The Trans-human Techno-utopian Vision — This column by Ross Douthat reviews a dialogue in Edge.com with Yuval Harari and Daniel Kahneman about re-engineering human nature: “In terms of ideas, in terms of religions, the most interesting place today in the world is Silicon Valley, not the Middle East.” It’s in Silicon Valley that people are […]
The Millennials: Institutionalizing Ethics as Subjectivism and Emotivism
The Millennials: Institutionalizing Ethics as Subjectivsm and Emotivism — For most millennials morality is all about personal circumstances, said Robert Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (funded by the Ford Foundation) The new PRRI research looks at the views of U.S. adults ages 18 to 35 on issues such as sexual behavior, gender identity, […]
A Case to Watch on Mental Disabilities and the Death Penalty
A Case to Watch — The Supreme Court has created a short list of categories of those who cannot constitutionally be executed, including juveniles, the mentally insane, anyone who commits a crime other than murder, and, most recently, an individual who is mentally disabled. In an upcoming case, the Court will struggle again to clarify […]
How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries on Religious Restrictions
How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries on Religious Restrictions — The U.S. has moderate levels of both restrictions on religion and social hostilities toward religious groups, ranking somewhere in the middle range of the nearly 200 countries analyzed in the report.
Trying to Sort Out the Indiana RFRA
Trying to Sort Out the Indiana RFRA — This update offers some background and discussion on why the Indiana Restoration of Religious Freedom Act is drawing attention. This report compares the Indiana law with recent legislation in Utah and other states’ efforts to manage the concerns of both religious groups and advocates for same-sex marriage. […]
Business Against Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Business Against Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act — The risks a new Indiana law range from potential workplace lawsuits on religious grounds to a broader and deeper business chill in the state, with money-making conferences and major corporations threatening to pull out, difficulty attracting key job creators like tech companies and a wide-ranging ripple effect […]
From the Internat’l Desk: Chinese Pastor Jailed Over Cross on Church
From the Internat’l Desk: Chinese Pastor Jailed Over Cross on Church — A Christian pastor who defended local churches when the Chinese authorities removed church crosses was sentenced to one year in prison by a court in Zhejiang Province. An internal government policy paper made it clear that the local government wanted to crack down […]
An Essay on Emotivism and Natural Law
An Essay on Emotivism and Natural Law — A current theme in assessing the culture wars examines the philosophical tradition of natural law (Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas) and how this concept may inform discussions on race, sex, inclusion, identity, and other dimensions of human nature. Some find this theme compelling; some do not. This essay […]
Bob Jones Chancellor Apologies for Gay Remarks in 1980
Bob Jones Chancellor Apologies for Gay Remarks in 1980 — The chancellor of Bob Jones University on Saturday apologized for a statement he made in 1980, while president of the university, that gay people should be stoned to death.
Editing the Human Genome
Editing the Human Genome — Here is the NPR audio spot (4 min.) A new technology called CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat) could allow scientists to alter the human genetic code for generations. That’s causing some leading biologists and bioethicists to sound an alarm. They’re calling for a worldwide moratorium on any attempts […]
