Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Theology, Linguistics, & More

Do good intentions make acts good, or do we need something more? Did we simply evolve morality as a beneficial social system? Are relativists really just the most judgmental people of all time? Find out as we continue discussing Peter Kreeft's  A Refutation of Moral Relativism , examining even more common arguments for moral relativism and how easily they are refuted! Follow us on Twitter! ht...

Does Jesus just  get us, or does he call us to something more? Is He really all about tolerance, or is there an objective truth beyond that? Join us as we discuss how our values aren't just ingrained in us by society, why absolutists promote freedom more than relativists, and how those proclaiming that everyone needs to be tolerant really aren't tolerant at all! We also puzzle over how s...

"Be better:" the new horrible slogan for Unlimited Opinions! In this episode, we look at Peter Kreeft's answer to one of the most difficult objections to moral absolutism: if there are absolute moral truths, why have there been cultures with wildly different moral norms? We examine his answer of this argument asserting its own conclusion as part of its evidence, how different societ...

Does the existence of a moral conscience prove moral absolutism right? This is the question on the table as we continue reading Peter Kreeft's  A Refutation of Moral Relativism . We discuss the four sources of data for moral absolutism (our conscience, our interpersonal understandings, our language, and human history) to see if they back up the difficult position of the absolutist! We also ta...

Introducing our new product: Unlimited Opinions Deconstructed Peanut Butter!* Join us as we look at the history of relativism according to Peter Kreeft, beginning with the devil in the Garden of Eden, the rise of nominalism, and the eventual prominence of complete Deconstruction. We also talk much about how language shows us the truth, the ill effects of relativism in the modern day, and the impor...

In this episode, we find a new favorite feature of the podcast: relative buzzing! We also continue looking at Peter Kreeft's conversation between an absolutist and relativist, this time examining how exactly to define moral relativism, separating it out from metaphysical, epistemological, and religious relativism. We also discuss how we're facing a new, dangerous form of epistemological...

Season Premiere! Join us as we begin discussing Peter Kreeft's wonderfully written  A Refutation of Moral Relativism: Interviews with an Absolutist . In this episode, we talk about the structure of the book and Kreeft's use of the dialogue format, the importance of truth in a society, whether our current society is truly relativist or just another flavor of absolutist, and how we got to...

Happy New Year! Join us as we have a more free-form discussion not attached to a particular Season of Unlimited Opinions! We look back at some of our highlights from 2023, including reading James Hitchcock's History of the Catholic Church and Austin Freeman's Tolkien Dogmatics , and especially our first episode of Unlimited Guests where we were fortunate enough to host Dr. Freeman himsel...

We end Season 6 on a fitting note: the aftermath of Vatican II and a crisis in Catholicism! Join us as we talk about the continuing fights between aggiornamento and ressourcement , the decline in vocations and obedience, and the overall issues with the conciliar spirit. We also discuss Pope Francis' recent statement on blessing same-sex couple, go on many rants, and discuss our new favorite s...

The long-awaited discussion on Vatican II! In this episode, we look at the theological current preceding the Council, the different core blocs in the proceedings, and what the Council actually decided. We realize that Vatican II really mandated very little, but left much up to interpretation, which has led to widespread confusion and a crisis in the Church since then. We also talk about our own il...

Finishing our discussions on the modern English-speaking countries, we focus here on the United States and Australia! We discuss the "phantom heresy" of Americanism, the Church's position on social issues, the connections between Catholicism and politics, and a lot about abortion! We also go off on many side tangents, including about how we are distantly related to one of Notre Dame...

Join us as we discuss the history of Catholicism in Canada and the United States! We look at Quebec's rise to the most Catholic society on Earth and its eventual fall; the three ethnic zones of the United States, being the English East Coast, the French Mississippi Valley, and the Spanish Southwest; and how Catholics viewed slavery in the U.S. We also discuss our future plans to rename the Mi...

