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December 26, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Matthew J. Franck: The Bookshelf: Reading and Watching Shakespeare in 2021

No writer has ever made me feel so keenly my deficiencies as a reader more than William Shakespeare. (I will not be so ridiculous as to consider what The Bookshelf: Reading and Watching Shakespeare in 2021 December 26, 2020 | by Matthew J. Franck Dipping into Sha…

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December 23, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Carson Holloway: The True Meaning of Christmas: Accept No Substitutes

The public celebration of Christmas is an American tradition. It is the most joyful of all American holidays. It is not all joy, however. Nowadays, an The True Meaning of Christmas: Accept No Substitutes December 23, 2020 | by Carson Holloway The Christmas message…

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December 22, 2020 at 1:05 PM

Where do you turn?

Where do you turn? Join us in the fight against the pathologies of the age. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, In our times, we are ceaselessly bombarded by moral challenges that require thoughtful, timely, and courageous re…

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December 22, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Collin Slowey: Chesterton’s Christmas

The Christmas narrative is such an integral feature of Western culture that it is always tempting to take it for granted. But in reality, it is one of Chesterton’s Christmas December 22, 2020 | by Collin Slowey In “The God in the Cave,” G.K, Chesterton explains th…

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December 21, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Sonja Corbitt: The “Magnificat Gift” of Advent

As the pregnancy of Advent deepens, darkens, and sharpens to its explosive point of nativity, an instinctive silence begins to turn one’s attention in The “Magnificat Gift” of Advent December 21, 2020 | by Sonja Corbitt Offered daily through the liturgical prayer …

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December 19, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Ryan T. Anderson: Refreshing, Rejuvenating, and Improving Our Public Discourse: 2020 Book Recommendations

Public Discourse is the online journal of The Witherspoon Institute of Princeton, NJ. For more than a dozen years now, we’ve been publishing thoughtfu Refreshing, Rejuvenating, and Improving Our Public Discourse: 2020 Book Recommendations December 19, 2020 | by Ry…

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December 18, 2020 at 1:24 PM

Adam M. Carrington: We Are (Politically) Who We Love: Klaus, Christmas, and Re-Founding

We are fascinated by origin stories. In film, these accounts tell the backstory for an already known hero or villain. Prevalent in comic book films (t We Are (Politically) Who We Love: Klaus, Christmas, and Re-Founding December 18, 2020 | by Adam M. Carrington The…

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December 17, 2020 at 12:02 PM

R.J. Snell: The Road to Sexual Revolution: Carl Trueman and the Modern Self

It is beyond doubt that the sexual revolution of the last sixty years has resulted in enormous social changes. Ideas that would have been judged prepo The Road to Sexual Revolution: Carl Trueman and the Modern Self December 17, 2020 | by R.J. Snell According to Ca…

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December 16, 2020 at 12:04 PM

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In November 2020, the Annals of Internal Medicine, an influential scientific journal, published a study called DANMASK-19 (Danish Study to Assess Face Covid-19 and the Erosion of Civic Trust December 16, 2020 | by Aaron Rothstein The American public deserves the t…

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December 15, 2020 at 2:02 PM

Good Politics Needs Thought

Good Politics Needs Thought Stand up for the common good. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, As you look back on a difficult year dominated by politics and the pandemic, we hope you are grateful for the steady consistency of…

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December 15, 2020 at 12:01 PM

Charles C. Camosy: Lessons from 2020: Republicans Should Build a Multi-Ethnic and Religious Party of the Working Class

One should pay close attention to Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley when they suggest—as they did almost gleefully the day after the 2020 election—that Repu Lessons from 2020: Republicans Should Build a Multi-Ethnic and Religious Party of the Working Class December 15, …

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December 14, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Jonathan Thomas Hannah: A Tax Policy for the Common Good: Renew the CARES Act’s Charitable Tax Deduction Permanently

I have had the pleasure of teaching an experiential learning course, Philanthropy and the Common Good, over the past two years at the University of No A Tax Policy for the Common Good: Renew the CARES Act’s Charitable Tax Deduction Permanently December 14, 2020 | …

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December 13, 2020 at 12:35 PM

Featured Collection: A Year for Quiet Hope

Featured Collection: A Year for Quiet Hope During this difficult year, Public Discourse authors have called us to hold on to hope, even when those around us succumb to despair. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, It would be a…

