Douglas Rasmussen in academic activities at the UFM

Douglas Rasmussen and Douglas J. Den Uyl during the activity for the Philosophy Seminar members

A Socratic breakfast for students and professors, regarding liberalism as an ethical doctrine; a Socratic lunch with the members of the Philosophy Seminar on ethic problems raised by John Rawls; and the presentation of the book Norms of Liberty, for students and philosophy professors, were the activities lead by professor Douglas Rasmussen, from St. Johns University during his visit to Universidad Francisco Marroquín last November 10th 2006.

«Rasmussen plants a novelty theme that, irreverent at the same time, is good for every true academic.  While stating that liberalism is not an ethical doctrine but an answer to a very precise political problem, the related debate with the connections between ethics and liberalism becomes passionate; thus, it is impossible to close the debate thinking in terms of a maximal and minimal ethic.  There are things abroad that return us to a neoaristothelic paradox.  Then, the problem of rights would be a merely esthetic matter», explained David Martínez-Amador, director of the Ibn Khaldun Center, who organized the activity.

Professor Rasmussen is an expert in areas like logic, language philosophy, business ethics and political economy.  He is coauthor of The Catholic Bishops and the Economy: A Debate; and Liberalism Defended: The Challenge of Post Modernity; and Norms of Liberty: A Perfectionist Basis for Non-Perfectionist Politics, written with Douglas J. Den Uyl.

Ph.D. Rassmussen has been Bradley Scholar at the Heritage Foundation and, in 1994 he received the medal for Outstanding Faculty Achievement in St. John’s University.  He is member of the American Philosophical Association and the American Catholic Philosophical Association.

He has a B.A. from the Iowa University, and a Ph.D. from Marquette University.