Wow, the Jesuits really went everywhere! Join us as we look at the missionary efforts of the Catholic Church from the Mongols to the modern day. We discuss the conquistadors in Latin America, St. Francis Xavier in India, Matteo Ricci in China, and much more. We especially examine the cultural differences between Catholics and various countries, particularly human sacrifice in South America, the In...

From World War I to the Spanish Civil War to World War II, we cover some of the worst periods for the Catholic Church (and for humanity) in this episode. We start by discussing St. John Henry Newman and the fight against modernism, then look at the First Vatican Council, and then how the Church dealt with both liberal democracies and communist and fascist totalitarianisms with the principle of cor...

Maybe John Bosco just carried around really smelly bread, and that's where Bosco sticks came from! You can hear this groundbreaking idea and many more in this episode, as we look at the first half of James Hitchcock's chapter on how the Catholic Church dealt with the issues of modernity. We look at the rise of conservatism, liberalism, nationalism, and socialism; the end of the papal sta...

Do "enlightened" and "inclusive" really just mean the same thing? Find out as we discuss the French Revolution! We break down the scientific revolution that led to the rise of Deism, the assaults on the Jesuits prior to the Revolution, and all the horrors of the Terror. We especially look at how these events and the rhetoric of the Revolutionaries resembles the modern political...

A rare in-person episode! Join us as we look into the beginnings of the scientific revolution and what that meant for Church history. We look at new ways that politics plays into religion, various degrees of religious toleration, some great saints, the rise of Jansenism, and more! And as to be expected with in-person episodes, we go on plenty of tangents, including about the issues with modern Cla...

In this episode (as in all the others), we look at why the Catholics are correct! We continue our discussion on the Reformation, this time looking at English and French political history, persecution, toleration, the Inquisition, the Council of Trent, and much more. We also compare these events in Church history to the modern controversies of the Council of Vatican II, the ongoing Synod of Synodal...

We  really  don't like predestination! Join us as we look at the history of the Catholic Church during the Reformation! In this episode, we discuss the Fifth Lateran Council, the Jesuits, the rise of Lutheranism, the teachings of Zwingli and Calvin, and much more. We also find a way to rant about Covid and the most recent Republican presidential debate! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.c...

Wow, some of these popes really sucked! Join us as we look at the decline and rebirth of the Roman Catholic Church from 1300 to 1500. We discuss the Great Western Schism, heterodox movements, the Black Death, Joan of Arc, humanism, Michelangelo, and much more! This period of time faces some of the greatest lows of the Catholic Church and some of the greatest highs, and so makes for a very interest...

In this episode, we find out that words are really hard to say! We break down the history of the Eastern Catholic Church and its eventual schism, becoming what we now know as the Eastern Orthodox. We look at the political background and disagreements that lead to the Great Schism, the events of the Schism itself, and the current Eastern Rites that have since been reunited with Rome. We also really...

The history of indulgences may not be what you think! In this episode, we continue our discussion of the Middle Ages, looking at the Crusades, the development of the Liturgy, and the intellectual renaissance! We break down St. Thomas Aquinas' theological writings, look into why the Crusades were so popular, and discuss the sacraments, holy architecture, and Dante's Divine Comedy. As alwa...

A societal revival and a long rant on what our lives mean after we die! Join us as we discuss all this in more in another two part episode, now looking at the next 500 years after the Dark Ages. In this episode, we discuss how all of medieval life was directed towards the salvation of souls, the two swords doctrine, the various anti-popes and reform movements, the development of Canon Law, the ori...

This chapter was so dense that we still had over an hour's worth of thoughts for the second episode! Join us as we look at the rest of the Dark Ages, specifically covering the Vikings, the decline of Western culture, the theology of the Dark Ages, the continuing formation of the liturgy, and much more! We of course keep asking the central question: were the Dark Ages truly dark? Follow us on...

The first two-parter in Unlimited Opinions history! Join us as we look at the Catholic Church during the Dark Ages, beginning with the fall of Rome, the conversions of the various barbarian tribes, the invasion of the Muslims, and the low point of papal history! Throughout this episode, we continuously ask whether or not the Dark Ages were truly dark, given the presence of strong theological cente...