore or attack social justice, but must articulate sound principles of social justice.
An Economic Case for More Kids?
Bryan Caplan’s latest book argues that we don’t need to over-invest time and money on our kids, because our lasting influence on their characters is negligible, while their contribution to our material well-being is significant.
Authority in the Education of a Human Being
The world of education is one where humans can flourish by acknowledging authority.
Terms of Moral Intervention: The Perils of Power and Profit
Where unjust political regimes have been destroyed, a power vacuum enables corruption and undermines the state’s security. To prevent corrupting forces from abusing the state’s vulnerability in its transition period, intervening powers should enable strong law enforcement systems.
Tenure Bedevils the University
The tenure system sustains many of the problems in contemporary higher ed.
The Westboro Problem: Free Speech, Public Decency, and Constitutional Doctrine
A recent appellate court ruling in favor of a Westboro Baptist protester shows the decline of judicial ability to protect decency standards for public discourse.
Seven Billion Strong, and Counting
Concern about overpopulation is unfounded; rather than implement population control policies, let’s invest in the human person.
A Modest Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce
A new proposal for reducing unnecessary divorce gets to the heart of the problem: the current system seeks to meet a divorcing couple’s every need—except for time and education on reconciliation.
Human Development and Human Flourishing: Creating Capabilities Isn’t Enough
Rawlsian “public reason” approaches to human capabilities are insufficient bases for social justice.
Private Property and Human Flourishing
Private property should be preserved and protected because of its deep contribution to human well-being.
It’s a Girl
The Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence appears to protect a right to abortion even for reasons of sex selection. Yet this gruesome reality might provide an opening for a frontal assault on the premises of Roe v. Wade.
Sold for Sex: The Link Between Street Gangs and Human Trafficking
In order to curtail human sex trafficking successfully, we must take seriously that street gangs are a large part of the problem.
The New Singleness
The decline of manhood and norms around sex, marriage, and family produces for young women what may in fact have to be endured. But it shouldn’t be celebrated.
Healthcare, Conscience, and Religious Liberty: A Response to Linda Greenhouse
New York Times reporter Linda Greenhouse refuses to see the truth about contraception, conscience, and religious liberty.
The Scientific Revolution and Contemporary Ethics
Modern science does not require us to abandon notions of nature and human nature upon which so much of traditional ethics depends.
Pornography, Public Morality, and Constitutional Rights
Every member of the community has an interest in the quality of the culture that will shape their experiences, their quality of life, and the choices effectively available to them and their children.
Punishment: Political, Not Metaphysical
The presumptive starting point in the natural law and, more specifically, Christian tradition is one of absolute opposition to intentional killing of beings created in the image of God, for which exceptions must be earned; but the traditional justifications for such exceptions fail.
Punishment, Proportionality, and the Death Penalty: A Reply to Chris Tollefsen
While not explicitly denying the principle of proportionality, Tollefsen implicitly rejects it, leaving his argument not only counterintuitive but incoherent.
Post-Kinsey: Is There Anything Normal About Pornography?
An “adaptationist” approach to pornography is dangerous because it ignores widespread research showing that pornography harms society at many levels.
