Deception, Lies and Libel

I have never quite understood the appeal of Zombie movies and shows, particularly, The Walking Dead. After a couple of episodes, it was clear that the world was in a zombie epidemic and society quickly collapsed, with the requisite zombie attacks, blood, gore and roving bands of the “uninfected.” This is a common trope in the end-of-the-world, apocalyptic fiction genre.

Are You “Cool” with Evil?

Following World War I, under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden from stationing military forces in the Rhineland. This is the area of Germany bordering France, Belgium and the Netherlands, loosely defined by land on either side of the Rhine River. Under the treaty, Germany could station no military forces anywhere on German soil west of...

Perhaps Dr. Frankenstein Was Just Misunderstood

In the past, we have discussed many aspects of Catholic bioethics as they apply to living human beings, born and unborn. Today, we find ourselves thinking about the human body, absent the eternal soul, that is, a corpse. There is something fundamentally unsettling about a dead body.

Murder for Amateurs

We have previously discussed the horrendous behavior of physicians, particularly in Nazi Germany, conducting research on living humans. Time and time again, history has shown that physicians are not more ethical, villainous or virtuous than anyone else. They do hold a position of advantage over the general public,

A Modest Proposal

Los Angeles has a terrible District Attorney. In most jurisdictions, the District Attorney is the chief prosecutor, or law enforcement officer, who leads a group of other prosecutors in bringing persons accused of committing crimes to trial and prosecuting them so that they will be punished for their alleged crime.

1810 All Over Again

Recently, I saw a news story regarding the Actress, Anna Kendrick, and her relationship struggles. She provided the following quote to People magazine, “I was with someone — this was somebody I lived with, for all intents and purposes my husband.

Better Promiscuity Through Chemistry

The other night, I was watching “Bob’s Burgers” on one of the cable channels (I forget which one), when a remarkable commercial came on. “Bob’s Burgers” is an adult-oriented cartoon about a struggling proprietor of a hamburger restaurant and his eccentric family. It is quite clever, actually, and entertaining, without being too offensive. So, as I was watching this cartoon (around 8 PM, Central) a pharmaceutical commercial came on for a drug named “Apretude”. Even in the bizarre world of pharmaceutical-to-consumer advertising, this commercial reached a new and disturbing low.

“But Catholics” and Genocides 

One of the criticisms often levied against me, and others of my philosophical bent, is that we excessively use analogies between medical ethical issues and Nazi Germany. Conventional wisdom is that the holocaust should be The Holocaust, an event unique in human history...If only it were true.

The Sounds of Silence: Bargaining with Evil

Most people want to be seen as fair, rational and tolerant of others' beliefs and perspectives. There is also a desire to be diplomatic and avoid offending those who differ in opinion from us.