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“The
Philosophical Foundations of Human Dignity”
a conference
sponsored by the
Ralph
McInerny Center for Thomistic Studies
The
Army and Navy Club
17th and I Streets, NW
Program
Almost everyone in the West gives at least lip service to
the ideal of human dignity, but the foundations for that principle
are often unclear. Some treat it simply as a “given,”
with no need for any intellectual foundation. Others
emphasize religious grounds, based either on natural theology
or revealed religion. Others yet offer various philosophical
reasons.
Moreover,
a wide variety of contemporary issues that implicate the principle
of human dignity are highly controversial. These issues
include abortion, assisted or artificial reproduction, cloning,
the death penalty, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia,
just war principles, pornography, societal commitment to promoting
economic opportunity and ensuring availability of basic social
services such as healthcare, and various forms of discrimination.
Perhaps greater clarity on the foundations of human dignity
would narrow the range of disagreement on these issues, or
at least provide us with clearer alternatives.
To
examine the question of the foundations of human dignity,
the Ralph McInerny Center for Thomistic Studies will hold
a conference March 8-10, 2007.
Confirmed
speakers include Robert George (Princeton University) and
Patrick Lee (Franciscan University), Jeremy Waldron (New York
University Law School), William Hurlburt (Stanford University),
Michael Pakaluk (Clark University), Fulvio Di Blasi (Centro
Ricerche Tommaso D’Aquino), and John Tomasi (Brown University).
The
conference will begin at 1 pm on Thursday, March 7 and end
Saturday, March 10 at 5 pm. Each of the five sessions will
include one major paper and two respondents, with ample time
for questions and discussion.
Conference
seating is limited. To register for the conference,
email the McInerny Center at
mcinerny_center@verizon.net, giving name,
address, email, and phone.
Free
and Open to the Public |
