Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 9, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Alexander Riley: Sympathy for the Devil in the Cultural Moment of 1969

Understanding the 1960s—that intense, immense thing in American life that ended exactly fifty years ago—is a difficult task if ever there was one. The Sympathy for the Devil in the Cultural Moment of 1969 January 08, 2020 | by Alexander Riley Fifty years after Alt…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 8, 2020 at 12:07 PM

Robert T. Miller: Loose Talk on Free Speech

Writing in the Catholic Herald, Matthew Schmitz says that “classical liberals paved the way for white nationalists” and deserve part of the blame for Loose Talk on Free Speech January 07, 2020 | by Robert T. Miller If you really must attack other conservatives, t…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 7, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Nathaniel Peters and James Hankins: On Virtue Politics

James Hankins is professor of history at Harvard University, the Founder and General Editor of the I Tatti Renaissance Library, and one of the world’s On Virtue Politics January 06, 2020 | by Nathaniel Peters and James Hankins “Virtue politics” is modeled on the p…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 6, 2020 at 12:06 PM

Robert P. George: Courage, Love, and Sacrifice in the Fight for Marriage Reality

Author’s note: On January 1, 2020, Ryan T. Anderson and I published a piece in USA Today on the steep costs—personal, societal, political, legal, and Courage, Love, and Sacrifice in the Fight for Marriage Reality January 05, 2020 | by Robert P. George Every time …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 1, 2020 at 2:21 PM

We Did It!

We Did It! With your tremendous support, we met our $25,000 match!  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, Happy New Year! We’re excited to announce that we met our goal of $25,000, which means that we doubled each and every dollar th…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

January 1, 2020 at 12:09 PM

R.J. Snell: Quiet Hope: A New Year’s Resolution

Like many others, I find myself discouraged and frustrated by the state of the world. It’s not just the perennial human things that weigh on me—war, d Quiet Hope: A New Year’s Resolution December 31, 2019 | by R.J. Snell Despair is the unforgivable sin, for the de…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 31, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Serena Sigillito: Faith and Family at Public Discourse: A Note from the Editor

Dear Public Discourse Readers, As I write this note to you, I’m speeding across the Ohio countryside. My husband, two young daughters, and I are en ro Faith and Family at Public Discourse: A Note from the Editor December 30, 2019 | by Serena Sigillito Faith and fa…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 30, 2019 at 2:44 PM

Happy New Year from Public Discourse

Happy New Year from Public Discourse We only have two days left in our $25,000 matching campaign! Double your gift today! Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, We hope your Christmas or Chanukah was spent joyfully with your loved one…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 30, 2019 at 12:07 PM

Ryan T. Anderson: A Decade of Debates

When we launched Public Discourse in 2008, the original tagline was Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good. At our tenth anniversary last A Decade of Debates December 29, 2019 | by Ryan T. Anderson The team at Public Discourse doesn’t pretend to have …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 27, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Carson Holloway: Christmas and Western Civilization

As 2019 draws to an end, Public Discourse will take a short vacation, with new essays appearing next week. In the meantime, here is a Public Discourse Christmas and Western Civilization December 26, 2019 | by Carson Holloway Though Christmas is a religious holiday…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 26, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Chris R. Armstrong: The Incarnation and Our Everyday Lives: A Christmas Meditation

As 2019 draws to an end, Public Discourse will take a short vacation, with new essays appearing next week. In the meantime, here is a Public Discourse The Incarnation and Our Everyday Lives: A Christmas Meditation December 25, 2019 | by Chris R. Armstrong Christia…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 25, 2019 at 12:08 PM

Karen Swallow Prior: Surprised by Christ

As 2019 draws to an end, Public Discourse will take a short vacation, with new essays appearing next week. In the meantime, here is a Public Discourse Surprised by Christ December 24, 2019 | by Karen Swallow Prior The small surprises and sacrifices of Christmas—th…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 24, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Joseph Bottum: Joyous Surrender: A Rhapsody in Red (and Green)

As 2019 draws to an end, Public Discourse will take a short vacation, with new essays appearing next week. In the meantime, here is a Public Discourse Joyous Surrender: A Rhapsody in Red (and Green) December 23, 2019 | by Joseph Bottum Christmas isn’t tasteful, is…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 23, 2019 at 4:08 PM

