HRE 4M1 In Search of the Good CPT Research Assignment
HRE 4M1—In Search of the Good CPT Assignment
Good Teacher, What Must I Do? Discerning Believers Encounter Their Culture
In this CPT, the lens you will use to examine Church teaching on moral issues is the Gospel passage Mk.
10:17-22, Christ's conversation with the rich young man. This course seeks to enable you to find answers
pertaining to your faith and moral journey. As the youth in the Gospel passage asked Jesus the question
“what must I do…?”, so too this is a question that may be reflective of the kind you are asking: “What must
I do to be good, to be happy, and to be successful…?” There is no doubt that Jesus challenged the
viewpoint of the young man questioning Him and today He does the same. He calls us to be discerning
believers, to know and understand what our culture considers to be examples of success or values as good.
For this reason, you will read an essay in an effort to get a better insight into why people in our culture
think the way the way they do, what they are thinking about and why, and what they are doing and why. In
the process of critiquing our culture as discerning believers, we also want to take a closer look at the
Christian response.
Below is a list of some thirty essays. Most of them can be found at www(dot)catholiceducation(dot)org.
The simplest way of accessing these essays is to go to the website and then type in the name of the
author in the space marked search. Each student must cover one of the essays.
The students' task is to read the piece thoroughly (several times), as they are required to become
an expert on the information presented in the essay.
The student must come to know his or her piece well enough to write a comprehensive essay on
the article's theme (50 marks).
Assignment Components
List of Topics:
Belief in God
1. “The New New Atheism” Peter Berkowitz:
2. “The Problem of Evil” Peter Kreeft.
3. “The Psychology of Atheism” Paul Vitz
4. “The Reasons to Believe” Peter Kreeft.
5. “Why is it so hard to believe?” Mother Angelica & Christine Allison
Human Dignity:
6. “On Human Dignity” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
7. “Pope John Paul II's Teaching on Women” Mary Rousseau
Secular Culture:
8. “A Defense of “Culture Wars: A Call for Counterrevolution” Peter Kreeft
9. “Culture of Vice” Robert R. Reilly
10. “Saving the West From the New Barbarians” Robert R Reilly
11. “Your Inner Cop” Peter Kreeft
Love and Sex:
12. “Compromises on Love” Richard Wetzel
13. “Contraception, Why Not?” Janet Smith (2 people)
14. “Dating Guys and Girls” – CanadianCatholic.net
15. “Designed for Sex” J. Budziszewski
16. “Girls, Be Wary!” Doug McManaman
17. “Love” Peter Kreeft
18. “Talk to Kids about Sex, Love, and Character” Thomas Lickona
19. “The Law of the Gift: Understanding the Two Sides of Love” Edward P. Sri
20. “The Secrets to looking Beautiful” Doug McManaman
Right to Life:
21. “Always to Care, Never to Kill” George, Robert P.
22. “Human Personhood Begins at Conception” Peter Kreeft
23. “The Reality of Abortion. Reflections of My Journey” Georgette Forney
Morality and Conscience:
24. “A Civilization at Risk: Whatever Became of Virtue?” Peter Kreeft
25. “Beyond Psychology” Paul Vitz
26. “Humility: The First of the Lively Virtues” Anthony Esolen
27. “Introduction: The Lost World of Moral Common Sense” J. Budziszewski
28. “Myths about the Search for Knowledge” J. Budziszewski
29. “The Illusion of Moral Neutrality” J. Budziszewski
30. “There is no future for a society of self-absorbed individuals” Msgr. Cormac Burke
31. “Values and virtues: A Modern Confusion” Iain T. Benson
Bioethics:
32. “Biotech New World” Wesley J. Smith
33. “The Basics about Stem Cells” Maureen L. Condic
34. “The Case Against Perfection” Michael J. Sandel
ESSAY COMPONENT (50 Marks):
This component is to be written in essay format.
Answers should be typed using 12 pt. font, Times New Roman and make sure it's DOUBLE SPACED!!!
(A) Briefly summarize the arguments presented in your chosen article.
(B) How is the article topic that you read necessary for our Search of the Good?
(C) As young men and women, we are taught many diverse values in our secular culture. Given the context of
your article, what are YOUR obligations as a moral agent to yourself and to your
“brothers and sisters” in our culture today?
(D) While the Catholic perspective is important, how would explain the moral truths found in your
article to a non-Catholic?
***Response to these answers should be no longer than 4 -6 pages in length (approximately 800-
1300 words).
Chosen topic: The Value and Virtue: A Modern Confusion by Iain T. Benson of Bioethics
Introduction
A)Individuals who have been known to be self-absorbed are always regarded a concern to others that you encounter on an everyday basis. The reason behind is that there are several norms and practices that are no longer viable enough to ensure that having an understandable relationship is achievable. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the impact of self-absorbed individuals that has been responsible for straining the relationship of other individuals in your workplace. As a result, it changes the way you will handle your friendship with others due to their behavioral practice. This essay aims to determine the significance of the chosen article that talks about the future of self-absorbed individuals in our society wherein their existence will likely diminish. The purpose is to identify the benefits and problems associated with individuals who are self-absorbed.
Going through with the discussion, Cormac Burke emphasized that there is no future for an individual who show an unacceptable personality towards other individuals. For this reason, the relationship of a person showing overconfidence could risk their relationship with others, such as being strained in the future. Confidence is the process of uplifting the energy level of a person, thinking that they can always accomplish anything that they can pass through. There is a belief that individuals with high level of self-confidence are always assured to excel in whatever activities that they participate. Basically, these individuals do not accept failures that could change the way they are going to demote their social and behavioral welfare. In this case, their high level of confidence drives away other individuals due to intimidation by their confidence level whenever they are with other strangers or friends.
B) As based on the contents of the article, it is basically relevant to the “Search of the Good”. The reason behind is that it best explains on how a certain individual or a group can isolate themselves from other peers whenever they commit a certain action that is not acceptable to the general public. This is because there are moral norms that are always being conceptualized and then applied by every individual in order to gain a smooth relationship with other people. Readers will definitely relate to the scenario implied by the situation because there are individuals that show similar activity towards others. The title alone describes a certain scenario wherein it seeks to value the norms that are acceptable and appropriate according to the needs of the individual. In this case, it creates a relevant point of interests with regards to the routine of a person on a regular basis.
The topic represents an anecdotal representation of a person who has been experiencing similar situations. Each person is always searching for the good, in which they intend to associate their practice, presence, and ideas that are relevant to the practices of a certain individual who has been always seeking to benefit their interests. Relating with similar experiences with others best explains how a person values their past by relating it with the contents and the title of the article. The realization provides a descriptive view that seeks to learn how to improve past actions that suits the best interest of a person’s personality and knowledge. Learning is a continuous process because learning from the p...