Winter 2013
ethics& culture
The Newsletter of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture
In this Issue
Justice Conference Football Tailgates Life Fund Update J.R.R. Tolkien Edith Stein Project
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Our Mission In Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Pope John Paul II summed up the Catholic university when he said its mission was to present the truth about God and man and nature. This charge is all the more imperative for an elite modern academy (and a modern world) in which some deny the very possibility of truth. At the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, we believe that the truth the church affirms about the human person is the foundation for freedom, justice, human dignity, and the common good. All our work is aimed at one goal: to share the richness of this Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research, and dialogue, at the highest level and across a range of disciplines. In so doing, we strengthen Notre Dame’s Catholic character on campus -- and we bring the university’s voice into the public debate over the most vital issues of our day. We do this in many ways, such as our annual fall conference on ethical, political, and cultural issues (featuring interdisciplinary debate and exchange among the world’s most prominent thinkers and policymakers), our spring conference on medical ethics (bringing together practicing physicians and scholars to discuss vexed questions arising in the clinical setting), our fellowship program (bringing both eminent and emerging scholars to the Notre Dame community), and our extensive programming for students (including our popular Catholic literature lecture series which this year explored the work of J.R.R. Tolkien). In all these endeavors, we raise the profile of Catholic scholars and writers who are doing important work but who might not be heard without our help. Whether it be through the Congressional testimony of one of our scholars, the published research of one of our fellows, the expert advice on a contemporary problem provided for the bishops (in the US and around the world), or our public witness for the preciousness of unborn human life, we engage the questions much of the American academy prefers to ignore -- and we do so by working with anyone of any views, so long as he or she is willing to come together in open and honest debate. As scholars, researchers, and fellows, we celebrate the beauty and wisdom of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition, and we understand our vocation as a charge to explore it with Notre Dame students, faculty and staff, alumni and friends, and colleagues in the academy both in the US and abroad. We consider our work a labor of love, because we know that the Gospel liberates rather than confines and that the Catholic tradition enriches rather than limits intellectual inquiry. In our unique way, we help Notre Dame to fulfill its mission as an indispensable, countercultural force within the community of elite universities and a voice for authentic human freedom and dignity in the great global public square.
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From the Director... Dear Friends of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture: This past year, we at the Center have been hard at work putting on the events and programs detailed in the following pages. Our aim, as always, is to share the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research, and exchange at the very highest level and across a variety of disciplines. All of the Center’s programs and initiatives are intended to offer Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, as well as colleagues in other academic institutions an opportunity to explore the many ways in which the Catholic tradition offers unique and distinctive resources for engaging the most pressing matters of ethics, culture, and public policy facing the world today. The work of the Center is animated by a passionate commitment to promoting the flourishing of Notre Dame’s Catholic character on campus, and to projecting Notre Dame’s voice into elite academia and the public square as a countercultural beacon for authentic human dignity and the common good. We think that our work in the past year has made progress toward this aim. We hope that you will agree. On another note, I wanted to make all of you aware of changes regarding the Fund to Protect Human Life. As you may know, I have been a member of the Steering Committee of the Fund since 2008, long before I assumed the Directorship of the CEC. The Fund was recently advised by the Development Office that, due to a university-wide policy regarding the structure and governance of accounts, they could no longer accept donations according to Fund’s original gift agreement. However, in order to ensure, preserve, and extend the vitality of the pro-life initiatives supported by the Fund, a dedicated Right to Life Fund has been created under the auspices of the Center for Ethics and Culture. Since the inception of the Fund to Protect Human Life, the Center has been its sole operational arm, and has planned, staffed, and publicized every initiative that it has underwritten. The Center will continue in this role as the current balance of the Fund to Protect Human Life’s resources is allocated, as provided by the original agreement, by the Fund’s Steering Committee. Going forward, the Center’s new Right to Life Fund will be the principal vehicle for pursuing our unwavering commitment to the dignity of unborn human life. We will, of course, continue and expand all of the already excellent pro-life programming sponsored by the Fund to Protect Human Life (e.g., Bread of Life dinners, the Vita Institute, University Faculty for Life, travel grants for the March for Life, etc.). Additionally, the Center is developing new initiatives, some of which are described in this newsletter, that are part of a robust and sustainable program of positive, enriching pro-life activity both on campus and in the public square. Warm regards, Carter Snead William P. and Hazel B. White Director
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Farewell to David Solomon We at the Center bid farewell to our founding William P. and Hazel B. White Director, David Solomon. We express our deepest gratitude for his vision, his hard work, and his dedication to the Center. He will be sorely missed at the Center, though we are very happy that he will continue to be a vital presence on campus as a professor in the philosophy department. We wish David and his family all the best, and we look forward to collaborating with him in the future. As we move forward without David at the helm, we look to build upon the foundations he has laid, and to remain focused on the mission he established, to promote the Catholic Intellectual and Moral Tradition within and beyond academia.
In This Issue...
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FallConference Pro-Life Activities Pro-life Update..............8 Evangelium Vitae Medal....12 The Radiance of Life........18 Bread of Life......................20
Center Events Integritas...........................10 Truman Discussion.........11 Templeton Lecture..........14 Elections and Economics.....19 Catholic Lit Series................... 22 Edith Stein Project.................. 24 Schmitt Lecture....................... 26
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Football Football Tailgates
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Medical Ethics Conference
Also Featured Farewell to '12 Fellows..... 27 Incoming Fellows............. 28 New Initiatives.................. 30 Upcoming Events............. 32
Tailgates
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Center Events - Fall Conference
Exploring Justice
This year’s Annual Fall Conference, entitled “The Crowning Glory of the Virtues: Exploring the Many Facets of Justice” was again a resounding success and encouraged dialogue on justice from a wide variety of disciplines, including literature, history, theology, politics, economics, law, and science. Over the course of two and a half days, students, professionals, and scholars reflected on Marcus Tullius Cicero’s assertion that justice is “the crowning glory of the virtues.” The conference opened Thursday evening with the Mass for Justice and Peace celebrated by Bishop Kevin Rhoades in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Later that evening, the Josef Pieper Keynote Lecture was delivered by Mark Filip, former Acting Attorney General of the United States, who gave a talk entitled “Reflections on the Quasi Judicial Role of the Prosecutor”, in which he addressed the substantial role
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prosecutors play in the just functioning of the criminal justice system. This year marked the first time in fall conference history that former director David Solomon presented a paper at the conference on Friday morning when he spoke on “John Rawls and the Cultural Role of Academic Moral Philosophy.” After lunch on Friday, Alasdair MacIntyre presented a paper entitled “Catholic Instead of What?” where he asserted that, as Catholics, we must necessarily understand that because each person is born within a certain environment and set of circumstances, we cannot escape questions about the obligations society has towards each individual, politically, economically, and with regards to education. Sean Kelsey responded to MacIntyre’s talk, using it as a starting point from which to address the fact that good philosophy should
Center Events - Fall Conference
unsettle us instead of put us at ease. He suggested that the modern university fails its students by not challenging them to develop opinions that are true, and not just sincerely held. During the Christie and Anthony de Nicola Family Colloquy on Friday evening, Michael Sandel, Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University and Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, both of whom served with , debated and discussed Sandel's new book, “The Moral Limits of Markets." In their discussion, they asserted that the market should not be left entirely to its own devices when determining what should properly be bought and sold. On Saturday, during lunch, John Tomasi from Brown University presented on his recent book “Free Market Fairness,” which discusses his ascription to a “bleeding heart libertarianism” that tries to maintain individual freedoms while not neglecting the obligation to establish ‘safety nets’ for people who fall
into hard times and that emphasizes the importance of equality in education. His lecture was followed by a spirited question and answer session in which audience members expressed broad support for many of his ideas. Fr. Bill Dailey, C.S.C., the Center's Thomas More Fellow celebrated Mass in the Basilica on Saturday evening, and after a wonderful closing banquet, the conference concluded with a lecture from John Finnis entitled “The Priority of Persons Revisited.” Throughout the weekend, there were over 60 speakers, plus many other scholars who participated as moderators. For the full schedule, please see the Fall Conference page of our website. Videos for sessions will be posted to our website as they become available. We hope to see many of you at next year’s conference, which will be held November 7-9, 2013!