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas from the Public Discourse Team

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas from the Public Discourse Team We're getting close to meeting our $25,000 match, but we need your help! Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, We hope your holiday season is full of family, friends, …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 23, 2019 at 12:08 PM

Mark Gottlieb: Heroes and Villains: A Chanukah Meditation

As 2019 draws to an end, Public Discourse will take a short vacation, with new essays appearing next week. In the meantime, here is a Public Discourse Heroes and Villains: A Chanukah Meditation December 22, 2019 | by Mark Gottlieb In the popular imagination, both …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 21, 2019 at 12:04 PM

Ryan T. Anderson: Refreshing, Rejuvenating, and Improving Our Public Discourse: 2019 Holiday Book Recommendations

Public Discourse is the online journal of The Witherspoon Institute of Princeton, NJ. For over a decade we’ve been publishing thoughtful and accessibl Refreshing, Rejuvenating, and Improving Our Public Discourse: 2019 Holiday Book Recommendations December 20, 2019…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 20, 2019 at 12:04 PM

Daniel Burns: The Classical Alternative to Liberal Theory

In my Public Discourse essay yesterday, I expanded on some criticisms of liberal political theory that I had originally offered in an article in Natio The Classical Alternative to Liberal Theory December 19, 2019 | by Daniel Burns Once we recognize the insufficien…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 19, 2019 at 12:08 PM

Daniel Burns: The Real Failure of Liberal Theory

In a recent article, I joined a few other conservatives who have pointed out that contemporary debates over liberalism need to do a better job of dist The Real Failure of Liberal Theory December 18, 2019 | by Daniel Burns Conservative critics of “liberalism” are r…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 18, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Rebecca G. Oas: Promoting Human Rights Consistently: The Trump Administration Should Stop Advancing Controversial LGBT Ideology at the UN

The U.S. Department of State recently hosted the first public meetings of its Commission on Unalienable Rights. When the commission was first announce Promoting Human Rights Consistently: The Trump Administration Should Stop Advancing Controversial LGBT Ideology a…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 17, 2019 at 1:09 PM

You’re Invited: Join Our Exclusive Conference Call with Ryan T. Anderson and Mark Regnerus

You’re Invited: Join Our Exclusive Conference Call with Ryan T. Anderson and Mark Regnerus Give today to reserve your spot—and double your gift! Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, Our matching campaign is in full swing, and we’re …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 17, 2019 at 12:06 PM

R.J. Snell: Free Speech Cannot Save Us

Many observers of the contemporary university note that the faculty’s role in its governance has declined, while the number of its administrators—espe Free Speech Cannot Save Us December 16, 2019 | by R.J. Snell Unless they acknowledge a divine transcendence, our …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 16, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Francesca Aran Murphy: Catholicism, Modernity, and Ground-Up Politics

George Weigel’s The Irony of Modern Catholic History is an outstanding, memorable textbook on the history of modern Catholic political thought. If it Catholicism, Modernity, and Ground-Up Politics December 15, 2019 | by Francesca Aran Murphy Pope Francis’s theolo…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 13, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Marianna Orlandi: A Modern-Day Saint: Rosario Livatino and a Judge’s Life “Under God”

On September 21, 1990, a few days before turning 38, Rosario Livatino was killed by the mafia on his way to work. A young judge in Sicily, he had take A Modern-Day Saint: Rosario Livatino and a Judge’s Life “Under God” December 12, 2019 | by Marianna Orlandi The l…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 12, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Andrew J. Zwerneman: Speech and Conscience in Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life

Sprechen Verboten (Speaking is forbidden). Stenciled on the interior wall of a Nazi prison yard, these two words loom over Franz Jägerstätter, the pro Speech and Conscience in Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life December 11, 2019 | by Andrew J. Zwerneman How does one…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 11, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Angela Franks: Andrea Long Chu Says You Are a Female, and He’s Only Partly Wrong

If provocation is the common coin of our tweeting age, Andrea Long Chu should be a billionaire. Twenty-something Chu is a male-to-female transgender p Andrea Long Chu Says You Are a Female, and He’s Only Partly Wrong December 10, 2019 | by Angela Franks Transgende…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 10, 2019 at 2:33 PM

Our $25,000 Matching Campaign is on Track, But We Need Your Help!

