Almost a Blasphemy For Vatican theologians, the imagined obsolescence of humanity is not a historical prospect to be welcomed or feared, but an intellectual error to be avoided.

For Vatican theologians, the imagined obsolescence of humanity is not a historical prospect to be welcomed or feared, but an intellectual error to be avoided.

New from @kevjg.bsky.social:

Wittgenstein’s Apocalypse Ludwig Wittgenstein believed the age of technology would be the beginning of the end for humanity. The increasing ubiquity of AI may prove him right.

Thoughtful piece by Alexander Stern on AI. I think we'll see a return to philosophy of mind and language in coming years. Arguments about AI "cognition" are fundamentally vulnerable to critiques such as those from Wittgenstein www.commonwealmagazine.org/wittgenstein...

Here’s someone who knows their stuff drawing on the writing (& spirit) of Wittgenstein to expose the shortcomings of chatbots as substitute humans

Where i recently stopped at tentative Qs, @alexwstern.bsky.social drives through to apocalyptic conclusions

www.commonwealmagazine.org/wittgenstein...

I wrote about Wittgenstein and whether AI can mean @commonwealmagazine.org

www.commonwealmagazine.org/wittgenstein...

The April issue is here! Feat.:
- @susanbreynolds.bsky.social on Easter and cynicism
- @alexwstern.bsky.social on AI
- A conversation between Patti Smith and @antoniospadaro.bsky.social
- @heidischlumpf.bsky.social on women's ordination
And more!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/issues/2026-...

I wrote about Wittgenstein and whether AI can mean @commonwealmagazine.org

www.commonwealmagazine.org/wittgenstein...

Here and Now Ann Lee's truest testament was the Shaker community’s practice of care across the boundaries of kinship, gender, and race.

"Ann Lee's truest testament was the Shaker community’s practice of care across the boundaries of kinship, gender, and race."

Vincent Miller reflects on 'The Testament of Ann Lee':

No Stretch Paul Thomas Anderson’s strength as a director resides in the way he pays lavish attention to the surface of things. (From 2025)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s strength as a director resides in the way he pays lavish attention to the surface of things.

Rand Richards Cooper on 'One Battle After Another':

Hope in a Post-Secular Age From 2025: The work of Jürgen Habermas suggests that secular modernity, which is threatening to spin out of control, needs its sister religion now more than ever.

From 2025: The work of Jürgen Habermas suggests that secular modernity, which is threatening to spin out of control, needs its sister religion now more than ever.

'Hope in a Post-Secular Age'

theamericanscholar.org/who-is-thin...

"It is no accident that interest in this new science of consciousness has exploded as participation in mainstream religion has plummeted." good review of new Michael Pollan consciousness book by TM Luhrmann in @amscholar

"AI is a loaded gun in the hands of children." Good piece in @commonweal.bsky.social by @johnslatteryphd.bsky.social

Beyond Transactional The question facing Trump-supporting Evangelicals in 2026 is whether they’ve so internalized a MAGA political identity that no amount of wrongdoing can shake it.

The question facing Trump-supporting Evangelicals in 2026 is whether they’ve so internalized a MAGA political identity that no amount of wrongdoing can shake it.

John Fea: 'Beyond Transactional'
www.commonwealmagazine.org/fea-trump-ev...

In a new WaPo-ABC poll, 79% of Democrats say they are certain to vote in November, compared to 65% of Republicans.

The largest gap in that question since 2006.

(You're basically seeing exactly this in special election after special election.) www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The March issue is here! Feat.:
- @regmunch.bsky.social & Patricia Hampl on the crisis in Minnesota
- The Editors on Epstein
- Frederick Bauerschmidt on Erik Varden's theology
- @heidischlumpf.bsky.social interviews John Carr
And more!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/issues/2026-...

Things Will Get Better Before They Get Worse For Bernard Lonergan, the drama of human history is—even right now, even in the United States—in the process of being redeemed by God through grace.

My piece on Lonergan’s philosophy of history, “Things Will Get Better Before They Get Worse,” is live now in @commonweal.bsky.social

Both @gelliottmorris.com & @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org get shout outs in this one, btw. www.commonwealmagazine.org/heaps-jonath...

I wrote about how studying Marx, the Black Radical tradition, and the Cappadocian Fathers led me to rediscover my faith, forgive the woman who killed my mother, embrace prison abolition, and champion the idea that none are saved unless *all* are saved!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/forgiving-my...

Things Will Get Better Before They Get Worse For Bernard Lonergan, the drama of human history is—even right now, even in the United States—in the process of being redeemed by God through grace.

"Crises heighten practical attention and hone common sense at the same time as they prompt a more diffuse kind of stupidity."

@jonathanrheaps.bsky.social on how Bernard Lonergan can help us make sense of our chaotic historical moment:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/heaps-jonath...

We’ve given the 'Commonweal' website a refresh.

In a moment of cultural chaos and rising authoritarianism, we want the site to be a haven for sustained reflection—one that reflects the full range of our coverage.

Check out the new Commonwealmagazine.org, and let us know what you think!

Extrajudicial executions, extortionate tariffs, multibillion-dollar bailouts: the editors of @commonweal.bsky.social on Trump's thuggish, self-aggrandizing, know-nothing actions in Latin America

Ever Inward | Anthony Domestico A biography of the poet Amy Clampitt shows how poetry germinated throughout her life and blossomed in a late-career flourishing.

My piece on the late flowering of Amy Clampitt’s poetry for @nybooks.com

www.nybooks.com/articles/202...

It's @commonweal.bsky.social 101! What better way to help celebrate our 101st year than by making a gift or signing up for a subscription on this Commonweal Tuesday? Your support is what keeps us going! And tell your friends too...
subscribe.commonwealmagazine.org/CMW/?f=donat...

I wrote about the decline of inner life in the latest issue of @commonweal.bsky.social
www.commonwealmagazine.org/inner-life-t...

The November issue is here! Feat:
- Lauren Kane on St. Godric
- Alexander Stern on technology and deculturation
- An interview with Brandon Taylor
- The Editors on Leo & care for the poor
And more!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/issues/2025-...

The Archbishop of New York Should Know Charlie Kirk Was No Saint Cardinal Dolan’s recent remarks on Fox News were playing to the Catholic Church’s most reactionary elements.

Like many, I was surprised to hear a Catholic cardinal compare Charlie Kirk to St. Paul... Thankful to @thenation.com for asking me to identify some of the problems with this
www.thenation.com/article/soci...

The new Supreme Court term starts today, meaning that -- in a novel twist -- the justices will hear oral arguments in some cases before they issue rulings that actually explain what they are doing.

Commonweal is hiring!

Join the life of the magazine as Director of Advancement or Business & Operations Manager.

Learn more about both positions today:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/positions-av...

Robed Collaborators The Roberts court isn’t just cooperating with an authoritarian regime—it is adopting authoritarian tactics of its own.

The Roberts court isn’t just cooperating with an authoritarian regime—it is adopting authoritarian tactics of its own.

From the desk of The Editors:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-tr...

I wrote about philosopher Frédéric Gros's new book on shame in the @washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...

Salvation & ‘The Sopranos'

Eighteen years ago today, the final episode of 'The Sopranos' aired. To mark the occasion, we're sharing a remarkable exploration by theologian and legal scholar Cathleen Kaveny of the show's vision of redemption, salvation, and fate.

Give it a read!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/salvation-%E...