Monthly Archives: April 2009

Pros and Con-doms

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Quentin

Much time and media space has been devoted to the Pope’s remarks on HIV prevention in sub-Saharan countries. I wrote about the factual background in my column of March 27. But the topic is coming closer to home, as proposals … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-ethics, Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment | 6 Comments

The population explosion is over

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Quentin

Those may seem fighting words given that the world’s population has doubled since the 1950s, and is expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050. By this time the population will be peaking, and the slope likely to turn downwards. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-ethics, Church and Society | 17 Comments

Virtue is the root of all good

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Quentin

In my occasional columns examining ways in which we discern right and wrong I have looked at deontology, which sets out by “rule” that certain actions are permitted, and others forbidden, and utilitarianism, which is judged on the consequences of … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment, Philosophy | 3 Comments

Digging a deeper hole

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Quentin

Two young boys allegedly being viciously beaten by two other young boys is just a single, shocking incident. Yet it may strike us as a symbol for a society which has gone seriously wrong. At one end of the scale … Continue reading →

Posted in Quentin queries | 10 Comments

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Quentin

Do human beings have a true moral sense or is their altruism merely the outcome of natural selection through the genes? This is a key question because we hold that a true moral sense is a faculty unique to human … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-ethics, Catholic Herald columns, Moral judgment, Philosophy, Spirituality | 4 Comments