Hypersensitivity Revisited
As I noted several years ago, the United States has been suffering from an epidemic of hypersensitivity. Unfortunately, the problem seems [...]
“Maybe I’m Wrong”
The words “Maybe I’m Wrong” are not heard much any more, and it is a fair assumption that fewer people [...]
Remembering Luis Machado
Simon Bolivar University Luis Alberto Machado (1932-2016) was a lawyer who served in various governmental capacities in Venezuela. [...]
When Feelings Take Control
I recently examined four false notions promoted by Carl Rogers (and Abraham Maslow) that are well on the way to [...]
Ideas That Are Destroying America
Many writers have lamented America’s moral and intellectual decline but few have identified the cause. I submit that it is [...]
Pope Benedict on Sex Abuse
Pope Benedict’s recent essay on the Church’s sex-abuse scandal begins by clarifying the cultural context in which the sex-abuse scandal [...]
Why Venezuela’s Lesson Is Being Ignored
Our Lady [...]
A Reflection on Unity and Disunity
I recently wrote an essay entitled “What Catholics Can Learn From Buddhists.” A reader responded by stating that Jesus is [...]
What Catholics Can Learn from Buddhists
For centuries Catholics were discouraged, and even forbidden, from reading non-Catholic works lest their faith be undermined. Such precautions were [...]
Secrets of Successful Enterprise
Amalga, Joan, Vincent, Marianne There is nothing like a couple of weeks at [...]
The Favorite Word of Liberals: “Hate”
“Hate” seems to be the most popular word among liberals. If someone says almost anything about a controversial issue, or [...]
Restoring the Catholic Church
Recently, while dusting my bookcase, I noticed my copy of Malachi Martin’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church, published [...]
The Laity’s Response to Sex Scandals
Even before Catholics could fully grasp the enormity of the sex abuse scandals in their church, new revelations came in [...]
On Reading and Listening, Part 2
The first part of this essay noted the reading and listening deficit in America and identified its causes as the [...]
On Reading and Listening
Sir Francis Bacon In a recent essay I chastised the [...]
The Florida Bishops on Abortion and Contraception
On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, 2019, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops published a pastoral letter [...]
Why Is Socialism So Popular?
Socialism has been the rage among intellectual elites for a long time. What was different in 2016 was that it [...]
From “Bronx Cheer” to Rousing “Bravo”
The “Bronx cheer,” as every New Yorker knows, is made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing in [...]
“My Truth,” “Your Truth,” THE Truth
For millennia, people naturally, almost instinctively, understood that truth is objective rather than subjective. In other words, truth is what [...]
The Sad Legacy of the Self-Esteem Movement
It has been almost sixty years since the Gospel of Self-Esteem was first preached in America and quickly planted in [...]
The Relationship Between Theology and Logic
In modern Catholicism, the term “theology” is often linked to Church doctrine, much of which is regarded as definitive, and [...]
Understanding Democrats’ Loyalty
The loyalty of Democrats to their party is both fascinating and puzzling. Their elected officials can allow cities to sink [...]
Things That Puzzle Me
The standard way of entering the New Year is with a list of resolutions we intend to keep but end [...]
Meditating on the Nativity
In 1223 in the Italian town of Grecio, the crèche was first displayed by the man who, it is said, [...]
The Sex Scandal Is Only Partly Solved
In the minds of many, including Catholic leaders, the Church’s sex scandal is a closed matter. They reason that the [...]
Author Vincent Ryan Ruggiero
Since retiring from teaching, I have continued my work in promoting sound thinking in education and in the general culture. More specifically, I have kept refining my textbooks, four of which have been continuously in print for an average of 33 years. I have also continued to write books for the general public, the latest of which is Corrupted Culture: Rediscovering America’s Enduring Principles, Values, and Common Sense, and I write a weekly column for an online journal.