Author Archive: Dr. Donald DeMarco
Dr. Donald DeMarco is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario; a Visiting Scholar, Holy Apostles College and Seminary; a Distinguished Visiting Teacher, St. Hyacinth College, Granby, Massachusetts; Faculty Member at: Catholic Bible College of Canada; St. Joseph’s College, Edmonton; Mater Ecclesiae, Rhode Island; Domus Mariae, Rhode Island; John Paul II Institute, Melbourne, Australia; and a Lecturer for the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, Cambridge, Ontario.
He is the author of 21 books, including, How to be Virtuous in a Not-So-Virtuous World with Fr. Bill McCarthy, MSA (Los Angeles, CA: Queenship, 2007); several hundred articles in scholarly journals and in anthologies, and articles and essays appearing in other journals and magazines and in newspapers; and innumerable book reviews in a variety of publications.
His education includes: B.S. Stonehill College, North Easton, MA 1959 (General Science); A.B. Stonehill College, 1961 (Philosophy); Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, 1961-2 (Theology); M.A. St. John's University, Jamaica, NY, 1965 (Philosophy); and Ph.D. At. John's Univ., 1969 (Philosophy). His Master's dissertation was "The Basic Concept in Hegel's Dialectical Method" and his Doctor’s dissertation was "The Nature of the Relationship between the Mathematical and the Beautiful in Music".
He is married to Mary Arendt DeMarco and they have five children.
The Nature of Forgiveness — Is it Humanly Possible?
The exalted nature of forgiveness is attested to by the fact that it presupposes a number of other virtues. Consider three virtues in particular: justice, clemency, and mercy. Justice has the nature of an equation: Borrowing 10 dollars requires returning 10 dollars. When justice is violated, punishment or restitution of some kind is required. Herein [...]
The Godliness of Motherhood
According to a Jewish proverb, “God could not be everywhere, so He made mothers.” This is a fine, enduring sentiment. I do think, however, that by reversing the statement we come closer to the truth: “God could be everywhere and proved it by creating mothers.” This image is consistent with the American novelist William Makepeace [...]
The Hand of Hope
In the year 1508, Pope Julius II ordered a reluctant Michelangelo Buonarroti — who considered himself a sculptor and not a painter—to paint the huge vault of the Sistine Chapel, which, since the time of Sixtus IV, displayed nothing more resplendent than a blue field sprinkled with golden stars. Despite his initial reluctance, Michelangelo soon [...]
The Virtue of Fairness
It may very well be that the first moral judgment a child utters is “That’s not fair!” Virtually all studies on the subject report that children as young as four already have an active and flourishing sense of fairness. The difference between fairness and justice, though subtle, is pivotal in the area of virtue education. [...]
Marriage is Both Biblical and Natural
A group of Pharisees came to Jesus hoping to trap Him on the issue of marriage and divorce. First, they asked, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” They were scheming to find at least one exemption that would allow for divorce. But Jesus turned their attention to the authority of the [...]
Worlds Apart
I am a father and a philosopher. This is not necessarily an unusual combination, but it does give me a range of interests that spans two rather distinctive worlds. I am interested in the family, its challenges and rewards, its hard work and its joyful celebrations. As a philosopher, I am interested in an array [...]
Seven Deadly Fallacies in Pro-Abortion Arguments
We are rational animals, let us reiterate. This is not a matter for debate. In fact, it explains why people have developed a long list of invectives for those whose thoughts and actions deviate noticeably from a rational standard: “airhead,” “blockhead,” “knucklehead,” “lunkhead,” “dimwit,” “moron,” “idiot,” “lamebrain,” “dumbbell,” “dolt,” “not the sharpest knife in the [...]
The Nature of Forgiveness — Humanly Possible?
The exalted nature of forgiveness is attested to by the fact that it presupposes a number of other virtues. Consider three virtues in particular: justice, clemency, and mercy. Justice has the nature of an equation: Borrowing 10 dollars requires returning 10 dollars. When justice is violated, punishment or restitution of some kind is required. Herein [...]
On the Importance of Stretching
The center of the Sistine Chapel depicts an image that has been over-utilized to the point of becoming a cliché. Nonetheless, its meaning is still worth revisiting, for it encapsulates the central drama between God and man. An energetic God-the-Creator thrusts his hand toward a reclining Adam. His intended beneficiary, however, recoils. His hand droops. [...]
On the Importance of Laughter
Australian aborigines have a most imaginative myth that speaks to both the importance and to the elusiveness of laughter. They envisioned a Giant Frog who had swallowed all the waters of the world. Since life cannot continue without water, a dire predicament had been created. The only solution lay in making the Frog laugh, an [...]
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