Chimpanzees, we are told, are the closest relatives to human beings. Indeed, for years scientists claimed that there is only about a one percent difference separating the human genome from that of chimps. Some advocates even claimed that means humans are mostly chimps, or that chimps are mostly human, eroding the principle of human exceptionalism. But research published last year disclosed that the “one percent difference” was badly off the mark and that the true genetic difference between humans and chimps is about 15%. But what does the genetic difference statistic mean scientifically, and whether one percent or fifteen, does it matter morally? Wesley invited one of Discovery Institute’s premier scholars to discuss these new findings and the meaning of it all. …
The struggle over the legality of abortion has roiled the country for more than fifty years. On one side, the pro-life movement insists that innocent life must be protected by the government and in morality from conception to natural death. On the other, “pro-choice” advocates insist that abortion is medical care and that the decision of whether to terminate a pregnancy belongs solely to the mother and her doctor. Few issues have so bitterly divided the country for as long as abortion has, with the exceptions of Abolition and the Civil Rights movements. Pro-life advocates are often stereotyped as being merely pro-birth, that is, only caring for a baby until he or she is born. But is that true? And what drives committed pro-life advocates to expend so much time and energy …
Is evil a metaphysical reality, or is it merely a word we use to describe intentionally destructive behavior or horribly painful outcomes? If evil is real, what is its nature? Can one believe in the existence of evil without having a religious understanding of reality? And if evil does exist, does that mean good must also? My guest today, a priest in the Orthodox Church, has some informed opinions on these questions. The Very Rev. Archpriest Andrew Stephen Damick is Chief Content Officer of Ancient Faith Ministries, the former pastor (2009-2020) of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and author or co-author of The Wolf and the Cross (2025), The Lord of Spirits (2023), and several other books, all from Ancient Faith Publishing. He has been podcasting since …
Whether or not human beings are exceptional is one of the most important questions of our age. Either we have unique value and moral responsibilities, or we are just another animal in the forest, and if that is how we perceive ourselves, it is precisely how we will act. Most contemporary commentary about this crucial issue deny our exceptionalism. But now, making his second appearance on this podcast, Princeton professor Robert P. George has authored an important new book — Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth — which argues in favor of human exceptionalism (although he doesn’t use that term) and grapples with the issues that flow from that important understanding. George holds Princeton University’s celebrated McCormick Professorship of Jurisprudence and is Founder and …
Something has gone terribly wrong with American medicine. The COVID pandemic broke the back of trust in our public health officials. There is an affordability crisis. Medical ethics have degraded to the point that doctors no longer take the Hippocratic Oath. Chronic diseases are on the rise, particularly in children. It has all become such a mess. But what should be done about it? Christ famously said, “Physician, heal thyself.” Is that the answer? Welsey’s guest on this episode of Humanize, Aaron Kheriaty, MD, thinks it is. He has written an important book — Making the Cut: How to Heal Modern Medicine — a fascinating combination of memoir, exposé, and advocacy for reform as the author grapples with the most intractable problems afflicting our healthcare …