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December 11, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Willis Renuart: To Control “Toxic Masculinity” and Heal the Family We Must Appreciate the Differences between the Sexes

Thirty years ago, when I first started dating my wife, we went to a loud, garish bar with another couple. Within the first few minutes, my eyes, of th To Control “Toxic Masculinity” and Heal the Family We Must Appreciate the Differences between the Sexes December …

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December 10, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Andrew Koppelman: The Great Awokening and Overlapping Consensus

The quasi-religious fervor of modern wokeness has notorious tendencies toward a repressive orthodoxy. Hardly anyone has noticed the contradictions thi The Great Awokening and Overlapping Consensus December 10, 2020 | by Andrew Koppelman A culture of repression and…

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December 9, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Matthew Arbo, C. Ben Mitchell and Andrew T. Walker: Why We Plan to Get Vaccinated: A Christian Moral Perspective

Strongly held opinions about vaccines and vaccination are the subject of explosive debates in America. We expect these debates to become more intense Why We Plan to Get Vaccinated: A Christian Moral Perspective December 09, 2020 | by Matthew Arbo, C. Ben Mitchell…

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December 8, 2020 at 1:05 PM

The family is under attack—Will you stand up for it?

The family is under attack—Will you stand up for it? Help us protect marriage and the family.  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, As we approach a welcome new year, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Many who’ve manage…

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December 8, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Graham Dennis and Harrison Kleiner: The Great Refusal or Mary’s Fiat: An Advent reflection

Tolerance of differing and dissenting viewpoints was once considered a fundamental virtue for a flourishing and healthy liberal democracy. However, th The Great Refusal or Mary’s Fiat: An Advent reflection December 08, 2020 | by Graham Dennis and Harrison Kleiner …

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December 7, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Leonard Sax: Pandemic Parenting: Lessons Learned

How have kids done during the pandemic? We have all heard anecdotes. Now we are finally starting to get some data. Jean Twenge is a leading researcher Pandemic Parenting: Lessons Learned December 07, 2020 | by Leonard Sax The end of the pandemic is now in sight. L…

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December 4, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Jessica Hooten Wilson: The Liberating Power of the Liberal Arts

The liberal arts free the soul not only from oppression and dominating power structures, but for the good life. Once you are a free soul, you are comp The Liberating Power of the Liberal Arts December 04, 2020 | by Jessica Hooten Wilson An education in the liberal…

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December 3, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Nathanael Blake: Liberalism as Christian Personalism?

Is there life after liberalism? The post–Cold War ascendancy of liberal democratic capitalism has given way to exhaustion and decadence. The Left has Liberalism as Christian Personalism? December 03, 2020 | by Nathanael Blake For a political order supposedly buil…

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December 2, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Rebekah Curtis: The Domestic Kenosis: A Response to Ross Douthat from the Mother of Eight Children

I have eight children. All mine, all my husband’s. I won’t bore you with the reasons we have them, and I am familiar with the many reasons we shouldn’ The Domestic Kenosis: A Response to Ross Douthat from the Mother of Eight Children December 02, 2020 | by Rebekah…

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December 1, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Brandon Joa: Faustian Medicine: Uncovering the Humanistic Soul of Medical Education

“Sorry, I can’t hang out. I’m practicing social isolation!” While variations of those words have become a cliché during this time of pandemic, anyone Faustian Medicine: Uncovering the Humanistic Soul of Medical Education December 01, 2020 | by Brandon Joa Medicin…

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November 30, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo: Rethinking the Working Class: Toward a Multi-Ethnic Conservative Coalition

As a citizen and as a political theorist, two things about American conservatism have always given me pause. The first is our relationship to race. Th Rethinking the Working Class: Toward a Multi-Ethnic Conservative Coalition November 30, 2020 | by Ashleen Menchac…

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November 29, 2020 at 2:03 PM

Stand up for Public Discourse

Stand up for Public Discourse This is not a time to despair, but a time to stand up and support our society.  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, This Thanksgiving, we at Public Discourse are all extremely grateful for you, o…

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November 25, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Howard L. Muncy and Richard Carwardine: Faith, History, and Politics: A Transatlantic Conversation About the Role of Religion in the American Story

As Americans commemorate the 400th anniversary of the 1620 Plymouth landing and sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, many are bound to be reminded that & Faith, History, and Politics: A Transatlantic Conversation About the Role of Religion in the American Story N…

