Introducing the new CWR column “Rational Animals”

Yesterday’s CWR feature, “Making the Case for Catholic Education”, marked the debut of a regular column here at Catholic World Report. The column is titled “Rational Animals”, and the columnist is Dr. Christopher S. Morrissey, who is a Fellow of the Adler-Aquinas Institute who lectures in logic and philosophy at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia.

Dr. Morrissey is also an Associate Member of the Inklings Institute of Canada. He has translated an edition of Hesiod’s ancient Greek poetry (available from Talonbooks) and he teaches the Great Books for the Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program at angelicum.net.

The new column will focus on current events and popular controversies, as well as Catholic education. “Logic is one of the liberal arts, but God knows we rational animals often fall short of using that art as we should,” says Dr. Morrissey. “My desire is to bring forth wisdom from the Catholic intellectual tradition that will help put today’s follies into their ultimate perspective: sub specie aeternitatis. As the logicians were wont to point out, the rational animal is the animal that is capable of laughter. In this new feature, we humans may perhaps learn how best to read the current headlines; namely, by learning to laugh good-naturedly at ourselves.”

Dr. Morrissey has written several other previous pieces for CWR, including reviews of recent releases of Benedictine chant, an interview with noted philosopher and author Roger Scruton, and a tribute to philosopher René Girard. 


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Carl E. Olson 1229 Articles
Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the "Catholicism" and "Priest Prophet King" Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. His recent books on Lent and Advent—Praying the Our Father in Lent (2021) and Prepare the Way of the Lord (2021)—are published by Catholic Truth Society. He is also a contributor to "Our Sunday Visitor" newspaper, "The Catholic Answer" magazine, "The Imaginative Conservative", "The Catholic Herald", "National Catholic Register", "Chronicles", and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @carleolson.