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Pro-Life Activities - Vita Institute
Defending Life
The Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life has had another year of rich activities and events that have supported the culture of life here at Notre Dame. 2012 began with the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where around 300 students and 35 faculty and staff members from Notre Dame joined pro-lifers from around the United States to witness to the sanctity of human life on the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade. The Fund, once again, was able to provide the funding for half of the cost of the student buses as well as provide travel stipends to faculty and staff. We headed to D.C. again for the March for Life on January 25, 2013, which marked the 40th anniversary of Roe. The Fund once again funded half of the cost of the student buses that carried over 600 students to Washington, D.C. The ND Right to Life Club led this year's March. In February, the Fund sponsored a lecture by Ryan Bomberger, founder of the Radiance Foundation, in honor of Black History Month. Mr. Bomberger presented a powerful multimedia presentation entitled, “Life Issues in the Black Community: Planned Parenthood v. Purpose.” For more details about this event, please see page 18 of this newsletter. The Fund was pleased to once again support the Edith Stein Project, the largest student-run conference here at Notre Dame, for the seventh annual conference, Vulnerability: Courage, Hope and Trust in the 21st Century. Specifically, the Fund sponsored the talk, “The Biology of the Theology of the Body,” by Mrs. Vicki Thorn, Founder of Project Rachel and Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Also speaking at the conference was Elizabeth Kirk, JD and Fund Committee member, who presented a talk entitled, “An Exchange of Gifts: Embracing Vulnerability & Celebrating Adoption.” The Fund hosted its seventh Bread of Life dinner featuring an insightful reflection by Dean Peter Kilpatrick, Notre Dame College of Engineering. The Bread of Life dinner is an unique opportunity for students and faculty to gather for a delicious meal and engaging discussion about their thoughts and attitudes on beginning of life ethical issues. In addition to its support of student efforts, the Fund also sponsored two lunch time meetings for the Notre Dame University Faculty for Life. The first was held in March and featured presentations by Professors Gerard Bradley and Carter Snead, Notre Dame Law School, on the Health and Human Services “contraceptive mandate.” Both presentations were informative and sparked dialogue among the faculty
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and staff in attendance. The second was the UFL chapter annual meeting at which new officers were elected for the 2012-2013 academic year. Those officers are: Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C., President; Daniel Philpott, Associate Professor of Political Science, Vice –President; Lauren Fox, Assistant Director of Special Events, Secretary-Treasurer; Gerard Bradley, Professor of Law, Executive Board Member; and Daniel Costello, Professor Emeritus of Engineering. On April 25th, the Fund was honored to present the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Helen Alvaré, Associate Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law. The evening began with a Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and we were pleased to have Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend, as the principal celebrant. A reception and banquet were hosted in the Monogram Room of the Joyce Center where the medal was presented to Professor Alvaré, honoring her over twenty years of service for life, focused on protecting the rights of the unborn, women, and families, and most recently on the attacks on religious freedom. We look forward to presenting the 2013 Medal to Mother Agnes Mary Donovan and the Sisters of Life this Spring! In June, we welcomed our second class of the Notre Dame Vita Institute. A vibrant and engaging group of 23 participants from around the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Tanzania, came to campus for two weeks of lectures on beginning of life issues from the perspectives of biology, law, social science, theology, and philosophy. We were blessed again to have a group of dedicated faculty members who educated, inspired, and challenged the participants. In addition to the formal course work, we were delighted to be once again hosted by Hannah’s House, a local maternity home, and the Women’s Care Center, a resource center for women facing unexpected or crisis pregnancies. And thanks to the daily offering of Mass by Fr. Bill Miscamble, Fr. Terry Ehrmund, C.S.C., Fr. Bill Dailey, C.S.C., Fr. Kevin Flannery, S.J., and Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P., the participants, faculty, and staff were spiritually fed and fortified, as well. This year’s participants varied in age and background, but all shared a commitment to the sanctity of human life. Several of the participants are engaged in pro-life efforts at high schools, while others are working in organizations committed to working in different dimensions of the pro-life struggle such as Loving Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center, Family
Pro-Life Activities - Vita Institute Research Council, Students for Life of Illinois, World Youth Alliance, Maggie’s Place, Coalition for Life, Vifac, Pennsylvanians for Human Life, Life Runners, ProLife Action League, and Veritas. Each participant brought a deep passion for life and a commitment to learn and engage, making for a very special two weeks, and each of them expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to meet and learn The 2013 Vita Institute will be held June 9-21! For an update on the Fund's status, please see the note from the Director on page 4. To learn more about our pro-life activities, visit the Center website: ethicscenter.nd.edu!
