Various

After Liberalism As a student of late medieval political thought, I was happy to see that my friend and former colleague Patrick Deneen recognizes the contributions of “preliberal” thought to the development of modern liberal constitutionalism (“Unsustainable Liberalism,” . . . . Continue Reading »

God will Judge After reading Daniel Philpott’s “Peace After Genocide” (June/July), I want to offer a few personal comments on The Hague Tribunal. As a Bosnian Muslim who survived the war and lost family and friends in the war, I find the whole system of justice (that is, The Hague) a farce. (A . . . . Continue Reading »

Perhaps Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, has set out to provide the story of Methodism’s political engagement in the twentieth century. His thesis (which only appears in the last paragraph) is that American Methodism in 1900 was growing, confident, unified, and . . . . Continue Reading »

Dynamic Transcendentals: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty from a Thomistic Perspective by Alice M. Ramos Catholic University of America, 259 pages, $64.95 In his 1960 Elements of Christian Philosophy, Etienne Gilson called beauty the “forgotten transcendental.” The appellation was again . . . . Continue Reading »

Christian Societies “In the long run Christians by culture could hardly exist without some communities of actual believers,” notes Andrea M. Maccarini in his review of Marcello Pera’s indispensable Why We Should Call Ourselves Christians: The Religious Roots of Free Societies . . . . Continue Reading »

Problematic Premises In response to John Haldane’s argumentum ad consummationem (“Against Erotic Entitlements,” April): Why shouldn’t it be made into a formally valid syllogism? 1. Determinants of human happiness should be consummated; 2. But sincere sexual attraction and love, . . . . Continue Reading »

Tradition and the Rule of Faith in the Early Church: Essays in Honor of Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J. edited by Ronnie J. Rombs and Alexander Y. Hwang Catholic University of America, 351 pages, $39.95 Fr. Joseph Lienhard made his name sorting out the theological positions in the Arian controversy, and . . . . Continue Reading »

Theology From The Bench Richard Garnett celebrates the clarity that the Supreme Court’s recent Hosanna-Tabor decision purportedly brought to religion-clause doctrine (“Things Not Caesar’s,” March). Far from clarifying the doctrine, however, the court has muddled it, and there is . . . . Continue Reading »

Aping Mankind: Neuromania, Darwinitis, and the Misrepresentation of Humanity by Raymond Tallis Acumen, 388 pages, $29.95 While acknowledging the progress neuroscience has made in helping us understand the brain, in his new book Aping Mankind Raymond Tallis directs his fire at neuroscience’s . . . . Continue Reading »

• We write this on Shrove Tuesday, with Ash Wednesday and Lent arriving tomorrow, and you will be reading this, those of you in liturgical churches, a few weeks into Lent. We hope you’re advancing in holiness. William F. Buckley is said to have answered someone who asked if he liked . . . . Continue Reading »