Has Liberalism Failed? Of the three dominant ideologies of the twentieth century—fascism, communism, and liberalism—only the last remains. This has created a peculiar situation in which liberalism’s proponents, on both the left and right, sometimes forget that...

Theology Amid the Revolution In the autumn of 1968, the world seemed on the verge of collapse. The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the growing American entanglement in Vietnam, and the assasinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy left the entire Western...

Thinking with Bad Feelings Human life isn’t a safe space–and thankfully so. Bad feelings can lead to good thoughts, and losing one’s temper can be morally productive. This seminar will argue that human reactions like anger, hatred, envy, confusion, frustration,...

The First Conservative The Thought of Edmund Burke Edmund Burke is often called the “first conservative.” His writings on the French Revolution and other political movements are widely understood to be the earliest articulation of modern conservatism, and have offered...

AI in a Human Context Artificial Intelligence promises much. According to some, it will not only rival human intelligence but surpass it entirely, bringing with it incalculable gains in knowledge, power, and wealth. According to others, it will lead to a loss of human...

Dear Lord Pay Attention to Me: How to Read Christian Poetry What do poetry and prayer have in common? In our contemporary world, poetry is often thought of as an art form of personal expression, or a meditation on personal identity. Prayer, on the other hand,...

Catholic Theology Reading Group Dates: Wednesday afternoons on 2.21, 2.28, 3.14, 3.21. Time: 2:30-3:30pm Student Leaders: Alexander Huber and Jule Coppa Reading: Selections from Thomas Joseph White, The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism Reading schedule:...

Do We Have Free Will? It seems hardly possible to lead a meaningful life without assuming the freedom to choose and to pursue goals and purposes. Nevertheless, throughout history this assumption has been challenged, be it by Marxists, psychologists or, more recently,...

Science and Value Some think that good science is, or should be, free from the influence of values. Drawing from contemporary philosophy of science, in this seminar we will explore questions like: what does it mean for science to be free from values? Can science be...

Christian Love vs Friendship: How to Treat Ourselves and Others What does it mean to love? How is the Christian commandment to love one’s neighbor di.ferent from loving one’s friends or partner? What does love require one to believe, do, and hope for? We will read...

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions When Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientifc Revolutions appeared in 1962, it offered a radically new perspective on the history of science. It challenged the prevailing view that science develops by “accumulation” and argued...

Truth and Tolerance: Ways to Deal with Disagreement How should we deal with people who hold views we find noxious, irrational, or dangerous? Should we aim to be non-judgmental or should we instead aim to correct, marginalize, or even shame them? This seminar will...