Published on
8 June 2011
Pursuing the Meaning of Happiness
Posted in Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Recommended Links
‘Do we need another word for the great goal of our actions?’ Carolyn Moynihan investigates at MercatorNet. Read the article here.
Thomas More Institute
Category Archives: Philosophy
Published on
2 June 2011
Evolution, Causation, and Human Behaviour
Posted in Philosophy, Understanding Science
Can evolution explain human behaviour? This question has recurred among commentators since the publication of the book Supercooperators: Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour or, Why We Need Each Other to Succeed by the Harvard professor, Michael Nowak. The basic idea, as he explains here, is that ‘to succeed in life, you need to work together […]
Published on
25 May 2011
Unravelling Values: Has Conscience Anything to Do with Aesthetic Taste?
‘That there is a relationship between morality and aesthetics is an idea which, at various times, writers and artists have been keen for one reason or another to assert. On the face of it there would seem to be a pleasing relationship between the two if we could say that the person most capable of […]
Published on
13 May 2011
Tough Moral Questions: Torture and the bin Laden Shooting
The slaying of Osama Bin Laden by US Navy SEALS earlier this month has generated much commentary in the media, and provides us with an opportunity to assess the quality of our public discourse on moral matters. Since the reported rumours that ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ yielded information which may have contributed to tracking down bin […]
Published on
11 May 2011
Freedom of Religion and the Limits of Secularism
Posted in Christianity, Human Rights, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion
From a Guest Blogger: A case that is about to go before the courts in which a former employee of the BBC is suing for wrongful dismissal appears to test some of the limits of what constitutes a belief worthy of government protection. The man in question, Devan Maistry, claims the Corporation wrongfully dismissed him […]
Published on
28 March 2011
Christianity, the Crucifix, and European Values
Posted in Christianity, Conscience, Education, Europe, Human Rights, Legal Affairs, Liberty, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion, Social Commentary
It was with surprise that many people heard last week of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), by a majority of 15-2, to overturn its own much-criticised decision in 2009 to forbid the display of crucifixes in Italian schoolrooms. Perhaps it would be kinder not to point out to the hapless […]
Published on
18 March 2011
Robert George On Natural Law, God, and Human Dignity
Posted in Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Founder and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, spoke on “Natural Law, God, and Human Dignity” at the University of Toledo College of Law on February 18, 2010.
Published on
11 March 2011
From Guantánamo With Love
To the delight of many of his foes, and no doubt to the chagrin of many who voted him, Barack Obama has announced the resumption of Bush-era Military Commissions for trying detainees held at Guantánamo Bay. Long after the deadline passed for the President to deliver on his pledge to close Guantánamo within a year […]