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Center Events - Integritas
Integritas
The Integritas program continued the thrive in the Spring of 2012, with five seminars and several experiential activities, including a retreat to the Trappist Monastery of Gethsemani, Kentucky. After our welcome back Mass and dinner in January, we plunged in with a series of two seminars in February. The first, “War, Peace, and Conscience,” led by Political Science Prof. Daniel Philpott, discussed Just War Theory and Pacifism as two legitimate Christian responses to international conflict. The following week, we explored conflict on a local level, with our “Restorative Justice” seminar led by Prof. Susan Sharpe of Notre Dame Law School. We discussed restorative justice strategies for dealing with crime and learned about the culture of incarceration in the American criminal justice system. Later in the month, the students attended a public discussion the Center hosted on “The Most Controversial Decision: Harry Truman and the Bomb,” between Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C., Prof. David Solomon, and Prof. Michael Baxter. Before spring break, Prof. Brad Gregory of the History Department led a seminar on “Virtue and the Good Life,” reading part of Book I of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, Wendell Berry’s essay “Feminism, the Body, and the Machine,” and his poem “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.” When the students returned from Spring Break, we held another seminar to prepare for our Easter retreat to the Trappist Monastery of Gethsemani, Kentucky where Thomas Merton was a monk. Prof. David Fagerberg of the Theology Department led the discussion of “Paths to Holiness” with writings on
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Christian asceticism by the Desert Fathers, along with readings from Thomas Merton and G.K. Chesterton’s biographies of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas. All of the students who were able to go on the retreat to Gethsemani unanimously considered it the best part of the year. In fact, they loved praying the Liturgy of the Hours with the monks so much that when our bus returned to campus on Sunday night, they all headed straight to the Basilica for the evening Vespers service! We returned to the Catholic Worker after having made several dinners for the St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker House in the Fall. This time we were at Our Lady of the Road Drop In Center, doing some spring cleaning as part of the university-wide CommUniversity Day of service in South Bend. We prepared the garden beds for spring planting, moved mounds of soil, aerated the compost heap, sorted donations, and scrubbed the showers with toothbrushes. Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C., helped us conclude the year by leading a seminar on “Vocation” and also celebrating the closing Mass for us. We celebrated with a dinner and said our good-byes. Though Integritas is in abeyance for the 2012-2013 school year, we at the Center look forward to reintroducing the program in the fall of 2013.
Integritas encourages students to incorporate service, faith, and the intellectual life into a coherent whole.
Center Events - The Most Controversial Decision
Truman & the Bomb On February 16, 2012, three scholars with deep ties to the Center for Ethics and Culture squared off in a debate on the morality of President Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs against Japan at the close of World War II. The debate featured Rev. Wilson Miscamble, C.S.C., Notre Dame history professor, David Solomon, Notre Dame philosophy professor and former director of the Center, and Michael Baxter, former Notre Dame theology professor. Students, faculty, staff and community members packed the Hesburgh Center Auditorium, spreading to the floor, aisles, and hallways after the seats were filled. The debate was occasioned by Miscamble’s 2012 book, The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs, and the Defeat of Japan. In the debate, Miscamble argued that Truman’s decision to drop the bombs was the least abhorrent option in the effort to bring the war to a quick end. Solomon and Baxter contested Miscamble’s moral analysis from the perspectives of philosophy and theology, respectively. Miscamble provided an overview of the gripping historical narrative laid out in his book of the circumstances leading up to the dropping of the atomic bombs. Miscamble claimed that philosophers and theologians could be abstract and limited in their understanding of the war against Japan and of the viable courses of action available to Truman. A good historical understanding aids the task of moral analysis, Miscamble said. Miscamble portrayed Truman as inhabiting the world of a policymaker faced with inevitable compromises and competing pressures in a complex, uncertain, and messy situation. Truman’s decision emerged in the context of the tremendous casualties of the battles of Okinawa and Iwa Jima and the determination of the Japanese government to wage a brutal campaign to defend its homeland. Miscamble argued that all viable alternative scenarios would have led to continued obliteration bombing, a blockade, an invasion, much higher Allied casualties and much higher Japanese military and civilian casualties. In
Miscamble’s view, dropping the atomic bombs was the least evil decision. Solomon took the podium next, arguing that the issues surrounding the dropping of the atomic bombs were moral, not simply historical. Solomon claimed that Truman’s decision violated a key pillar of our moral consensus, that it is always and everywhere wrong to directly kill the innocent. Allowance for just killing has been made in our tradition, Solomon said, but only when appropriately indirect or when the subjects have in some way surrendered their innocence. Miscamble’s argument for the “lesser of two evils” is broadly utilitarian, Solomon argued, and it is deeply incoherent to hold utilitarian arguments unacceptable for ordinary moral reasoning, but to turn to it when the going gets tough. Solomon concluded by referring to philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe, who made the distinction often overlooked in modern ethics between what is intended in action and what is merely foreseen. In light of this, Solomon claimed we are not responsible for the consequences of refraining from doing an intrinsically evil action. Last to take the podium, Baxter described Truman as a tragic hero, struggling mightily for a goal that turns out to be unattainable. The tragedy involved a devastating war and an implacable foe, Baxter argued. Truman found himself in a position where he could not both save his soul and serve the state. This, Baxter argued, is the ultimate tragedy. Baxter characterized Miscamble’s moral reasoning as consequentialist, and his theology representative of Christian realism. Drawing on Elizabeth Anscombe and Pope John Paul II, Baxter argued that the intentional taking of innocent life is wrong and contrary to the natural law. A spirited question-and-answer session followed the presentations of the three panelists. The audience continued to discuss the issues for hours during a reception, and all left with the desire to see more such events on Notre Dame’s campus.
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Pro-Life Activities - Evangelium Vitae
Helen Alvaré
Evangelium Vitae Medal
On April 25th, 2012, the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life hosted a banquet at the University of Notre Dame where it presented the second Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Helen Alvaré, associate professor of law at George Mason University. Alvaré earned her law degree from Cornell University in 1984 and a master’s degree in systematic theology from The Catholic University of America in 1989. She practiced law with the Philadelphia law firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, specializing in commercial litigation and free exercise of religion matters. Before joining George Mason’s law school faculty, she taught at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law. In 1987, Alvaré joined the Office of General Counsel for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), drafting amicus briefs in leading U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning abortion, euthanasia and the First Amendment’s establishment clause. For the next ten years, she worked with the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the USCCB, lobbying, testifying before federal congressional committees, lecturing nationwide, and speaking on numerous television and radio programs for the U.S. Catholic bishops. She also
Helen Alvare reflected upon her many years in the pro-life movement.
