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Public Discourse

The Moral Frontiers of Stem Cell Research

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Though recent progress in induced pluripotent stem-cell research may reduce reliance on embryonic stem cells, it is no moral panacea.
Public Discourse

The Ambitions of Natural Law Ethics: A Reply to Arkes

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What's unnatural about the Kantian take on natural law.
Public Discourse

The Particular Appeal of Universal Principles

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Responding to a review of his most recent book, Hadley Arkes asks some questions about the nature of natural law.
Public Discourse

Illegal Immigration and the Rule of Law

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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.
Public Discourse

Just the Facts, Ma’am

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When a woman claims to be a man, should the university and the press play along?
Public Discourse

The Shock of Recognition

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Newly defined and vigorously enforced rights have proliferated even as they are uprooted from any philosophic grounding.
Public Discourse

Pro-Lifers and “Repeal and Replace”

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We need a healthcare law that is not only pro-life but that also addresses our healthcare system’s persistent problems and looming challenges.
Public Discourse
  • Islam

No Such Thing as a “Muslim World”

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In Jakarta President Obama spoke astutely about Muslims, but he engaged in dangerous obfuscation regarding al-Qaeda.
Public Discourse

Constitutional Illusions

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A new book by Hadley Arkes draws attention to the contradictions and ambiguities of the republic’s jurisprudence.
Public Discourse

Abortion Law is Family Law

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Abortion law is usually seen as a matter of constitutional law. Is it time for that to change?
Public Discourse

Ambiguity at the American Acropolis

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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.
Public Discourse

Campus Political Correctness and the Costs of Free Speech

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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.
Public Discourse

Arranged: Happily Wholesome in a Brooklyn World

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A recent film follows two women whose shared values offer an unexpected opportunity for friendship.
Public Discourse

Unemployment and the Minimum Wage

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To stimulate job creation, Democrats favor government spending and Republicans favor tax cuts, but is there a more direct way?
Public Discourse

The Ethics of Fetal Pain

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The science of fetal pain remains uncertain, but we still have a duty to avoid the possibility of inflicting undue suffering.
Public Discourse

Why We Can’t Help But Legislate Morality

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All legislation is moral. The sooner we recognize this fact, the better.
Public Discourse

A Tale of Two Plazas

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The public spaces where we live and work and relax have a real, if subtle, impact on how each of us experiences and reflects on our world.
Public Discourse

Is Originalism Dead?

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In his latest book, law professor David A. Strauss attacks the idea of originalism and champions the “living Constitution.” Matt Franck explains why he’s wrong.
Public Discourse

Abortion, Conscience, and Doctors

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Suggestions to end conscience protection ignore the importance of conscience and rely on a circular—and baseless—understanding of a woman’s “right” to abortion. Following such suggestions would be detrimental to the entire health care system.
Public Discourse

Where in the Constitution is “Separation of Church and State”?

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Misleading talk of "separation of church and state" obscures the true meaning of the First Amendment.
Public Discourse

Pornography and Socially Responsible Investing

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The practice of socially responsible investing, often associated with opposition to apartheid or support for environmental causes, can also be a way to battle the harms of pornography.
Public Discourse

Intellectuals and the Masses

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Intellectuals have failed to recognize the real character of the Tea Party.
Public Discourse

Tea Party Metaphysics: Where Do We Go From Here?

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Social conservatives must understand and embrace America’s traditional economic culture before they can contribute to its renewal. Economic conservatives must expel the infection of shallow anthropology, vulgar utilitarianism, and metaphysical blindness that they picked up from progressivism in the 20th century.
Public Discourse

Tea Party Metaphysics: Economics and First Principles

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The Tea Party taps into the full social and cultural power of transcendent moral appeals in a way that social conservatives have never been able to do. The first in a two-part series.