The Supreme Court vs. Women’s Health
The Supreme Court’s latest abortion decision is a significant setback for women and the unborn.
The Data on Children in Same-Sex Households Get More Depressing
A new study examines the risk of depression and other negative outcomes among adolescents and young adults raised by same-sex couples.
From Salem to DC: Mary Eberstadt’s Analysis of the Dangerous Religion of Secular Progressivism
In an excellent new book, Mary Eberstadt argues that secular progressivism is not just a political ideology; it is a competing faith.
Brexit: Why Britain Voted Leave
Arguments about the UK’s Brexit referendum were framed in terms of the UK’s global economic and political role. But the real issues for Brits were closer to home: whether they trusted their politicians to safeguard their national institutions and whether they believed that the European Union weakened these institutions.
A Philosopher’s Defense of the Reasoning Believer
An excellent new book, written with admirable clarity, demonstrates the compatibility—indeed the happy and mutually fulfilling companionship—of faith and reason, even and especially in matters of public life.
Federal Policies on Transgender Students: Serving Neither the Community, the Family, nor the Transgender Student
The recent “Dear Colleague” letter from the Departments of Justice and Education relies on an ideology of expressive individualism to handle issues of gender identity. It does so to the detriment of community, family, and those it intends to serve. It also eliminates one of the most basic and universally accepted forms of privacy.
Why Britons Should Vote to Leave the European Union
Regardless of whether we are for or against current European Union (EU) policies, the EU fails even the most minimal test of what counts as a democracy. This discussion should be prior to whether we are in favor of or against migration, an EU army, or EU tax powers.
On #NeverTrump (and #NeverHillary)
Until a solid conservative independent candidate has made a run for the presidency and is coming up far short the Monday before the election, there is no reason for a conservative (or anyone else) to consider Donald Trump as the answer to the Democratic candidate.
Handshakes, Islam, and Religious Tolerance in the West
True religious freedom demands that we allow space in our society for difference, even when we don’t understand the reasons for a particular religious practice. Having to live without fully understanding others comes with the territory of genuine diversity.
Regret Isn’t Rare: The Dangerous Lie of Sex Change Surgery’s Success
Stop enabling the delusion that transition is the only answer. Allow scientific research to flourish, no matter what the results show. Look at the evidence and facts and encourage treatment options that address dangerous psychiatric conditions first.
Thriving in an Age of Fracture: Yuval Levin’s Prescription for American Culture
For those feeling adrift amid the tumult of our politics, economy, and culture, Yuval Levin’s new book offers hope that some good can be found in the turmoil around us.
For Christian Judges, Is Compromising Religious Beliefs “The Price of Citizenship”?
In our emerging legal climate, Christians are to be admired for their dedication to moral principle, and they are welcome to act in accordance with it at home and at church. But once they venture into public, our new legal overlords tell us, they must act according to a different set of norms.
Neutered by Neutrality: The Abiding Influence of John Rawls, Part Two
There will be no true justice—and no real political discourse—until the Rawlsian illusion of neutrality is rejected and the Rawlsian tyranny strangling political discourse is overthrown. The second of two parts.
Defeated by Default: The Abiding Influence of John Rawls, Part One
John Rawls’s philosophy of jurisprudence permeates America’s top universities and law schools. The acceptance of his principles foreordained the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage and will do the same in future cases involving euthanasia, transgender rights, and polygamy. Part one of two.
Some Choices You Don’t Get to Make: What’s Wrong with Me Before You
A new film in which the main character commits suicide sends the message that “me and my needs come before you and your needs.” It is a tale of autonomy run amok—a result of the radical and ludicrous idea that we do not live connected to, dependent on, or in relationship with others.
Mystery vs. Mastery: Reframing the Debates in our Culture Wars
The bitterness of competing narratives in today’s culture wars can give the impression that no agreement is possible between opposing sides. Margaret Somerville proposes a way forward through a shared ethic of wonder at the mystery and dignity of human life.
To Defend or Defund? Evangelicals Go Wobbly on Planned Parenthood, Public Justice, and Moral Judgment
Despite arguments to the contrary, pro-lifers simply cannot support federal funding for Planned Parenthood. If the price for a seat at the public justice table is taxpayer funding for the nation’s leading abortion provider, it may be time to think about another table.
Never Do Evil So Good May Come of It: Why Legislators Must Stop Justifying Surrogacy
The law is a teacher. By legalizing surrogacy, Louisiana legislators are teaching people that it is morally permissible to use people as means to an end.
Can We Make Ourselves More Moral? Designer Babies, Hormone Therapy, and the New Eugenics of Transhumanism
If a non-teleological process produced human morality, then how can we find a measuring rod for morality outside of nature that allows us to prefer “moral” behaviors to “immoral” behaviors?
Sex Education and the Seduction of Selective Science
HHS has a responsibility to correct misinformation surrounding its list of “evidence-based” sex education curricula, to implement consistent research protocols, and to ensure that the sexual health of American teenagers is prioritized above politics or ideology.
Donald Trump: An Old-fashioned Whig
With Trump as nominee, social conservatives might think that by not voting for him they are keeping their hands clean. These people fail to recognize that under a Clinton regime there will be no refuge from a systematic agenda that seeks to destroy the very notion of “nature” and of any restraint on federal power.
Aristotle, True Friendship, and the “Soulmate” View of Marriage
What would it mean for true friendship to exist in a marriage?
