Is there a human nature? This question has been answered in various ways over the course of history. Some individuals believe that what makes us human is our DNA or our biological characteristics. Other individuals believe that humanity is a social construct – we are human because we engage in human activities in society.
In pursuit of equality in all measurable outcomes, the modern equivalent of spells, sacrifices, and rituals to manipulate the gods are diversity quotas, equity programs, redistribution of resources, reparations, and affirmative action.
While India’s emergence as a hub for commercial surrogacy has given couples a renewed hope of parenthood, several ethical issues have emerged. One, in particular, is the manner in which these surrogate mothers are chosen. Often the women selected as surrogates are poor and illiterate but select surrogacy of their own volition.
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) in Halifax recently came under criticism because a non-indigenous scholar, Martha Walls, was chosen to teach Selected Topics in North American History: Residential Schools. Consequently, the university called for a meeting between Indigenous faculty and staff and Martha Walls to "discuss a way forward".
It has become almost indisputable that the typical humanities university student of today has become incapable of tolerating ideas and opinions that are contrary to theirs. Any dissenting idea is viewed as a threat of harm and is responded to accordingly; whether it involves blasting air horns and screaming expletives at professors, spitting on guest speakers, or preventing a planned event from taking place using commercial-grade fireworks and Molotov cocktails, ideologically-driven student groups are determined to use any means necessary to shut down the vocalization of views they deem offensive.
In the introduction to this course, I pointed out that ever since the emergence of the pro-Nicene consensus on the doctrine of God enshrined in the Niceno-Constantinapolitan Creed of 381 AD, all branches of the Church in the East and West and both Roman Catholic and Protestant have confessed that God is simple, immutable and perfect, as well as loving, gracious and merciful.
Evaluating a piece of information's validity is an essential Twenty-First Century skill with society simultaneously experiencing an information age and rise in anti-intellectualism. Google searches produce hordes of pieces written by pseudo-professionals doling out medical advice, commentary on international affairs, and capitalizing on historical conspiracy theories, like the TV series, Hunting Hitler.
