The Institute for Human Ecology
Human flourishing illuminated by Catholic social doctrine.
Freedom
The foundation of human flourishing.
Family
The fundamental social unit of a healthy, functioning society.
Economy
The intersection of free enterprise and ingenuity ordered towards human flourishing.
Culture
The driving force behind the way we form human relationships.
Latest News
Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: Young Scholars Discuss Morality and the Law
What is the role of religion in society? And how can Catholic scholars draw upon the wisdom of the Church to make sense of today’s economic, cultural, and moral challenges? Those were the questions at the heart of the Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship, a week-long seminar held July 15 through 20.
Breakingviews – Hadas: Vatican asks the right financial questions
The Church’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development wants to help “all men and women of goodwill” create “a new economy, more attentive to ethical principles, and a new regulation of financial activities that would neutralise predatory and speculative tendencies and acknowledge the value of the actual economy”.
Pope Francis: Human ecology begins with accepting the body
A healthy human ecology begins with a respectful and holistic view of the body as God created it, Pope Francis told participants of the 24th General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
March for Life and the President
William Saunders gives readers an up-to-date account of developments in Washington, DC – at the March for Life, in Congress, in the Trump administration, and at the Supreme Court – regarding law and policy that affect the defense and promotion of the right to life.
Virtue and Science
Evidence from many sources suggests that there are problems in the current practices of scientific research. There is a growing concern over the trustworthiness of the scientific literature because a number of studies have demonstrated the inability of independent investigators to replicate the results of published experiments.
Freedom, Truth, and Human Dignity: The Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religion Freedom
Pope Paul VI characterized the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom -- Dignitatis Humanae -- as one of the greatest documents of Vatican II. It is also perhaps the most intensely debated document of the Council.
A Conversation with Robert George –
Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Join Princeton professor Robert George, who served as Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and William Saunders, Director of the Program in Human Rights, Institute for Human Ecology, as they reflect upon religious liberty and threats to it in today's turbulent times.
Hybrid Unions: The Catholic Church and the Racial Laws in Italian East Africa (1935-1939)
Prof. Lucia Ceci’s talk will examine how the Holy See developed a doctrinal statement and assumed an institutional position towards the first racist laws which Fascist Government introduced in the colonies after the conquest of Ethiopia.
Being a Faithful Catholic as a Public Servant –
Congressman Dan Lipinski
Congressman Lipinski will draw on his experiences in Congress to describe what it means to be a faithful Catholic in contemporary American politics.
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Featured Fellows
Reverend Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero, S.T.D.
Vice Rector and Director of Human Formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Expertise: Social Ethics, Moral Theology and Religion, Social Theory
George Garvey
Emeritus Ordinary Professor of Law at The Catholic University of America
Expertise: Economic regulatory law and policy; history and application of Catholic Social Doctrine; Catholic Education
Lucia Ann Silecchia, J.D.
Professor of Law, and Director, Summer Law Program in Rome, The Catholic University of America
Expertise: Environmental Law and Ethics; Catholic Social Thought & Law; Catholic Higher Education
Brandon Vaidyanathan
Associate Professor of Sociology, The Catholic University of America
Expertise: Work and Professions; Religion and Globalization; Religion, Science, and HealthA Catechism for Business
A Catechism for Business draws together the Church’s social doctrine on business, organized by topic and question. It serves as a reference guide for Catholic business leaders who wish to deepen their faith and grow in their understanding of Catholic social doctrine as applied to business.
“A Catechism for Business fills a critical need in today’s complex world, where moral answers to questions are not always clear-cut. This well-organized and concise book is an absolute must for business people and policy makers ‘in the trenches’ as well as for academics, and even theologians focused on the common good.”
– Luanne Zurlo, Founder and former President and Executive Director, WorldFund