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assisted the Holy See on matters concerning women, marriage and the family, and respect for human life. The evening began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Following the Mass, invited guests gathered at the Monogram Room in the Joyce Center for a reception and a banquet. Bishop Rhoades began the banquet with a prayer, and David Solomon, Chairman of the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life Committee, presented Professor Alvaré with the medal. Professor Alvaré gave a humorous and inspiring testimony regarding her many years in the pro-life movement. The evening concluded with a closing blessing offered by Fr. Wilson Miscamble, C.S.C, Fund Committee member and president of the Notre Dame Chapter of the University Faculty for Life. The Fund has established the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to honor individuals whose outstanding efforts have served to proclaim the Gospel of Life by steadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from its earliest stages. Announced annually on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday of October, the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal consists of a specially commissioned medal and $10,000 prize, which is presented at a spring banquet. The 2013 Medal will be awarded to Mother Agnes Mary Donovan and the sisters of Life
Pro-Life Activities - Evangelium Vitae
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Center Events - Templeton Lecture
Aquinas
We were fortunate to have Templeton award winner Rev. Nicholas Lombardo, O.P., join us on the Notre Dame campus on March 6, 2012 to deliver a lecture entitled “Virtue and Emotion in St. Thomas Aquinas.” After studying philosophy at Brown University and theology at the Dominican House of Studies, Rev. Lombardo went to Cambridge, where he received his Ph.D. in 2010. He is currently Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at the Catholic University of America. At least 60 people packed into the classroom in DeBartolo Hall to hear the lecture, with others spilling out into the hallway. It was quite a turnout to hear about a subject that Rev. Lombardo described as “neglected” by many modern philosophers and theologians. He was, however, optimistic about future studies of St. Thomas on emotion since recent scholarship in a variety of fields (not only philosophy and theology, but also psychology and sociology) indicates a willingness to seek understanding on this topic from the Angelic Doctor. Rev. Lombardo began the lecture by describing St. Thomas’ position on emotion as a middle ground between the classic Stoic and Epicurean extremes. Aquinas rejected the Stoic notion that emotions were entirely negative and contrary to virtue, and therefore should be suppressed. But he was also wary of the obviously problematic (that is, for Christians) Epicurean view in which one’s emotions are given unbridled rein over the soul. Rather, he believed that God commands us, and sets us on course toward Him, through the desires that He has given us. Rather than seeing the passions as entirely hindering the development and exercise of virtue, St. Thomas believed that they could be an aid. For Aquinas, the virtues do not just tame or destroy the passions. Instead, they produce passions that are well-ordered toward our ultimate end (God). Rev. Lombardo then discussed Aquinas’ sources for his understanding of the passions and virtues. Aside from his work building upon Aristotle’s understanding of the soul and passions, he also looks to the figure of Christ in the gospels as a paradigm of
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on Virtue and Emotion
human virtue, emotion, and action. It could be said that he uses Christ as the test of his theory of the moral goodness and badness of the passions. This can be seen in his treatment of anger, as well as an example of the difference in our modern understanding and his. Whereas we describe anger as “losing one’s temper” and attach a certain amount of moral badness to it absolutely, Aquinas describes anger as a movement of a certain passion in reaction to actual or perceived injustice done to a person. If no actual injustice has been done, then it is bad for a person to feel angry. But if there has been an actual injustice, then they should be angry, so long as they use their reason and will to express their anger in a manner proportionate to the injustice committed. This understanding is vindicated by Christ’s righteous anger toward the moneychangers in the Temple.
Center Events - Medical Ethics Conference
The Cost of Conscience
From March 2nd to March 4th, 2012, nearly one hundred doctors, nurses, medical students, medical ethicists, and undergraduates came together for our 27th annual Notre Dame Medical Ethics conference. The Notre Dame Alumni Association joined the Center in sponsoring the conference, which took place on campus at the Notre Dame Conference Center in McKenna Hall. The conference is designed to serve current and future medical professionals, providing them with an opportunity to join others and reflect on ethical questions and issues that arise in medicine. Among medical ethics conferences, our conference is distinctive in placing emphasis on small-group discussions of physician-submitted cases and in encouraging theologically-informed conversation. In the first session of our conference, “Problematic Providers,” we explored situations in which medical mistakes were made and discussed how to address them. We were delighted to welcome Notre Dame Law Professor and Center Director O. Carter Snead, to deliver the Clarke Family Lecture. Professor Snead’s principal area of research is Public Bioethics – the governance of science, medicine, and biotechnology in the name of ethical goods. In “The Cost of Conscience,” Professor Snead explored issues surrounding the recent debate regarding conscience protections for medical practitioners. On Saturday, we met in small groups to discuss the end of life and how this affects a physician’s conscience. We also focused on the troubling case of a nurse who was forced to participate in an abortion against her conscience. Our final Saturday session
posed a tough decision for participants as they had to choose from three breakout panel discussions. Some participants learned about making medical decisions with family consultation. Others joined in a discussion of distressing issues in medicine and social justice, including high-risk services in low-resource settings, infant mortality rates, and drug shortages. Finally, some of us worked through challenging issues involved in neo-natal care. We wrapped up our conference with a discussion of the future of bioethics, which focused, in part, on the future of our medical ethics conference and the direction that participants would like to see it take. There was strong support for the continuation of the conference and many kind words and gracious offers of assistance were given by the participants. We’re looking forward to our 28th conference from March 8-10, 2013.To register, visit conferences. nd.edu Please contact us at ndethics@nd.edu if you have any questions and check out ethicscenter.nd.edu for the latest news on the upcoming conference or just to browse our Medical Ethics Conference Archives.
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Football The Center was happy to host students, alumni, friends, faculty, and staff for three tailgates during the 2012 football season, for the Purdue, Michigan, and Stanford games. Friends came out and enjoyed some burgers, brats, and beverages as we prepared to cheer the Irish on to victory. For the 2013 football season, we will be hosting tailgates for the Michigan State (Sept. 21), Oklahoma (September 28), and USC (Oct. 19) games. If you make it to ND for one of these games, stop by and enjoy the best tailgate food on campus! Look for our banner and the American flag flying with the Vatican flag. We hope to see you next year! Go Irish!
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Pro-Life Activities- Bomberger Lecture
The Radiance of Life
In honor of Black History month, the Fund to Protect Human Life hosted a talk by African-American pro-life advocate, Ryan Bomberger, who founded the Radiance Foundation to promote awareness of the value of human life and offer resources for pregnant women. Bomberger was conceived by rape, and his mother courageously carried him to term. He was adopted into a loving multiracial family of 15; ten of the thirteen children were adopted, all from varying ethnic and racial backgrounds. It is from his experiences with his family that Bomberger learned the importance of every human life. He stated that there is no such thing as an “unwanted child,” pointing to his mother and his adopted family, who recognized the worth of his life. Bomberger’s personal experience propelled him into the abortion debate, where his approach has gotten plenty of attention. Using his background in marketing, Bomberger’s Radiance foundation released a series of edgy videos and billboards to unveil uncomfortable truths about the abortion industry. One of the main goals of the Radiance Foundation is to raise awareness about the impact of abortion on the black community. Based on numbers from the Center for Disease Control and the Guttmacher Institute, African-Americans are the demographic that is most impacted by abortion. Indeed, AfricanAmericans are up to 5.8 times more likely to be aborted than whites. In fact, abortion is the leading cause of death among blacks.
