Tradition and Authority

From the beginning of the Catholic experience, tradition has guided both the expression and transmission of the faith to successive generations. The Catholic philosopher Alisdair MacIntyre has reminded us that tradition is a historically extended and socially embodied argument. In other words, tradition is a multifaceted, sometimes contentious, but ultimately continuous exploration of what is most important in living and believing. One important component of the Church's tradition is natural law, long thought to be a basis for the Church's emphasis on reason, as it presumes that the basic moral teachings common to all peoples can be understood through the use of reason. This research will explore historically, philosophically, and theologically the meaning and significance of natural law, and its relationship to the foundation and scope of teaching authority in the Catholic Church today. Francis Oakley, medieval historian who is president emeritus of Williams College and of the American Council of Learned Societies, and Michael Lacey, retired director of the Woodrow Wilson's American Studies Program, both members of the Institute's board, are leading this research project.