Ethics and Culture Cast

Mary Eberstadt is a senior fellow of the Faith & Reason Institute and the author of several best-selling books, including "Adam and Eve After the Pill" (2013) and "How the West Really Lost God" (2014). Her dark comedy novel "The Loser Letters", chronicling the conversion of a young adult Christian to atheism, was adapted into a stage play in 2016. Eberstadt's writing has appeared in TIME, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Review, First Things, The Weekly Standard, thecatholicthing.org, and other publications. She was on campus to speak about "The Prophetic Power of Humanae Vitae," in honor of the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's landmark encyclical on human life.

Special Guest: Mary Eberstadt.

Links:

• The Prophetic Power of Humanae Vitae

Mary O'Callaghan earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Creighton University, and received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Her doctoral work was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health for the study of developmental disabilities and mental retardation. She and her husband John are the parents of 5 children, including their youngest, Tommy, who has Down syndrome. Since his birth, Mary has been an advocate at the local level for unborn children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. She has served as a member of the Disabilities Advisory Board for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, and in conjunction with the Michiana Down Syndrome Support Group, provides mentoring to local parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome.

In 2016, Mary and her son Tommy were special guests at the Jubilee for the Sick and Persons with Disabilities celebrated by Pope Francis as part of the Year of Mercy. More information about the jubilee event located on the CEC website.

Mary will be a featured speaker at a UN panel discussion observing World Down Syndrome Day, 3/21, hosted by the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. Information on the panel discussion is at: https://ethicscenter.nd.edu/news/cec-public-policy-fellow-to-speak-at-un/

Special Guest: Mary O'Callaghan.

Links:

• Panel Discussion at UN: No Room in Rural Villages, Cities, & Homes for Those with Disabilities? Are Girls & Boys with Down Syndrome Being Left Behind?

In this episode, we sit down with Gilbert Meilaender, the author of Not By Nature But By Grace: Forming Families Through Adoption, the inaugural volume in the Center's "Catholic Ideas for a Secular World" book series with the University of Notre Dame Press. We discuss his intellectual journey, the meaning of adoption for families and for Christians, and how he wants to be a burden to his children.

Special Guest: Gilbert Meilaender.

Links:

• Not By Nature, But By Grace: Forming Families Through Adoption

Patrick J. Deneen holds a B.A. in English literature and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University. He worked at the US Information Agency as a speechwriter and special advisor, was an Assistant Professor of Government at Princeton and an Associate Professor at Georgetown, and joined the Political Science faculty of Notre Dame in 2012. He is the author and editor of several books including The Odyssey of Political Theory (2000, winner of the APSA's Best First Book Award), Redeeming Democracy in America (2011), and his most recent book, Why Liberalism Failed, a new release from Yale University Press. His teaching and writing interests focus on the history of political thought, American political thought, religion and politics, and literature and politics. In the Spring 2018 semester, Patrick is serving as the Interim Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture while Carter Snead is on his own writing sabbatical.

Special Guest: Patrick Deneen.

Links:

• Why Liberalism Failed

In this episode, we sit down with George Weigel, the distinguished senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. We talk about several of his books including his most recent, "Lessons In Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II," 2004's "Letters to a Young Catholic," and his wonderful Lenten vademecum from 2013, "Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches."

Special Guest: George Weigel.

Links:

• Weigel's Full Bio at EPPC

Randall B. Smith is a professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, and was the CEC's Myser Visiting Research Fellow when he began writing Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide. We chat about the preaching style of the 13th Century, and what it can teach us today.

Special Guest: Randall Smith.

Links:

• Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide

In this episode, we sit down with Nicole Stelle Garnett, a member of the Center's Faculty Advisory Committee and professor at Notre Dame Law School. We discuss the role of Catholic schools in forming strong communities, the vocation of teaching, and how the interdisciplinary collegiality that the Center for Ethics and Culture helps foster on campus works to strengthen Notre Dame's authentic Catholic mission and identity.

Special Guest: Nicole Stelle Garnett.

Links:

• Nicole Stelle Garnett at ND Law School

In this episode, we sit down with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who joined us on campus this past October for a roundtable discussion about Disarming Beauty, the second volume in our book series Catholic Ideas for a Secular World. In our conversation, we talked about his work at the New York Times, the influence of G. K. Chesterton on his own conversion, and the vocation of the Catholic journalist.

Special Guest: Ross Douthat.

Links:

• Ross Douthat at the New York Times

In this episode, we chat with John O'Callaghan, associate professor of philosophy, Director of the Jacques Maritain Center, and the 2017-18 Mary Ann Remick Senior Visiting Fellow at the Center for Ethics and Culture. We talk about teaching St. Thomas Aquinas to undergraduates, the work he's undertaking as the CEC's Remick Fellow, and the continuing relevance of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Special Guest: John O'Callaghan.

Links:

• Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas

Our guest is Alyson Cox, the CEC's Law & Public Policy Fellow for 2017-18. We chat about her experience in the CEC's Sorin Fellows program, the internships that she undertook while at the Center, and her work as the president of Notre Dame Right to Life, the largest student club on campus.

Special Guest: Aly Cox.

Links:

• Notre Dame Right to Life (Facebook)