Monthly Archives: July 2008

The homosexual brain

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Quentin

It is easier to maintain that we have free will than it is to demonstrate with certainty that any decision which we make is actually free. Behind it lies a vast hinterland of unconscious causes: uncritical assumptions, forgotten memories, genetic … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-ethics, Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment | 28 Comments

Apologies

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Quentin

Owing to an error in deleting some obscene spam, I have inadvertently deleted a number of valuable comments (particularly those related to the Marshall interview). If your comment is missing (bottom of STOP PRESS page) it would be helpful if … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

de la Bédoyère’s Maxims, No 7

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Quentin

We have evolved to act on first impressions: without them we might have had no second impressions. It has been estimated that we make thousands of unconscious judgments within the first moments of meeting. Many are wrong. It is well … Continue reading →

Posted in Maxims, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Is torture always wrong?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by Quentin

(For the interview with Professor Marshall go to STOP PRESS) Science and Faith, July 18 In Pope John Paul II’s impressive encyclical Veritatis Splendor (1993) he teaches that there are acts which are always wrong in themselves, “independently of circumstances”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment | Leave a comment

de la Bédoyère’s Maxims, No 6

Posted on July 9, 2008 by Quentin

Bureaucrats understand their function, but they do not understand the purpose of their function. For the bureaucrat ‘I think therefore I am’ becomes ‘I refuse therefore I am’. It is only necessary to move from market forces to a bureaucracy … Continue reading →

Posted in Maxims, Philosophy | 4 Comments

Natural Law – written in our hearts

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Quentin

Every fortnight I have the stimulating pleasure of leading a group on philosophy, under the auspices of the University of the Third Age. Our range is wide but, over the years, we have returned time and again to questions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Herald columns, Church and Society, Moral judgment, Philosophy | 5 Comments