Bennett Bauer, Editor-in-Chief
This inaugural issue of The Initiative contains six student-written articles, the Regent Thomistic Institute’s 2023-24 annual report, and the Regent English Honors Society’s poetry contest winners. The six articles, ranging from literature analysis to studies on research datasets, are subdivided into two thematic categories: “truth, goodness, and beauty” and “modern society.”
In “E Pluribus Unum,” Elaina Jones writes on the essential role of civic charity in American citizenship, arguing that America has fallen away from the ideals of love of country and neighbor. This essay describes how national unrest, party divisions, lack of community, and generational change have negatively affected America’s sense of citizenship and unity. In order to regain its sense of citizenship, America must revive civic charity in government, community, and citizens.
An anonymously written article entitled “Aquinas, America, and the Order of Preachers” argues that many elements of the American constitutional order, inspired by the English tradition of representation and parliamentary system, can be traced back to the Dominican Order of Preachers, including an emphasis on freedom and popular sovereignty. The American constitutional order finds medieval precedent, inspiration, and sanction in Thomas Aquinas, a member of the Order of Preachers, which was founded by St. Dominic in 1216.
In “William Shakespeare’s Critique of Modern Society,” I write on how the phrase “all that glitters is not gold,” paired with the involvement of Portia in the test of the caskets, acts as the hermeneutical key to understanding The Merchant of Venice. Through Portia, Shakespeare illustrates that Venice, the model modern city of freedom, equality, and promise, is unjust.
The color center of this issue contains the Regent Thomistic Institute chapter’s 2023-24 annual report. The Thomistic Institute, often called the “TI,” is Regent University’s philosophy club, and it acts as the home base for students who want to explore the riches of the Christian intellectual tradition. In spring of 2023, the TI won the AY 2022-23 “Best Student Club,” and in October of 2023, it won “Best Student Club of the Month.” This report, written by Seth Bauer (Chairman), details the Regent chapter’s wide range of events hosted over the past year and its internationally recognized success.
In “Faith Under Fire,” Malena Bendik writes on the repeal of the religious vaccination exemption in New York, evaluating whether or not such a policy change is constitutional. She illustrates that the repeal marks a departure from the established norm by critically examining its implications on personal liberties and constitutional principles.
In “Do Fatherless Childhoods Influence Philosophy?,” Seth Bauer analyzes an original dataset composed of the one-hundred most influential philosophers in history, which includes variables such as age, nationality, date, number of children, “marital status,” “sexual ethics,” and whether the individual adopted a utilitarian, nihilist, or a materialist philosophy. These results suggest that environment (namely, fatherlessness) informs practice (conformity to traditional norms regarding sexual relations), and practice, in turn, influences belief (life philosophy). In short, our choice of ideas is not quite as free as we might think.
In “Split in Two: Intelligence Like Us,” David Ortiz explores the challenges Artificial Intelligence poses to human flourishing, arguing that the pervasive dissemination of AI forces us to consider not only the gains in performance it can provide but also the inherent risks it presents.
Our final section in The Initiative contains the two winning submissions of the poetry competition hosted this year by the Regent English Honors Society (Sigma Tau Delta). A brief explanation of the competition, written by Michaila Shahan (Honors Society President), is graced by a whimsical artistic rendering of John Calvin as a tulip fairy, drawn by Bernadette Bauer.
I am so honored to have been Editor-in-Chief for the inaugural issue of The Initiative. I am very proud of all our writers, editors, and board members, and I pray that the abundant enthusiasm for this undertaking continues to grow. In this issue of The Initiative, each article, report, poem, or piece of art highlights particular aspects of a single theme: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the Modern World.