Our $25,000 Matching Campaign is on Track, But We Need Your Help! Will you help us meet our $25,000 match? Public Discourse needs your support!  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, With just two weeks until Christmas Eve and Hanukk…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 10, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Andrew R. DeLoach: Saving Human Rights from the Human Rights Movement

Only two years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th, 1948, the United Nations established December 10th as Saving Human Rights from the Human Rights Movement December 09, 2019 | by Andrew R. DeLoach Without a proper unde…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 9, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George: Physical Interventions on the Bodies of Children to “Affirm” their “Gender Identity” Violate Sound Medical Ethics and Should be Prohibited

Several weeks ago, many Americans were concerned about a seven-year-old boy in Texas who was the subject of a custody battle after his parents divorce Physical Interventions on the Bodies of Children to “Affirm” their “Gender Identity” Violate Sound Medical Ethics…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 6, 2019 at 12:07 PM

Kevin Jackson: Mindful Business Leadership

Previously in “If the Dalai Lama Ran General Mills,” I argued that it will be a good thing if the mindfulness movement can make even modest changes fo Mindful Business Leadership December 05, 2019 | by Kevin Jackson Mindful business leadership must connect mindful…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 5, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Joseph Bessette: Fitting the Punishment to the Crime: The Justice of Contemporary Criminal Sentencing Laws

Criminal justice policy in the United States is deeply dysfunctional—or so we often hear. We are told that we spend too much money imprisoning too man Fitting the Punishment to the Crime: The Justice of Contemporary Criminal Sentencing Laws December 04, 2019 | by …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 4, 2019 at 12:03 PM

Matthew A. Shadle: Religious Freedom, the Church, and State Coercion

The Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae (DH), famously taught that individuals and religious communities hav Religious Freedom, the Church, and State Coercion December 03, 2019 | by Matthew A. Shadle The Church must exerci…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 3, 2019 at 1:27 PM

This Giving Tuesday, Support Reasoned, Respectful Discourse

This Giving Tuesday, Support Reasoned, Respectful Discourse It's Giving Tuesday! Join us as we work to meet our $25,000 matching campaign.  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, Happy Giving Tuesday! We hope your Thanksgiving was res…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 3, 2019 at 12:08 PM

Louis Brown: Health Care: The Greatest Pro-Life Political Battle of Our Time

The system of health care we have in America is decisive in determining whether our country protects our most vulnerable citizens: the unborn, their p Health Care: The Greatest Pro-Life Political Battle of Our Time December 02, 2019 | by Louis Brown Patient freedo…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

December 2, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Gerard V. Bradley: Compelled Sexual Affirmation in the School Bathroom

Consider the experience of some northern Illinois high-school girls, as one federal court recently described it. In Students and Parents for Privacy v Compelled Sexual Affirmation in the School Bathroom December 01, 2019 | by Gerard V. Bradley The case against com…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 28, 2019 at 1:28 PM

Announcing Our $25,000 Matching Campaign!

Announcing Our $25,000 Matching Campaign! Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we're excited to announce a $25,000 matching campaign! Give now, and your gift will be doubled. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear John, Happy Thanksgiving! This year,…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 27, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Yuval Levin: Gratitude in an Angry Time

In Washington this fall, amid an impeachment fight and an endless barrage of other outrages, Thanksgiving almost seems out of place. Whatever your pol Gratitude in an Angry Time November 26, 2019 | by Yuval Levin We must resist the sense that gratitude has no plac…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 26, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Nathaniel Peters: Faith and Reason in the Thought of John Henry Newman

Faith in God—or in anything else—is an act of trust that involves the will and intellect together. By faith the intellect accepts claims about truth t Faith and Reason in the Thought of John Henry Newman November 25, 2019 | by Nathaniel Peters Faith and Reason, Sa…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 25, 2019 at 12:09 PM

Richard M. Doerflinger: Giving One’s Life for One’s Friends: A Secular or Religious Value?

