On this episode, Chris is joined by Joe Rutten, faculty member in the humanities department at Mount Marty University and Executive Director of the Catholic Men’s Business Fraternity. Drawing on the Vatican document, “The Vocation of a the Business Leader,” Joe and Chris explore the dignity of work as the “original vocation.” Joe then describes four key principles of Catholic social teaching — human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity — and articulates how these provide an orientation towards freedom and creativity, a healthy market economy, and, ultimately, human flourishing. Chris and Joe also take another look at the virtue of prudence, what St. Thomas Aquinas called “the mother of the virtues,” a virtue indispensable to both business and political leaders.
Faith & Politics
F&P Episode 111: Sex, gender, and surgery: a Catholic doctor’s perspective
Host Michael Pauley is joined by Dr. Alfonso Oliva, a physician specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and a member of the Executive Board of the Catholic Medical Association. Dr. Oliva and Michael discuss the various controversies surrounding the use of drugs and surgeries as “treatment” for persons experiencing gender dysphoria. What are the purported benefits of such procedures, and what are the known complications? Dr. Oliva shares his thoughts concerning the rapid rise in cases of reported gender dysphoria among adolescent females, and the growing trend of administering drugs and performing so-called “gender reassignment” surgeries upon minors in the United States.