On Human Dignity And Suffering | Dr. Paul LaPenna

The Thomistic Institute

Christianity, Religion &Amp; Spirituality, Society & Culture, Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Catholic, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Thomism, Catholicism

4.8 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2022

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This lecture was given to the Johns Hopkins University chapter on March 7, 2022. For more information about upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Dr. Paul LaPenna is a neurologist in Greenville, SC and Associate Professor of Neurology at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Carolinas Campus. Dr. LaPenna completed his neurology residency at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2018. As a neurohospitalist, Dr. LaPenna’s skill set is focused on treatment of neurological emergencies and performing and interpreting electrophysiological studies of the brain and peripheral nervous system. As an Associate Professor of Neurology, Dr. LaPenna has won numerous teaching awards, including Clinical Medicine Professor of the neuroscience curriculum in 2019, 2020, and 2021. For the 2020-2021 academic year, Dr. LaPenna was awarded the Preceptor of the Year. For his care towards patients, he was elected to the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2016. Dr. LaPenna has an interest in the relationship between science and faith—in particular, the relationship between neuroscience and the soul, the overreaching claims of science, and the dignity of the human person, to name a few. Saint Thomas Aquinas has been a major influence in Dr. LaPenna’s intellectual and faith journey. Dr. LaPenna was previously a collegiate runner and now enjoys running recreationally, hiking, and spending time outdoors. Most of all, he loves his wife Nicole and their two daughters, Catherine and Susanna.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This talk is brought to you by the Tamistic Institute.
0:03.2	For more talks like this, visit us at tamistic institute.org.
0:10.6	Today we're going to be discussing human dignity and suffering.
0:16.9	Specifically in regards to human dignity, we're going to talk about what the grounds are for the belief that humans have inherent dignity.
0:24.6	And if humans do have inherent dignity, what difference does it make and how we treat one another?
0:30.6	We're also going to discuss suffering, especially the challenges the reality of suffering or evil pose to belief in a perfectly good God.
0:41.7	Being a physician, a neurologist, I'm going to draw on patient experience or my experience with patients who have various neurological impairments.
0:52.9	So oftentimes in our society, we equate dignity with functionality.
0:59.0	So sometimes that makes disabled people feel marginalized or a burden to society.
1:06.0	So for example, somebody who has had a stroke loses their ability to communicate effectively
1:12.8	or maybe to understand what others are saying or they develop paralysis.
1:17.0	Or someone with Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease develops inability to do certain
1:26.6	exercises that involve reason. You know, they do certain exercises that involve reason.
1:29.6	You know, they have certain movements that they can no longer do.
1:33.7	And then folks with epilepsy, they may have intractable epilepsy and their stigma with that.
1:39.4	And then mental illness, of course, and this wide spectrum of neurological disease and impairment.
1:45.0	However, as I'd like to communicate clearly, hopefully, that these folks maintain their human dignity and their suffering has meaning.
1:54.0	So I'd like to start the conversation with human dignity.
1:59.0	So a deeper consideration of human dignity or the inherent value of human life
2:05.7	arose during my sophomore year of college, so long before becoming a position. So it was a,
2:13.7	you know, kind of this one particular day that I reflect on. I was a, I ran track and field,
2:20.1	and I got up early in the morning that day to go to practice. And I remember the day really well.
	...

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