Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'human dignity'

November 30, 2007

Chimeras, Personhood, and Ultimate Capacities

In stating his opposition to a proposed ban on the creation of human-animal hybrids, or chimeras (the Human-Animal Hybrid Prohibition Act of 2007), Wired blogger Brandon Keim writes, “People — and, for that matter, animals — can’t be reduced to a few discrete biological parts. Continue Reading...
March 27, 2007

There’s just no such thing

I saw a spate of headlines over the weekend that proclaimed something like, “Now scientists create a sheep that’s 15% human.” 15% human? Really? Isn’t that like being “a little pregnant”? Continue Reading...
December 28, 2006

Never a Countdown on Effective Compassion

The “10 years after welfare reform” articles of this past summer are old news, of course. Not surprisingly, indications were that, like any public policy, reform hadn’t been the all-time poverty solution, but that policies had, in fact, helped a significant number of people to move themselves to self-sufficiency. Continue Reading...
June 06, 2006

On infinite value

Yesterday I looked at the worth of human life, especially as relative to that of animal life. Today I want to refine the discussion about the value of human life, by making a fine terminological distinction. Continue Reading...
June 05, 2006

‘Worth More than Many Sparrows’

“Animals are less valuable than human beings,” says John Martin, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at University College London (UCL). This seemingly uncontroversial statement is under fire, as Helene Guldberg at sp!ked Continue Reading...
March 15, 2006

Among the little giants of effective compassion

Last Wednesday, I was privileged to attend the Samaritan Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. I have to say up front that Acton’s Effective Compassion events are probably the most enjoyable for me to attend because invariably one comes into contact with a group of very special, very dedicated people who are completely devoted to what our society would term “lost causes,” and having great success. Continue Reading...
January 31, 2006

Created imago Dei

Winners of the 2005 Acton Essay Competition have been announced. The topic for the 15th annual competition: The human person, by virtue of being created imago Dei, is an independent being, individually unique, rational, the subject of moral agency, a co-creator, and inherently social. Continue Reading...