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The presentation chronicled the racist history of the abortion industry, focusing on the work Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood and creator of “The Negro Project,” which aimed to eliminate the “poor, black, and undesirable.” Bomberger claimed that Planned Parenthood only abandoned these explicitly racist goals when it was politically expedient. Bomberger’s daring campaign and website To o M a n y A b o r t e d . c o m chronicles the harsh reality of the prevalence of abortion in the African-American community. His efforts include controversial billboards featuring African-American infants and the slogan “Endangered” or “Black and Beautiful” that drew protests from the American Civil Liberties Union and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Though Bomberger frankly admits that he does not shy away from controversy, he insists that he only intends to speak the truth and call attention to a little-discussed issue that is impacting and destroying so many lives. Abortion, according to Bomberger, “deprives us of the chance to rise above the insurmountable odds.” The talk, which took place in the Geddes Hall Auditorium, inspired candid and respectful discussion of these sensitive topics.
“Abortion deprives us of the chance to rise above insurmountable odds.”
Center Events - Panel Discussion
Elections and Economics
In October 2012, the Center hosted a panel featuring four prominent economics professors discussing the biggest challenges facing the economy and offering their expertise on the best ways to approach these challenges. The event was moderated by 2012-2013 Remick Fellow Margaret Brinig. Tim Fuerst, O’Neill Professor of Economics and Senior Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, stressed the role of the financial markets in the economic recession and the strong monetary policy implemented to try to combat these problems. He pointed out that this recovery has been much slower than those of past business cycles. In order to try to ease the effects of the recession, the Federal Reserve has instituted quantitative easing. Fuerst fears that the inevitable increasing of the interest rate will make the interest expense on the national debt enormous. Michael Pries, Associate Professor of Economics, explained that while the unemployment rate has improved, it is still nowhere near the rate prior to the crisis, and over 8 million people have left the labor force altogether. Pries suggested that this phenomenon may result from an insufficient demand for labor arising from decreased spending or increased economic uncertainty causing firms to act cautiously when hiring. Eric Sims, the Grace Assistant Professor and Faculty Research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, assessed fiscal policy which addresses the appropriate size of the role of the government in the private economy. Sims emphasized that there are “no free lunches,” the expectations of the long-run should matter in the short-run, and growing
debt becomes problematic and hinders recovery. To curtail the debt, in light of these assumptions, requires cutting entitlement programs, as well as eliminating loopholes in the tax code which would raise tax revenue without hindering productivity. These measures will not be popular, Sims predicted. Nelson Mark, DeCrane professor of International economics, focused on the economic situation in China and Europe. China has become increasingly important to U.S. business and though it has seen tremendous growth. According to Mark, “China’s headed for a hard landing” due to several internal issues including a real estate bubble and its vulnerability to Europe. Europe has experienced a huge banking, sovereign debt, and growth crisis. Mark noted its two clear choices: either to declare bankruptcy and restructure its economy or buy time. This process, much like the solutions required in the US, will be painful and unpopular. The panelists agreed that more focus should be given to long-term solutions. Sims stressed that it is “important to take some medicine now rather than ending up in an emergency room.” He quoted Pope Benedict XVI, saying, “Because we are living at the expense of future generations. In this respect it is plain that we are living in untruth.” In order to solve many of the current economic issues, we must think about future generations in developing economic policy.
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Pro-Life Activities - Bread of Life
Life, Death, and Suffering This spring marked the seventh edition of the semi-annual event, and Peter Kilpatrick, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, reflected on the connections between suffering and the life-giving element of the Eucharist. Kilpatrick’s speech centered on Christ’s words from the bread of life discourse in the Gospel of John: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.” He spoke about the Bread of Life as the Body of Christ and discussed the body of Jesus as the source of life. “Every week that the priest raises up the Eucharist, he is raising up Jesus on the cross… Jesus’ suffering, passion, and death on the cross is crucial to the life giving element of the bread of life,” Kilpatrick said. He noted that suffering, failure, and hardship are life-giving, because the Christian can shoulder his own cross and grows closer to Christ when he endures suffering patiently. “The most important life lessons I have learned were when I failed, suffered, or had to endure a hardship,” Kilpatrick admitted. He also shared the story of a close friend who died of cancer, noting that her final days battling the disease were actually the happiest days of her life, as her suffering reunited her estranged family and gave her strength to face her death. At one point, he even suggested that the cancer was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. Kilpatrick finished his talk by returning to the evening’s theme: “When God gives you trials, accept them with joy.”
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Bread of Life provides an intimate setting for students and professors to discuss life issues.
Pro-Life Activities - Bread of Life
Life Issues in the Public Square Fall 2012 marked the eighth edition of the biannual event, and Dr. Patrick Deneen reflected on life issues in the public square. Professor Deneen opened by reminding participants that Christians are called to judge. Most importantly, we are to judge ourselves before we judge others. By examining how we are failing to live up to God’s calling, we are better able to foster a culture of life around us. Professor Deneen quoted Matthew 7:3 saying, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” He suggested that we will not be able to fully eliminate the culture of death without recognizing the role that we play in this culture. Professor Deneen went on to say that we place too much emphasis on the legal and political aspects of abortion. He noted that while these are important, it is even more important to build a culture of life around us. Even if abortion became illegal, women would still seek abortions without a thriving culture of life. He also pointed out that even if Roe v Wade were to be overturned, many states would still keep abortions legal. If we ever truly want to bring an end to abortion, he argued, we must focus on building a culture of life through our own actions and interactions with others. In a true culture of life, people would believe that abortion was wrong, regardless of whether or not it was legal. Professor Deneen called participants to reflect on the ways in which we are promoting a culture of life. He spoke to the students, asking how they were contributing to their hometowns that shaped and molded them. He also asked everyone to reflect on how they honor their parents and whether or not, in their old age, if they were going to take them in and care for them. Professor Deneen acknowledged that is difficult to know where to start in building a culture of life. But through self-examination, all of us can find a way to do so on the individual level. Professor Deneen ended with a challenge to everyone to continue building this culture of life, especially through prayer. He recommended that all read John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Copies were provided at every table for the participants of the dinner to take home with them.
