As a discrete age in history, the modern age defines itself by its inability to solve the most challenging and basic problems facing humans. The Reformation raised challenges to the Roman Catholic …
The Concept of the Natural Moral Law as a Legal Theory
It takes time for belief systems to be lived out and their inadequacy revealed for all to see. The intellectual energy released in the attempt to fuse Aristotle and Christianity characterized the …
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Existentialism and the Rejection of Creatureliness
Sartre and other existentialists assert that existence precedes essence—that we first exist, and only then determine who we are. To them, true freedom means creating our own identity without any other …
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Why did he do that? Free will, laws, and chaos
My friend has a new favorite movie: Snow White. He’s seen it seven times—once for each dwarf. Now he’s conflicted… should he go again? He finally decided: yes, he’ll see it an eighth time, this time …
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Is My Will Free?
This question isn’t primarily about what caused me to want what I want. That’s a question of self-examination—backward-facing, aimed at the soundness of our reasoning. Instead, when we ask “Am I …
What The Stranger Teaches Us
Our men’s group is reading Albert Camus’s The Stranger. In it, Meursault is condemned to die for murder. He receives the death penalty, but in truth, so have we all. He cannot appeal it. Neither can …