By Caleb Callanan

Each year the University of Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s fall conference is the meeting place of world class Catholic thinkers, philosophers, and academics as they come together to address the most pressing issues of our time from an interdisciplinary perspective. While I may not be a world class Catholic thinker, philosopher, nor academic, I was fascinated by the theme of this year’s conference “’And It Was Very Good’: On Creation”. My interest in topics like the Imago Dei, natural law, and human dignity and their interwovenness with both the law and Catholic social teaching is precisely why I was excited to join the Terrence J. Murphy Institute as a Murphy Scholar; so, the opportunity to explore these important topics with some of the best and brightest from around the world was a great honor.

I was blessed to be able to join seminarians from Saint John Vianney College Seminary, Catholic Studies majors from the University of Saint Thomas, and others from the Murphy Institute as we travelled to Indiana for the conference. Naturally, with a group like this the thought provoking and presupposition challenging conversations began well before we even stepped foot on Notre Dame’s campus. Our group was fortunate enough to stay in the campus’ parish center for our visit and the walk to the conference center each morning took us past the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. This shrine to Our Blessed Mother, located in the center of a prestigious university, served as a beautiful reminder that our Catholic faith is synonymous with the pursuit of knowledge.

As I have Thomas Aquinas for my confirmation name, attended the University of Saint Thomas for my undergraduate degree, and am now continuing my studies at the University’s School of Law, I have grown quite familiar with the Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas and I saw every word of it in action through the professors, speakers, and other attendees I had the pleasure of conversing with at the conference.

Grant, o merciful God, that I may ardently desire, prudently examine, truthfully acknowledge, and perfectly accomplish what is pleasing to Thee for the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen

This prayer served as a guide as my fellow conference goers and I attended lectures and presentations from leaders in a diverse array of fields. From classical art and music experts to astrophysicists, biologists, theologians, and monks; the presenters at the conference covered topics ranging from bioethics and mathematics in creation to craft beer brewing as an act of co-creation. The common thread joining these myriad topics was that they all pointed to the divine in us, the “in His image” that we all share which is the source of human dignity. This was an idea I had hoped to explore at the conference and was especially pleased to see this recognition of one another as children of God wasn’t lost, as it so often is, when the conversation turned to politics and law.

It felt like a respite from our modern political climate to witness and participate in conversations and debates on the most contentious of issues where these topics served not as the flashpoints of rage that they typically function as, but rather as means of deepening our own and each other’s understanding of the fundamental questions of the day and working together to propose better laws and solutions. The cooperative nature of these debates stemmed from all who were involved desiring to defend human dignity, despite the stark differences of opinion on how to best achieve this. It was through observing this that I saw firsthand how the best parts of our laws and legal system are those that (perhaps even unintentionally) follow Catholic social teaching on human dignity and natural law.

Hearing ethicists, scientists and theologians discuss the development of technologies and sciences that are giving rise to increasingly sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence, neural organoids and lab made chimeras made it clear to me that technology, society, and the law are on a collision course. For this reason, we need now, more than ever, to look to and bolster the best parts of our legal system and laws; those that celebrate the image of God in each of us, protect human dignity, and advance the Common Good. This will be a challenge, but after hearing from but a few of the many brilliant attendees at the conference, I am confident that with the Grace of God, it is a challenge we are well prepared for.

I am grateful to the Terrence J. Murphy institute for making my attendance possible and look forward to applying all that I learned as I continue my legal education.

 

Caleb Callanan is a Murphy Scholar and 1L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

“Student Perspective” is a recurring blog series which highlights the various activities of the Murphy Scholar graduate students during their fellowship.