Providing a Forum of Inquiry into
the Relation of Law to Culture and the Human Good
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The Center for Law, Philosophy and Culture exists to promote inquiry into the role of law in relation to culture and culture’s orientation to the human good. The scope of its inquiry is both theoretical and practical. In its theoretical aspect, the Initiative aims to contribute to the academic fields of jurisprudence, the philosophy of law and Christian political and social ethics. In its practical dimension, it seeks to foster the renewal and transformation of culture, under contemporary circumstances, through law and law reform. The Center's goals and objectives are set out in its Statement of Purpose.

As an offering of the Catholic University of America, the Center includes, within its scope, the exploration of questions of culture from the perspective of the social teaching of the Second Vatican Council and of the popes from Leo XIII to Benedict XVI.  In these sources, human culture is seen as meriting respect as the expression a people gives to basic human values in forms emerging under  unique and concrete circumstances according to the group’s temperament and inclination. In this vision, laws and legal institutions, in particular, are themselves cultural phenomena. The Church asserts that by studying the cultural form of laws and legal institutions, one learns more about a culture’s relation to basic human values; and, that, by critiquing culture in relation to those values, one can contribute to its renewal and transformation.

In pursuit of its goals, the Center coordinates academic conversation between legal scholars and scholars in such adjunct disciplines as philosophy, theology, history, literature, the arts, and politics. As such, it seeks to foster cooperation among relevant schools and departments of the University. Where legal specializations are concerned, the Center’s multi-disciplinary discourse can be said to fall within the ambit of the legal specialization of jurisprudence, so that the Center aims to foster the conditions that will allow the Catholic University of America to serve effectively as a forum for discussion and debate in jurisprudence. In keeping with contemporary global trends, it seeks a scope for this discussion and debate that is both national and international. The Center pursues the international dimension of its activities through its university and culture project.

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