R. R. Reno

The International Journal of Obesity doesn’t sound like exciting nightime reading. But ever vigilant, the people over at ARTnews saw an interesting article. Analysis recently published in a study by Brain and Craig Wasnik shows the the problems of portion control aren’t new. They . . . . Continue Reading »

After writing about a weird swerve in a New York Times article that was determined to revive old canards about the Catholic Church vs. True Science and Reason, readers chimed in with helpful background about Galileo. As has been the case since I met him in 1984, David Yeago’s razor sharp mind . . . . Continue Reading »

For a long time as a young teacher, I believed the danger of prostituting their minds by believing falsehoods was the preeminent, or even singular, intellectual danger my students faced. So I challenged them and tried to teach them always to be self-critical, questioning, skeptical. What are your assumptions? How can you defend your position? Where’s your evidence? Why do you believe that? … Continue Reading »

Last week the New York Times carried one of those slow news, feel good, summertime stories . The recently renovated museum of the history of science in Florence was christened the Galileo Museum, honoring one of the most famous scientists of the early modern era. Simple story, it would seem. But . . . . Continue Reading »

Yesterday I posted some thoughts about Byron Williams, a wannabe Right Wing revolutionary, pointing out that a false rhetorical urgency in political discourse is likely to contribute to the unbalanced thoughts of people like Williams. I want to clarify the obvious. In no way should we pin the blame . . . . Continue Reading »

Earlier this week, Byron Williams headed out with his private arsenal. (See the San Francisco Chronicle article) Stopped by police for speeding, a gunbattle ensued. Now, as initial police reports reveal, “His intention was to start a revolution by traveling to San Francisco and killing . . . . Continue Reading »

Mercatornet recently posted an interview with Fr. Giovanni Cucci, S.J., who, along with Fr. Hans Zollner, S.J., is the author of ŒChiesa e pedofilia. Una ferita aperta. Un approccio psicologico-pastorale (The Church and Paedophilia. An Open Wound. A Pastoral-Psychological Approach) Milan, . . . . Continue Reading »

OK, surely this is a man bites dog story. A new study shows that if a close friend gets divorced, then you’re more likely to get divorced . Gee, who would have imagined that we’re influence by other people’s behavior. We’re, er, social animals? Long ago Aristotle recognized that . . . . Continue Reading »

Politics evoke passions, and cultural politics passionate passions. That shouldn’t surprise us. After all, unlike tax policy, questions about abortion, marriage, raising children, the role of religion in public life, and so forth touch on our deepest beliefs. Which makes this story of boorish . . . . Continue Reading »

Paul Hockenos has a fine article in The Chronicle of Higher Education detailing plans by the German government to establish institutes for the study of Islamic theology. In Germany, the universites have faculties of Protestant and Catholic theology responsible not only for academic study but also . . . . Continue Reading »