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Center Events - Catholic Literature Series
J.R.R. Tolkien
Every fall since 2002, the Center has sponsored the Catholic Literature Series, which features four lectures focused on prominent figures in the Catholic literary tradition. The series sprang from the Center’s desire to expose the Notre Dame community to the richness of the Catholic literary heritage. This year the Center chose to revisit J.R.R. Tolkien, an author who has already been featured, but whose incredible talent and influence merit a second look. Though most undergraduates are surely at least somewhat familiar with Tolkien’s work, relatively few of them may be aware of the deep influence his Catholic faith had in shaping that work. The series began with a lecture by David Fagerberg, Professor of Liturgy at Notre Dame, who contextualized Tolkien’s work within the general theme of romantic theology and the literary group, the Inklings. Romantic theology is the idea that “another person can become a grace of reality,” Fagerberg said, citing Dante and Beatrice from the Divine Comedy. These themes can clearly be seen in Tolkien’s writings through Sam and Rosie in Lord of the Rings. They embody the romantic notion of grace mediated
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through another person; Rosie enables Sam to return home even after all he has been through. Fagerberg concluded the lecture by focusing on Tolkien’s work as an enrichment of creation, both of his own world, and the service his works have done to ours. David O’Connor, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame, followed this lecture by comparing the Lord of the Rings to Homer’s Odyssey. He told the audience that one must become a good pagan intellectual before one can become a good Catholic, and therefore spent much of his lecture on the Greek concept of homecoming found in Plato and Homer. The Odyssey revolves around Odysseus and his quest to get home, but he must overcome the temptations to remain in the dead worlds, mainly the caves of Calypso and Cyclops. They both tempt him in different ways to forget where he comes from and where he is going. This is dangerous, O’Connor said, “because human life is primarily knowing where your home is.” Tolkien also has movements from a dead world to new life, though Frodo is never able to fully return to the Shire, leading O’Connor to claim that perhaps Sam is a truer hero. Mary Keys, Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame, gave the third lecture on Tolkien’s literary politics. Tolkien was an expert in philology, the study of languages, and his worldview is steeped in ethical and
“Human life is primarily knowing where your home is.”
Center Events - Catholic Literature Series political philosophies, especially Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Keys focused on two main ideas that frame the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The classical political philosophy found in the Republic emphasizes the priority of friendship to justice. Christian thinkers, such as Augustine, deepen this understanding by adding that one cannot have justice or friendship without humility, and that pride will lead to a downfall. She briefly recounted the story of The Hobbit, pointing out Bilbo’s function as a humble hero and adventurer, and his pity on Gollum as the Christian idea of mercy’s relationship to justice. The series closed on a high note with a lecture by Ralph Wood, Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University. He addressed the question, “Is the Lord of the Rings an Explicitly Catholic Work?” and answered that it was not. In writing this epic story, Tolkien did not make Christianity instrumental in order to write a direct allegory. Instead, he focused on core Christian themes in order to keep “what is essential to man from being destroyed.” He wished to direct his story to all people of good will, and not limit his audience. There is certainly implicit Catholicism in the Lord of the Rings, and Wood referenced several examples, especially relating to the sacraments. Finally, Wood cited the cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and charity as answers that Tolkien gives to combat the “Sauronic evils of our time.”
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Pro-Life Activities - Edith Stein Project
Encountering Vulnerability:
The 2012 Edith Stein Project took place February 10-11 at McKenna Hall and was another resounding success. The theme for this year’s conference was “Encountering Vulnerability: Courage, Hope, and Trust in the 21st Century.” The conference organizers wished to address the role of vulnerability as part of the human identity and in relationships. They were inspired by C.S. Lewis who said “to love at all is to be vulnerable” and John Paul II who said, “No amount of economic, scientific, or social progress can eradicate our vulnerability to sin and to death.” The conference provided a unique opportunity to discuss vulnerability in a setting that incorporated both personal stories and academic discourse. Former Center for Ethics and Culture Myser Fellow Sarah Borden-Sharkey opened the conference on Friday afternoon with a stimulating keynote entitled “Human Strength and Weakness: Edith Stein’s Life at the ‘Hand of the Lord.’” Her talk focused on the twofold vulnerability of Edith Stein-- not only was she a woman of Jewish descent in Nazi Germany, but she was also an academic trying to make her way in the world
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of the university at a time when most universities did not yet accept women for professorships. Through all her struggles, Stein understood that it is uniquely characteristic of humans that their suffering can bear meaning. Also, even though she never intentionally sought out suffering, she realized that some people are particularly called to suffer with Christ as a vocation. Thus she united her suffering to Christ and it helped her to even more profoundly "live at the hand of the Lord." The Center sponsored Erika Bachiochi, the editor of Women, Sex, and the Church, who spoke Saturday afternoon. Her talk was entitled "Women, Sexual Asymmetry and Catholic Teaching: How the Church Beats Secular Feminists at their Own Game." She shared the many ways the Catholic Church is more sympathetic to the feminist cause than secular society can ever be. Of all the talks of the conference, this one sparked some of the most exciting discussion afterwards as students debated her arguments and conclusions regarding feminism and the Church. The Fund to Protect Human Life sponsored Vicki
Pro-Life Activities - Edith Stein Project
Thorn, the founder of Project Rachel, who came to speak about “The Biology of Theology of the Body”. Among other things, she discussed the hormonal implications of using the Pill and how it changes the way men and women interact on a hormonal level. She talked about how little research has been done into the biology of hormones and sex, issuing a challenge to the biology students in the room to take up the study. Dr. David Solomon had the opportunity to introduce Dr. David O’Connor, who gave an intriguing talk entitled “Socrates in Gethsemane: Philosophy and the Vulnerable Man.” Other speakers included Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C., on “Love Conquers Fear--Or Does it Really? Fear, Vulnerability and the Christian Life”, Gary Anderson on “Marriage and the Book of Ruth” and Dr. John Van Epp on “How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk.” Students responded positively to these presentations, and were pleased at the opportunity to discuss these important ideas. This year's conference received considerable attention from the national media. Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor-at-large of the National Review Online
conference presenter, wrote about the Edith Stein Project on NRO’s website the week following the conference. Fr. Bill Dailey, C.S.C., Thomas More Fellow at the Center, discussed the Edith Stein Project on MSNBC’s morning show “Up with Chris Hayes” amidst discussion about the contraception mandate. We were glad to once again support the Edith Stein Project, and we would like to congratulate all the students who contributed to the conference’s success, including the three co-chairs, Sandra Laguerta, Rebecca Roden, and one of our undergraduate assistants, Margaret Kennedy. This year's conference, taking place February 8-9 in McKenna Hall, will focus on the idea of beauty in modern society. For more information videos from the conference and more information, please visit www. nd.edu/~idnd.
“No amount of economic, scientific, or social progress can eradicate our vulnerability to sin and death.”