Fifteen years ago, our twenty-year-old son Thomas was killed in action in Iraq. He had joined the Army out of high school, inspired by the need to def Giving One’s Life for One’s Friends: A Secular or Religious Value? November 24, 2019 | by Richard M. Doerflinger …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 23, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Brian Bird: The Case against Judicial Supremacy

In The Political Constitution: The Case Against Judicial Supremacy, Greg Weiner argues that the American people, through their elected representatives The Case against Judicial Supremacy November 22, 2019 | by Brian Bird Debates over judicial review and constituti…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 22, 2019 at 12:04 PM

Susan Martin: The Deadly Dance of Perfectionism: How the Rhetoric of Family Planning Hurts Children

As a child, I never knew exactly what my dad did, but I knew that his office was the first place where I had ever seen anatomical pink and magenta mod The Deadly Dance of Perfectionism: How the Rhetoric of Family Planning Hurts Children November 21, 2019 | by Susa…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 21, 2019 at 12:05 PM

T.A. Cavanaugh: Why the Hippocratic Oath Prohibits Physician-Assisted Suicide

“Regimens I will use for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment, but what is used for harm and injustice I will keep away from t Why the Hippocratic Oath Prohibits Physician-Assisted Suicide November 20, 2019 | by T.A. Cavanaugh The Hippocrat…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 20, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Allen C. Guelzo: Can War Really Be Just or Unjust?

Daryl Charles and Mark David Hall have laid out, in the opening chapter of America and the Just War Tradition: A History of U.S. Conflicts, about as c Can War Really Be Just or Unjust? November 19, 2019 | by Allen C. Guelzo War has the complexity of most of the hu…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 19, 2019 at 12:07 PM

Walt Heyer: Pastor Jeff Looked at Me through the Eyes of God

This is my redemption story. Early in my journey, back when I identified as Laura Jensen, transgender female, many Christians looked at me as unredeem Pastor Jeff Looked at Me through the Eyes of God November 18, 2019 | by Walt Heyer As a transgender woman, the mo…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 18, 2019 at 12:07 PM

Melissa Moschella: Reproductive Technologies and Human Dignity

Scientific innovations over the past half century have dramatically increased our technical mastery over human life in its origins. Up until very rece Reproductive Technologies and Human Dignity November 17, 2019 | by Melissa Moschella Given the risks of assisted …

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 15, 2019 at 12:03 PM

Elizabeth Goyette: Václav Benda’s Politics of Shared Responsibility

In The Long Night of the Watchman: Essays by Václav Benda, 1977-1989, editor Flagg Taylor offers us the reflections of a man who possessed a rare comb Václav Benda’s Politics of Shared Responsibility November 14, 2019 | by Elizabeth Goyette Through his life and wr…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 14, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Mark Regnerus: New Data Show “Gender-Affirming” Surgery Doesn’t Really Improve Mental Health. So Why Are the Study’s Authors Saying It Does?

A new study appearing last month in the American Journal of Psychiatry concluded that “gender-affirming” surgery is associated with reduced demand for New Data Show “Gender-Affirming” Surgery Doesn’t Really Improve Mental Health. So Why Are the Study’s Authors Say…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 13, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Serena Sigillito: Dear Senator Warren: Don’t Penalize Moms Who Choose to Stay Home with Their Kids

Dear Senator Warren, Congratulations! You’ve been making great progress in your presidential race. As a working mom of two little girls, aged two and Dear Senator Warren: Don’t Penalize Moms Who Choose to Stay Home with Their Kids November 12, 2019 | by Serena Si…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 12, 2019 at 12:03 PM

Daniel Mark: Is America More Like a Business or a Family?

Debates over the nature and purpose of the state are never out of season. From Aristotle to Hobbes and beyond, the same critical questions arise anew Is America More Like a Business or a Family? November 11, 2019 | by Daniel Mark How should we understand the comm…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 11, 2019 at 12:03 PM

Thomas Tacoma: The Place of Christian Religion in the American Founding

One usually writes a new book for one of two reasons: either to treat a topic that no one has covered before; or to correct errors on a topic that oth The Place of Christian Religion in the American Founding November 10, 2019 | by Thomas Tacoma Mark Hall’s new boo…

See More from Public Discourse

  Public Discourse · [email protected]

November 8, 2019 at 12:05 PM

Thomas F. Farr: Saint John Henry Newman and Freedom of Conscience: Countering a Modern Apostasy

John Henry Newman’s teachings provide a proper grounding for freedom of conscience and for the Catholic Church’s duty to defend the truth, both to its Saint John Henry Newman and Freedom of Conscience: Countering a Modern Apostasy November 07, 2019 | by Thomas F. …

See More from Public Discourse