Through the Lens of a Realist Metaphysics: Gender and the Teaching of the Catholic Church

Dear Colleagues,

It would be an understatement to point out that the Catholic Church’s teachings on human sexuality and gender are controversial. Indeed, they have been under dispute for decades. This is understandable. For many, both within the Church and external to it, Her teaching seems patently out of date and unnecessarily restrictive, leading to the conclusion that the Church must be antagonistic and blind to the normal human desire for happiness. One would be justified in asking “why does She persist in the face of the relentless pressure exerted on Her to relent?” 

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive response to those who think the Church is simply ignoring the cries of those She seeks to serve, for, on the contrary, Catholic teaching on these topics is grounded in a fervent hope for authentic human flourishing. The intent here is to offer a systematic analysis of the rationale for Her vision on these hotly contested issues, grounded as it is in both science and in a realist metaphysics of the human person, and to persuade the reader that the Church is manifestly committed to illuminating a path to human happiness. The truth is that Her teachings are grounded in first principles, themselves derived from both reason and revelation, that lead Her to draw different conclusions than those that follow from the prevailing ideologies permeating the culture.

The focus of this Special Issue is an investigation of a comprehensive, robust account of the nature of man and woman, articulated through the lens of the realist metaphysics that informs Catholic teaching on gender and human sexuality more generally. 

Its scope will include a review of the papal pronouncements on the topic but extend well beyond it to other disciplines: neuroscience, biology, and psychology; metaphysics and phenomenology; data from Scripture and theology; as well as analysis grounded in sociological data on the effects of the sexual revolution on the family and human life in recent decades. Initially, the volume will follow philosophical methods, deriving its results from both scientific data and lived experience. These results will then reveal a startling convergence between what can be known through reason on the nature of man and woman and what can be derived about it from theological reflection on Scripture. This will lead to an analysis of the implications of these discoveries for society at large.

This Special Issue will advance the body of literature on this topic by filling a notable lacuna in the Western philosophical tradition more generally, and the Catholic tradition more particularly; namely, the lack of a coherent account of the nature of man in relation to woman and vice versa, their respective identities, their charisms, and their mission in the world. And it will systematically unpack the basis upon which the Catholic Church continues to hold to these controversial positions, even in the face of the enormous pressure exerted upon Her by the culture. 

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor Professor Deborah Savage ([email protected]), or to the Assistant Editor of Religions Evelyn Zeng ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Deborah Savage
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• metaphysics
• philosophical realism
• neuroscience
• gender
• man and woman
• Catholic Church
• human sexuality
• complementarity