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Center Events - Schmitt Lecture
Regulating Research Rightly On Tuesday December 4th, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members gathered in McKenna Hall to listen to Carl Schneider, ChaunceyStillman Professor of Law and Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan give the Fall 2012 Schmitt Lecture, entitled “Regulating Research Rightly: When Philosophers Become Kings.” In his presentation, Professor Schneider criticized the way in which research concerning human subjects is evaluated and regulated by research universities and hospitals, stating that the US government “regulates research more restrictively, more harshly, and with more exercise of unconstrained government power than I think any other agency in the United States uses to regulate anything else.” Schneider began by explaining that, according to federal law, all human-subject research must be conducted with the approval of an Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRBs have complete power to allow or forbid research from being done, to mandate that research be done in a particular way, and to place any restrictions they wish upon research. The IRBs operate with no supervision and without any limits on their authority, a degree of discretion that no other agency of its kind would be allowed in the U.S. Schneider also pointed out that researchers have no recourse to appeal IRB decisions, the committee members do not have to be identified publicly, and there are usually few if any requirements to serve on these committees. Schneider went on the claim that, because of the way the government defines human-subject research, there is no distinction between forms of research that could harm individuals, such as experimental medical treatments, and forms of research that have no chance of harming subjects, such as political opinion surveys. Any research involving human subjects must go through an IRB. Thus, if a researcher wishes to conduct a survey asking people whether they favor a particular political candidate must first gain approval from an IRB, while a journalist who wishes to ask the same question to the same group of people may do so with no such condition. Schneider suggested that IRBs are outdated and inefficient, using several anecdotes to illustrate his point. Instead of the current system, he proposed that these committees be disbanded so that research could
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be regulated by torts. He pointed out that any researcher in the U.S. who took mistreated human subjects would be subject to lawsuits, loss of tenure, loss of respect in his field, and, in some cases, criminal charges. These, Schneider proposed, would surely serve as a deterrent against unethical research practices. Schneider’s presentation proved quite provocative, as the question and answer portion of the presentation featured many questions about past abuse of human subjects, particularly the atrocities carried out against human subjects by Nazi researchers. The lecture also engaged the Schmitt Fellows, graduate students in science and engineering. Several of the Schmitt Fellows stayed long after the lecture to discuss the presentation further. The Schmitt Lecture is made possible by the generosity of the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation. Professor Schneider’s presentation can be viewed on the Center’s website: ethicscenter.nd.edu.
Center Fellows
Farewell 2011-2012 Fellows V. Bradley Lewis Remick Fellow 2011-2012 Catholic University of America This year could not have been better, and I want to thank the Remicks for their generosity in funding the Fellowship that has supported me and my family at Notre Dame. It’s hard to imagine a more pleasant environment than the Center and harder still to imagine more helpful or hospitable colleagues: Angela Engelsen, Greer Hannan, Stephen Freddoso, and Tracy Westlake have all been wonderful hosts and good company. There really is no adequate description for David Solomon’s generosity and I honestly cannot formulate adequately how grateful I am to him; in this I know I am not alone. I have spent the year doing research and writing for what will eventually be a book on the common good. There has been a good bit of popular and academic discussion of the common good in the last couple of decades, but also much disagreement. My research has been focused on three issues: (a) the historical development of the notion of the common good in the greatest thinkers who have treated it, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, and Aquinas; (b) how best to characterize the common good as a regulative idea for political thought as a philosophical question; and (c) how the common good is related to specifically modern political institutions and practices. This year has allowed me to concentrate exclusively on primary research that I simply would not have been able to do otherwise. It has also allowed me to discuss my research with a number of very fine scholars at Notre Dame.
Randall Smith Myser Fellow 2011-2012 University of St. Thomas I am extraordinarily grateful to the Myser family for their generosity to the Center for Ethics and Culture and to me, which afforded me the opportunity to spend a year writing, reading, and researching. Throughout the year, I was very aware of the honor the Center had done me by entrusting me with this invaluable fellowship, and I have tried at all times to be worthy of that trust and that opportunity. During this fellowship year, I finished work on a book tentatively entitled Divine Order, Human Justice: Themis and Dikē in the Iliad and the Odyssey, a book-long study of these two key concepts in the work of Homer and its contribution to our understanding of contemporary moral philosophy. I was also able to complete a great deal of work on the first volume in a planned multivolume set of readers of classic texts, with commentary, in the natural law tradition from Homer to John Paul II. Volume 1 is entitled The Roots of the Natural Law Tradition: From Homer to Cicero. My year at the Center allowed me to finish more than half the work on this particular volume. In addition to work on these two books, I was also able to complete work on a monograph journal article: “How to Read a Sermon by Thomas Aquinas,” which is now through the stage of page-proofs and will appear in the journal Nova et Vetera this October 2012. Again, many thanks to everyone at the Center for Ethics and Culture and to the Myser family for their abundant generosity and support. May all of you continue to enjoy God’s many blessings.
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Center Fellows
New Fellows This year’s Mary Ann Remick Senior Visiting Fellow is Margaret Brinig, Fritz Duda Family Chair in Law at the Notre Dame Law School. Prof. Brinig is best known for her expertise in family law. She sits on the executive council of the International Society of Family Law and recently published Family, Law, and Community: Supporting the Covenant, which offers a distinctive study of legal reform from the perspective of family dynamics and social policy. The book examines a range of subjects of current legal interest including cohabitation, custody, grandparent visitation, and domestic violence. She concludes that conventional legal systems and the social programs they engender ignore social capital: the trust and support given to families by a community. Prof. Brinig also collaborated with Notre Dame Law Prof. Dan Kelly, on a new Law, Economics, and Business seminar. The seminar features speakers from within Notre Dame’s law school, economics department, business school, and other departments, as well as speakers from other law schools and universities. Law students and graduate students from other departments have the opportunity to read, discuss, and comment upon seminal scholarship by leading academics while earning course credit for participating in the seminar. Prof. Brinig is a Fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives at Notre Dame, and works closely with the Institute’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Program. She continues to conduct groundbreaking research with law school colleague Prof. Nicole Garnett on the negative impact of Catholic K-12 school closures on poor neighborhoods.
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John Finnis is the Center’s new Senior Distinguished Research Fellow. Professor Finnis is the Biolchini Family Professor of Law at the Notre Dame Law School and Emeritus Professor of Law and Legal Philosophy at Oxford. Known for his work in moral, political and legal theory, as well as constitutional law, John joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in 1995. He earned his LL.B. from Adelaide University (Australia) in 1961 and his doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 1965. Currently, Notre Dame shares Professor Finnis with Oxford University, where he has held the positions of lecturer, reader and a chaired professor in law for almost four decades. In addition, he has served as associate in law at the University of California at Berkeley (1965-66), as professor of law at the University of Malawi (Africa) (1976-78), and as the Huber Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Boston College Law School (1993-94). He is admitted to the English Bar (Gray’s Inn). Professor Finnis teaches courses in Jurisprudence, in the Social, Political and Legal Theory of Thomas Aquinas and in the Social, Political and Legal Theory of Shakespeare. His service has included the Linacre Centre for Health Care Ethics (governor since 1981), the Catholic Bishops’ Joint Committee on Bioethical Issues (1981-88), the International Theological Commission (1986-92), the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (1990-95), and the Pontifical Academy Pro Vita (2001-present). He has published widely in law, legal theory, moral and political philosophy, moral theology, and the history of the late Elizabethan era.
