A disputation is a probing, public examination of a controversial question about which faithful minds may be earnestly divided and which hold the promise of spiritual fruit if seriously addressed.

The question “Can it be morally permissible to assert a falsehood in service of a good cause?” is particularly relevant in light of recent undercover sting operations conducted by Live Action, a human rights activist group which exposed Planned Parenthood clinics of illegal activities including helping alleged sex traffickers skirt the law.

Join in the search for the truth with guest philosophers, Dr. Christopher Tollefsen, who asserts that it is never morally acceptable to assert a falsehood and Dr. Christopher Kaczor, who holds that there are circumstances where it is morally permissible. The disputation will take place on Thursday, May 5th from 7:30-9:00pm in the John Roach Center for Liberal Arts Auditorium on the University of Saint Thomas Campus, Saint Paul. Admittance is free. All are welcome.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies Graduate Students, Department of Philosophy and the Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy.

Christopher Kaczor is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University and the author of The Ethics of Abortion: Women’s Rights, Human Life, and the Question of Justice. Christopher O. Tollefsen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and a senior fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. His latest book, co-authored with Robert P. George, is Embryo: A Defense of Human Life (Doubleday, 2008). Tollefsen sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.