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November 24, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Richard Reinsch: Resisting the New Religion of Identity

What drives identity politics? How should we think about the consequences it poses to American political, economic, and cultural institutions? We have Resisting the New Religion of Identity November 24, 2020 | by Richard Reinsch Joshua Mitchell shows how identity …

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November 23, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Matthew P. Schneider, LC: Vaccines and Doubly Remote Cooperation in Evil

This month, two vaccines for COVID-19 finished their final tests. They proved to be 90–94 percent effective at preventing COVID, and both vaccines hav Vaccines and Doubly Remote Cooperation in Evil November 23, 2020 | by Matthew P. Schneider, LC Neither the Pfizer…

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November 21, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Matthew J. Franck: The Bookshelf: Big Books Still Ahead

In my October column, I considered “The Pleasures of Rereading,” and offered some authors and books I consider old friends worth revisiting. This mont The Bookshelf: Big Books Still Ahead November 21, 2020 | by Matthew J. Franck Perhaps what unites the books that …

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November 20, 2020 at 12:05 PM

Samuel Gregg: Why America Needs Shareholder Capitalism

“It’s way past time we put an end to the era of shareholder capitalism.” So proclaimed Joe Biden in July 2020. Many business leaders agree with him. B Why America Needs Shareholder Capitalism November 20, 2020 | by Samuel Gregg We must insist on shareholder primac…

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November 19, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Gregory Lee Roper: How St. Katharine Drexel and My Odd-Couple Parents Taught Me to Fight Racism

Since this summer’s racial explosion, I have been thinking about Saint Katharine Drexel and her relationship to my mother and father. If the saints an How St. Katharine Drexel and My Odd-Couple Parents Taught Me to Fight Racism November 19, 2020 | by Gregory Lee R…

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November 18, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Guillaume de Thieulloy: Between Secularism and Fundamentalism: On France’s Response to Islamic Terrorist Attacks

Five years after the slaughter of the “Bataclan” in 2015, France has suffered several terrorist attacks yet again. A teacher has been beheaded near Pa Between Secularism and Fundamentalism: On France’s Response to Islamic Terrorist Attacks November 18, 2020 | by G…

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November 17, 2020 at 12:03 PM

R.J. Snell: Barbaric Dogmatists and the Revolution

During my junior year of college I read and was persuaded by Allan Bloom’s Closing of the American Mind. Bloom’s book was “a meditation on the state o Barbaric Dogmatists and the Revolution November 17, 2020 | by R.J. Snell In the current moment, we critique and d…

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November 16, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Jeffrey Barrows and Jonathan Imbody: Is Receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Ethical?

On November 9, 2020, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and biotech company and cancer treatment specialist BioNTech stunned the world with the announcement Is Receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Ethical? November 16, 2020 | by Jeffrey Barrows and Jonathan Im…

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November 13, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Devorah Goldman: Gene Editing and Planned Personhood

The specter of “planned personhood” crops up again and again throughout science fiction, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New Gene Editing and Planned Personhood November 13, 2020 | by Devorah Goldman The future of germline editing include…

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November 12, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Patrick Tomassi: Finding the Roots of the Riots

My home of Oregon has always been radical. This summer, though, media attention turned to Portland in a new way. We found ourselves in the national sp Finding the Roots of the Riots November 12, 2020 | by Patrick Tomassi When I interviewed people at Portland’s pro…

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November 11, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Carl R. Trueman: The Impact of Psychological Man—and How to Respond

In yesterday’s essay, I sketched the rise of a new normative kind of selfhood in the West, that of “psychological man.” I also suggested that understa The Impact of Psychological Man—and How to Respond November 11, 2020 | by Carl R. Trueman Only by modeling true c…

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November 10, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Carl Russell Trueman: The Rise of “Psychological Man”

If the election of Donald Trump in 2016 made manifest the fact that the United States is a deeply divided country ill at ease with itself, then the CO The Rise of “Psychological Man” November 10, 2020 | by Carl Russell Trueman The notions that human flourishing is…

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November 9, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Catherine Foster, Chad Pecknold and Josh Craddock: The Lincoln Proposal: Pro-Life Presidents Must Take Ambitious and Bold Action to Protect the Constitutional Rights of Preborn Children

