Christianity, Human Dignity, and Spiderman

What is the human person? Philosophic conceptions of the human person are not discussed much in the national arena, even though the topic touches on nearly every hot-button issue in national politics today.

The Judeo-Christian belief that each human being is endowed with dignity from our Creator is present in the Declaration of Independence and is at least implicitly agreed upon by the vast majority of people in our society. However, as the traditional understanding that the human person is a body-soul composite (which comes to us from Aristotle) is increasingly pushed aside, scattershot and often mercurial understandings of the human person have arisen in its place. Confusion over what the human person is has brought with it confusion over just who qualifies as a person. This lacuna has made conversations about race and sex almost impossible, as it has stripped us of the common language and foundational principles necessary to engage in meaningful dialogue.

As our culture moves further from the Christian vision of the world on which it was founded, it becomes unclear how (and whether) our fundamental belief in the dignity of the human person will endure. Lacking a conviction in the inherent dignity of the human person, it becomes difficult to answer the question of why we should safeguard the rights and see to the needs of others (beyond a self-interested adherence to the social contract). In short: Can we have human dignity without Christianity?

The errors of the Enlightenment have set Postmodernity's teeth on edge, with no intellectual resolution in sight.

Our culture plays a central role in forming our imaginative visions, and few franchises have as much cultural power as the “new mythology” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As one writer for Word on Fire argues, the focus on true heroism and selflessness found in Spiderman: No Way Home may be planting seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of viewers as it claims its spot on the list of the highest-grossing films of all time.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his intention to retire. Nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, Breyer is the second-longest serving current Justice (behind Justice Clarence Thomas) and is the oldest current member of the Court at 83 years old. (At age 73, Thomas is the second-oldest current member).

President Joe Biden promised in his 2020 campaign to name an African American woman to the Court if given the opportunity. According to NPR, federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger are likely contenders.

With the March for Life fresh on our minds and a profound hope for the future of pro-life protections through the current Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson, social surveys reveal that the work is far from over. 2021 marked the first time in the post-Roe era that less than half of respondents to the General Social Survey supported “at least some legal restrictions on abortion.” See The Pillar for a more detailed demographics analysis.

The 1619 Project has proposed a reinterpretation of American history through the lens of racial injustice. Helen Andrews offers a critical reading, questioning its veracity (and its fruits).

As Russia continues to amass troops along its border with Ukraine, George Weigel argues that a lack of accountability after the collapse of the Soviet Union helps to explain Russia’s continued antagonism to peace in Eastern Europe.

Amidst posturing by NATO allies to respond to a Russian threat – including the United Kingdom sending anti-tank weapons to Kyiv, Denmark moving fighter jets to Lithuania, and France and America putting troops on alert – the United States government has formally offered Russia a written response to its demands.