How Our Minds Play Tricks on Us
I recall an interesting anecdote that speaks volumes about the workings of the human mind. Henry was driving on a [...]
The Grave Danger of Denying Consequences
Consequences are a central and inescapable feature of life. Some are good, some bad. The good ones improve us and [...]
What in the World Were They Thinking?
For years the news has filled with reports of behaviors by people in influential positions that make the rest of [...]
Are You Confused About LGBTQITA+?
If the acronym puzzles you, take heart. You are not alone. Anyone born between the 1930s and the 1970s, in [...]
A Bishop Discusses Open Borders
Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto recently published an essay titled "Migrants Are Not Fodder for Political Propaganda" in the Jesuit magazine [...]
Self-Love Minus Guilt Equals Chaos
Several decades ago the word "guilt" fell out of use, as did its companions “remorse" and "repentance." All three words, [...]
Restoring Catholic Wisdom, Part 3
Part 1 of this essay argued that the Catholic Church desperately needs to renew its historic teachings, and the Bishops [...]
Restoring Catholic Wisdom, Part 2
In Part 1 I argued that the Catholic Church desperately needs to renew its historic teachings, and the Bishops and [...]
Is Donald Trump the Best Republican Candidate for 2024?
This question is both important and difficult. Important because the answer could affect the fate of the country. Difficult because [...]
Restoring Catholic Wisdom
It remains a common assumption that individuals who went to Catholic Colleges are much more informed about their faith than [...]
Will the Catholic Synod Achieve Its Goals?
Many readers may be unfamiliar with both the term "Synod" and the reality currently underway in the Church. The term [...]
The Gospel Message and the U.S. Border Crisis
When two nuns who work with illegal immigrants were accused of "exacerbating the border crisis,” they responded as follows:“It is [...]
Whatever Happened to Sin? Part 2
In Part 1 of this essay, I noted that the Catholic hierarchy is attempting to straddle two incompatible views: the modern pagan view [...]
Whatever Happened to Sin?
Original Sin as depicted by Brueghel and Rubens Whatever happened to sin? For the answer to this perplexing [...]
Is Our Civilization Collapsing?
In recent decades, the study of history has lost its former place of honor in U.S. education. That is unfortunate, [...]
A Cardinal’s Proposal for Changes in the Church
Several centuries ago Francis Bacon (1521-1626) offered this sage advice on thought and discussion: “Read not to contradict and confute; [...]
Inspiration for This Troubled Time
In February, 2023 in the midst of a variety of troubling events in the nation and the world, a group [...]
Understanding Anti-Social Behavior
“Why?” “What could possibly explain this behavior?” “How did we get to this state of affairs?” These questions and a [...]
Insights from Our Ancestors
Bust of Socrates In the late 1980s I was invited to Singapore to help their Curriculum Development Institute [...]
Dangerous Developments in American Education
The concept of academic freedom is centuries old and has been modified over time. Since 1940 it has had these [...]
Bishop Fulton Sheen’s Message to Us
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1971) is best remembered for his incisive and witty television presentations, but he was also a [...]
America’s Epidemic of Foolishness
Watching the news these days calls to mind the old Jewish adage, “Send a fool to close the shutters and [...]
Welcome to Topsy-Turvydom
Erika López Prater was an adjunct professor of Art History at Hamline University. Her course syllabus included a warning that [...]
Does U.S. Border Policy Violate Catholic Teaching?
I recently read an article in the Jesuit magazine America titled “Biden, Benedict and Immigration: How U.S. Border Policy Violates [...]
A Worthy New Year’s Resolution
Pope Benedict XVI died in December 2022; Queen Elizabeth, a few months earlier. Not only were both mourned throughout 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.