Center Fellows
New Fellows This year’s Myser Fellow is Ryan Madison. His work focuses on ancient philosophy, metaphysics, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Professor Madison comes to the Center from the College of St. Thomas More in Fort Worth. Prior to that, Professor Madison taught Philosophy for four years at the Cardinal Glennon College at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was hired by the Archbishop of St. Louis (following a national search) to implement a new four-year Philosophy curriculum. Professor Madison is well known for his excellence in teaching. He earned his B.A. from St. John’s College and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University. Professor Madison will spend his year at the Center completing a book on Aristotle and the relationship between metaphysics and theology. The Myser Fellowship is made possible through the generosity of the Myser Foundation.
The Center’s new Thomas More Fellow is Rev. William R. Dailey, CSC. Fr. Dailey is a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross and serves at Notre Dame Law School as a Lecturer in Law. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, where his thesis on Charles Sanders Pierce was honored as the Most Outstanding Senior Honors Thesis. After teaching Philosophy and working in Administration at the University of Portland, Fr. Dailey attended Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He served as a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then practiced law in Washington, D.C. with Wiley Rein LLP. In 2009, he returned to Columbia Law School as a Visiting Scholar. Fr. Dailey’s teaching and scholarly interests are in the areas of professional responsibility, jurisprudence, evidence and immigration. He recently published an article entitled “Who is the Attorney General’s Client?” in the Notre Dame Law Review.
We are happy to welcome Angela Miceli as the Center's inaugural Edith Stein Fellow. Angela is a Ph.D. Candidate in the department of political science from Louisiana State University. She received her MA in political science from Louisiana State University and her BA from the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. In 2011-2012, she was awarded a Visiting Research position at the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame where she conducted dissertation research. She will be completing her dissertation during her time at the Center. Her research interests include Catholic Social Thought, conscience protection and life issues, and medieval political theory.
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New Initiatives
Fo r U n d e rg ra d u a t e s
Junior Fellows Program: The Center will select a group of excellent Notre Dame undergraduate and graduate students who will participate directly in the life of the Center during the school year. Junior Fellows will attend Center events, receive mentoring from our staff, fellows, and speakers, and participate in roundtable discussions and colloquia. Each Junior Fellow will be assigned a project within the Center, where he or she will have substantive responsibilities, working in collaboration with our visiting fellows and staff. Through their own research and participation in the work of the Center, Junior Fellows will come to understand in a deep way how the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition is a uniquely rich resource for engaging the most complex and contested issues of ethics and culture.
Summer Internships for Notre Dame Students: The Center plans to organize and sponsor summer internships, drawing upon our close relationships with a variety of entities engaged in public service and public policy. Such entities include the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Right to Life, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, and various offices and committees in the United States Congress. Notre Dame students selected by the Center will have the opportunity to learn by doing, as they work on important projects, and to exert a positive influence on their peers and on the institutions they serve. Our hope is that some students might secure permanent employment in these host organizations, and perhaps one day occupy leadership roles within these institutions.
Fo r S c h o l a r s
Distinguished Visiting Fellowships: The Center will select established scholars enjoying widespread recognition for excellence in their respective fields for a year-long fellowship in residence. During their time at the Center, we will coordinate with the Provost, Deans, and Department Chairs to integrate them into the life of the relevant academic units on campus, with the ultimate aspiration of facilitating permanent appointment at the University. In this way, the Center can assist the administration in identifying prospective elite hires who are passionate about Notre Dame’s mission.
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Post-Doctoral Fellowships: The Center will select excellent scholars who have recently completed their PhDs for a year-long fellowship in residence. During their time at the Center, we will coordinate with the Provost, Deans, and Department Chairs to integrate them into the life of the relevant academic units on campus, with the ultimate aspiration of facilitating permanent appointment at the university. In this way, the Center can assist the administration in identifying prospective elite hires who are passionate about Notre Dame’s mission.
New Initiatives Public Policy and Communications Initiative: The Center aims to project its influence into the public square, and to amplify the voice of Notre Dame in the most important and contentious public policy debates touching and concerning human dignity and the common good. The Center’s Director and affiliated faculty are already well-established as experts both in the halls of government and in the media. But to maximize our influence, we plan to create and administer a bank of subject matter experts, drawn both from within and outside of Notre Dame. Such experts will be available to advise policymakers, serve as expert witnesses, provide Congressional testimony, author white papers, produce op-eds, and provide media interviews in print, on radio, and on television. The Center will develop its own communications strategy to promote these experts, working closely in consultation with the Notre Dame’s Office of Public Relations. Center for Ethics and Culture Book Series: The Center’s Director is the editor of two book series with the University of Notre Dame Press, and aims to increase the Center’s scholarly production by way of publishing monographs, edited volumes, articles, and essays. In this way, the Center (and Notre Dame) will be a permanent fixture in the most important scholarly discussions and will exert a much-needed positive influence on the elite academy in the domains of ethics, culture, law, and public policy.
Professional Ethics Conferences and Programming: The Center already hosts a highly-regarded annual medical ethics conference (noted above). To this will be added conferences and programming in the domains of business ethics and legal ethics, with a special emphasis on the unique resources of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition. Great Catholic Thinkers Library: The Center for Ethics and Culture aims to be the most important locus of research in the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition. We are building an archive of the original papers of the most important and influential Catholic thinkers of the 20th Century. We already have commitments from John Finnis (the most important contemporary philosopher of Natural Law in the world and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Center) and Germain Grisez (one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th Century) to donate their original papers to the Center. The Center will undertake this project in collaboration with the Jacques Maritain Center of the University of Notre Dame, which already houses important original works of Catholic thinkers such as Ralph McInerny, Yves Simon, Charles De Koninck, and of course, Jacques Maritain. We anticipate that scholars from around the world will travel to the Center to conduct their research using the archive.
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ethics culture Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture 424 Geddes Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556
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Upcoming Events Friday, January 25th- March for Life in Washington, D.C. Friday/Saturday, February 8-9 - Edith Stein Project, "Modern Beauty: Unveiling the Mystery." Tuesday, February 19th - Dale Ahlquist on "Chesterton's Orthodoxy." Tuesday, February 26th - Bread of Life, Gabriel Reynolds on "Life Issues in Islam and Christianity." Friday, February 29th - Thomas McKenna presents on “St. Gianna Beretta Molla, A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love” Friday-Sunday, March 8-10 - Medical Ethics Conference, McKenna Hall Thursday, April 11th - John Waters on "Rock'n'Roll as Search for the Infinite" Thursday, May 2nd - Schmitt Lecture by Abe Schoener, "The Metaphysics of Wine-Making" June 9-21 - Notre Dame Vita Institute For times and locations of these events, please visit the Center website: ethicscenter.nd.edu 32
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