Vincent Ryan Ruggiero

VINCENT RYAN RUGGIERO, M.A., is Professor of Humanities Emeritus, State University of New York, Delhi College. Prior to his twenty-nine year career in education, he was a social caseworker and an industrial engineer. The author of twenty-one books, his trade books include Warning: Nonsense Is Destroying America and The Practice of Loving Kindness. His textbooks include The Art of Thinking and Beyond Feelings, both in 10th editions and available in Chinese as well as English, Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues, and A Guide to Sociological Thinking. His latest book, Corrupted Culture: Rediscovering America's Enduring Principles, Values, and Common Sense, is available at Amazon and in bookstores. Professor Ruggiero is internationally recognized as one of the pioneers of the Critical Thinking movement in education. Earlier in his career, he published essays in a variety of magazines and journals, including America, Catholic Mind, The Sign, The Lamp, and Catholic World.

What Do We Really Know?

Many years ago, when I was a college sophomore majoring in Sociology, I took a course in Criminology. The professor was a stern European and he graded in a way I had never previously encountered. It was called “Right Minus Wrong,” meaning that...

The Catholic Hierarchy and the Mideast Conflict

“The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away–and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away...

The Oldest and Strangest Hatred

The hatred of Jews is manifest once again in the massacre of hundreds of Israelis, including unborn children slashed from their mother’s wombs and beheaded before their parents’ eyes. Equally disgusting are the gleeful celebrations of that barbarism...

Trump or Biden? A Not So Difficult Choice

The early phases of the 2024 Presidential campaign are well underway and barring unforeseen events, the final faceoff will be between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Both candidates are known to all Americans. But the truth of what is known varies...

Reflecting on the Middle East Slaughter

Most of us are still struggling to grasp the enormity of the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas. We heard the reports and saw the pictures of what was done to civilians. Families butchered in their beds. Babies decapitated and burned alive with...

Will the Hierarchy Embrace This Wise Counsel?

The four-year Synod of the Catholic Church is nearing completion. It has been described as a “Journey” that is “both a gift and a task” by which the hierarchy, the clergy, and the laity can join together, learn through their experiences, and improve...

Pope Francis’ View of Conservative Catholics

In a conversation with Jesuit priests and students in Portugal on August 28, 2023, Pope Francis answered a number of questions asked by attendees. Several of his answers deserve close evaluation. (It should be noted that The U.S. Conference of...

The Contemporary Fashion of Loving Ourselves

I recently heard a homily in my parish that encouraged parishioners to love themselves. It was not the first time I heard such a statement made from the pulpit, but my reaction was the same as before—disappointment. That was understandable. After...