Defining the Common Good
Class | Registration opens 8/31/2026 8:58 AM EDT
Registration deadline: Nov. 30th
How does an open society define the social and common good? Is faith necessary to define that good? How important is respect for law and for natural law? Can a truly open society also be truly just? How important is information and an informed public? Can the state be just? Can war be just? We will explore these and other questions in lectures and class discussions.
Two books will be used in this class (though they are not required and therefore not included in the class price): Magnificent Humanity by Pope Leo XIV (recommended to read before class) and Man and the State by Jacque Maritain. Students can read as much and deeply as they want or as little as they want. Of course, the more you put into the course the more you will get out. But even a student who does not do all the reading is welcome to come to class, listen and participate.
Keith C. Burris, Ph.D. wrote for the Toledo Blade from 1986 to 1988 and again from 2013 to 2022. His most recent position was Editorial Director and Vice President of Block Newspapers. In addition to writing for several other newspapers, Keith has also taught at Washington & Jefferson College, the University of Hartford, Trinity College, and West Virginial University.