Since 1973, more than 60 million American children have been killed by the violence of abortion. The horror of approximately 2,000 daily killings stem The Lincoln Proposal: Pro-Life Presidents Must Take Ambitious and Bold Action to Protect the Constitutional Right…

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November 6, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Collin Slowey: Walker Percy’s Prescient Dystopia

It is currently in vogue to compare the United States with the nightmarish dystopias of George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Ther Walker Percy’s Prescient Dystopia November 06, 2020 | by Collin Slowey Love in the Ruins speaks to our present mo…

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November 5, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Allen C. Guelzo: Qualifying Free Speech Out of Existence: Dare to Speak and the Danger of Polite Self-Censorship

Suzanne Nossel is the president of PEN America, an organization that “stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expres Qualifying Free Speech Out of Existence: Dare to Speak and the Danger of Polite Self-Censorship November 05, 2020…

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November 4, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Cory D. Higdon: From Sermons, to Speeches, to Protests and Riots: The Mayflower at 400 and an American Myth Throughout the Centuries

The year 2020 has been anything but predictable. It already promised to be an eventful year, but it quickly descended into utter chaos as a pandemic g From Sermons, to Speeches, to Protests and Riots: The Mayflower at 400 and an American Myth Throughout the Centur…

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November 3, 2020 at 12:04 PM

William Gonch: Double Visions: Marilynne Robinson’s Jack

Marilynne Robinson is famous for depicting the splendor of God’s glory in ordinary things: soap bubbles, moonrise, an irritated cat. She also explores Double Visions: Marilynne Robinson’s Jack November 03, 2020 | by William Gonch Marilynne Robinson’s “Jack” dives …

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November 2, 2020 at 12:03 PM

R.J. Snell: Questions on Abortion: A Dinner Invitation to Nicholas Kristof

I remain stubbornly committed to print newspapers, and I want my children to know the delight of the familial broadsheet: stealing sections from each Questions on Abortion: A Dinner Invitation to Nicholas Kristof November 02, 2020 | by R.J. Snell The New York Tim…

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November 1, 2020 at 12:01 PM

Serena Sigillito and Erika Bachiochi: Erika Bachiochi on the Future of Pro-Life Feminism

In the latest installment of our Public Discourse interview series, Public Discourse Editor Serena Sigillito talks with legal scholar Erika Bachiochi Erika Bachiochi on the Future of Pro-Life Feminism November 01, 2020 | by Serena Sigillito and Erika Bachiochi Th…

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October 30, 2020 at 11:03 AM

Julia D. Hejduk: Seeing beyond Roe

Abortion is the great moral issue of our time. More than anything else, it underlies our nation’s present polarization and acrimony. It should never h Seeing beyond Roe October 30, 2020 | by Julia D. Hejduk Now that Roe v. Wade is on the brink of being overturned,…

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October 29, 2020 at 11:01 AM

Tadeusz Pacholczyk: Clarifying Fetal Tissue Policy Contradictions

When President Trump became sick with COVID-19 in October, reporters from CBS News, the New York Times, and other media outlets were quick to point ou Clarifying Fetal Tissue Policy Contradictions October 29, 2020 | by Tadeusz Pacholczyk If the president and his a…

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October 28, 2020 at 11:02 AM

Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George: Pope Francis, Civil Unions, and Moral Truth

Moral truths are what they are. Human beings can fail to grasp them. They can defy them even if they do grasp them—people have free will. Human beings Pope Francis, Civil Unions, and Moral Truth October 28, 2020 | by Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George More deep…

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October 27, 2020 at 11:05 AM

Thomas Joseph White, O.P.: The Primacy of the Spiritual and the Obligations of the Church: On the Suspension of Public Worship

What are the obligations of the Church and her personnel under the current conditions of COVID-19? First, the Church does have an obligation to respec The Primacy of the Spiritual and the Obligations of the Church: On the Suspension of Public Worship October 27, 2…

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October 26, 2020 at 11:04 AM

Thomas Joseph White, O.P.: On the Relative Importance of Death: COVID-19 and the Hierarchy of Goods

All human beings naturally associate in social groups and depend upon the common good, the collective life of the whole. These groups and common goods On the Relative Importance of Death: COVID-19 and the Hierarchy of Goods October 26, 2020 | by Thomas Joseph Whit…

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