While Rana Lehr-Lehnardt’s guest run continues, Times & Seasons is happy to introduce our next guest blogger, Ralph Hancock.
Ralph is a long-time professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Calvin and the Foundations of Modern Politics, as well as of numerous edited volumes, articles and chapters. His forthcoming book, The Responsibility of Reason (Rowman & Littlefield), addresses the meaning and limits of reason through a triangulation involving de Tocqueville, Heidegger and Strauss. Ralph has also translated three books (including one with his son Nathaniel) and numerous chapters and articles from French, and has organized and directed more than a dozen scholarly conferences and colloquia concerning philosophical and religious dimensions of public issues. He holds degrees from BYU and from Harvard University.
Ralph is also the founder and president of the John Adams Center for The Study of Faith, Philosophy and Public Affairs, which aims to resist the narrowing of the notion of “reason” to the blind expansion of certain purported “rights” and instead encourage the exploration of the philosophical and religious dimensions of public issues so as to enrich individual understanding and public debate. Just this past weekend, the John Adams Center sponsored an academic symposium in Duck Beach, North Carolina on “Mormons and the Public Square.”
As if this was not enough, Ralph recently helped to found the online journal SquareTwo, which focuses on LDS thought concerning the important issues of the world today. SquareTwo is meant as a forum on current issues for those building upon “square one,” the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
To top it off, Ralph is also no stranger to the blogosphere, serving as a contributing editor to the Postmodern Conservative blog hosted by First Things.
Ralph and his wife Julie are parents of five children and eight grandchildren. When he is not “actively engaged” in his various pursuits, Ralph calls Provo home.
I am looking forward to this. Might have to come out of my recent retirement for Ralph’s posts.
Well this will be fun, I had Dr. Hancock as a professor myself. I’ve still got Beneton on my shelf Dr. Hancock, right next to Quantum Theory of Fields! (I’m letting Equality by Default duke it out with Steven Weinberg over the best approach to understanding the universe. :) )
Wow. I regularly read Postmodern Conservative. I remember a few posts where it became clear one of you were Mormon. Cool. I’ve been reading PC since before it moved to First Things.
So the obvious question – what kind of Postmodern are you? (Hate the term myself)
Heh. I have that same book Joseph although mine is sitting beside Blake’s three volumes on Mormon theology.
Excellent.
I am looking forward to this. Might have to come out of my recent retirement for Ralph’s posts.
And I would add that Ralph was a great high priest group leader too when I was in the same ward as him.