About 150 people turned out on March 30 to hear Christopher Tollefsen present the annual Aquinas Lecture at the Center for Pastoral Leadership. Tollefsen’s topic was “The Sanctity of Life.”
A distinguished philosophy professor at the University of South Carolina, Tollefsen specializes in natural law, human nature and applied ethics. His lecture mainly focused on the issue of capital punishment.
The lecture is presented by the Borromeo Seminary Philosophy Department and is funded by Edward and Mary Beth Mansour. It is aimed at promoting philosophical scholarship, especially for college seminarians who are studying philosophy. In addition to seminarians, the audience consisted of faculty and others who enjoy philosophical lectures.
Past lecturers include Bishop Robert Barron and Peter Kreeft.
Tollefsen began by making a claim for human dignity, stating that all human life has dignity that ought to be upheld. After this assumption, he wanted to address three things: what is the scope of this human dignity; are there any exceptions to this norm; and an examination of the gift of life from God and all that gift entails.
His main conclusion was that human beings get their dignity from God who has instilled in humanity intellect and will. With this common nature all humans have common goods that bind them together. Such dignity cannot be lost, but liberty can be forfeited. Thus, there is no exception to treating any human being without the respect that person deserves.
After the lecture, Tollefsen fielded questions for about a half hour.
A reception in the CPL lobby followed the lecture.