Life & Faith

We think we’re fully human when we’re independent of other people. We couldn’t be more wrong, says Leah Libresco Sargeant.
Is dependence taboo?
We may be happy to lend a hand to others, but we probably squirm at the idea of asking for help ourselves. In a world that prizes autonomy and independence, it feels almost shameful to be dependent.
Which is partly why Leah Libresco Sargeant got pushback from her publisher about putting the ‘d’ word – dependence – in the title of her book The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto. (Actually, as she tells Life & Faith, every word in that title proved controversial).
The word ‘dependence’ was especially tricky, says Sargeant, because we resist the idea of someone ‘taking from someone else’ without being able to pay them back.
But this is the very idea Sargeant, a Catholic thinker and author, is trying to defend: ‘There are periods of our lives where we receive from others and where we can’t pay back, and that’s a normal period of a human life’.
Sargeant points out that when we operate with a faulty anthropology – a false picture of the human – then the world only works for those who conform to that false image. If we believe that a full human life is an independent one, we’ll stigmatise dependence.
But this is untrue, since every human begins life completely dependent on others. It also leaves out vast swathes of people – including women who, for a variety of reasons, are more exposed to the need of others. Which is partly why our conversation begins with the striking claim Sargeant makes on the first page of her book: ‘The world is the wrong shape for women’.
Explore
The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto
Leah Libresco Sargeant’s Other Feminisms Substack newsletter
Interview featuring Leah Libresco Sargeant in conversation with Helen Andrews on Ross Douthat’s podcast Interesting Times

Changing careers can be tough. Is it worth the risk?
Shifting careers into something completely new, especially if you have been doing a job for a long time, can be a daunting prospect. But it can also be immensely rewarding. In this episode of Life & Faith we speak to three people who made radical changes in their careers and lived to tell the tale!
A hairdresser trains to be a nurse. A singer shifts to art teaching. A customs agent becomes a paramedic.
What did these changes involve? What was the motivation? Was it all worth the pain? And where do we find the deepest satisfaction in our work?

Philosopher Meghan Sullivan on why Christianity has a vital role to play in helping us maintain our humanity in the face of AI.
With the AI revolution upon us we all face great uncertainty about the future and what this technology will mean for our lives. There will be plenty that we can be grateful for, perhaps excited about.
But there are serious concerns being raised as well. What will this technology mean for future employment, communities and how we understand our humanity?
What do faith traditions, and particularly Christianity, have to contribute to this urgent discussion.
Meghan Sullivan is a professor of philosopher at Notre Dame university in the U.S. and also the founding director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good.
Her institute recently received a very large grant to develop a faith-based approach to AI ethics.
Here Meghan Sullivan speaks to Life & Faith about what concerns she has about AI, the ways it could go badly, but also why she is optimistic about a future with AI firmly in place.
Explore:
Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ethics.nd.edu)
The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the big questions of happiness, faith and meaning.

Kutter Callaway on Comedy, Horror and human imagination.
Since he first encountered Star Wars as a young boy, Kutter Callaway has been fascinated by film, television and the stories that capture our collective imaginations. With PhDs in theology and also psycho-social science, he applies his skill and experience in these areas to interpret visual storytelling and examine key aspects of being human.
What are the factors of modern life that enhance our imaginations? And how much do we find ourselves part of a story that can sustain us and answer our deepest longings?
Kutter Callaway speaks to Life & Faith about comedy, horror and how beauty can be found in even the darkest of places.
Discover:
Dr Callaway’s website https://www.kuttercallaway.com/
His upcoming book on Horror Films, Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals about Facing the Darkness
Reel Dialogue: Pulling back the curtain to see the connection between film and faith.

Social researcher and demographer Mark McCrindle tells us how Australia is changing (and sometimes staying the same). What are the likely impacts of generational shifts and trends?
Mark McCrindle is a social researcher and demographer who has been studying Australian life for twenty years. He and his team have gathered important insights into who we are, what we love, how we have changed and how we have stayed the same. Also, where we are finding meaning, purpose and joy, and what’s driving our behaviour.
Mark discusses with Life & Faith the prevalence and likely causes of loneliness and the place of faith and faith communities in Australian life. Are we more open to spiritual conversations than we once were? In a rapidly changing world what are the positive changes and signs of hope? What are the likely future directions of the country?
Explore:
https://mccrindle.com.au/
Generation Alpha: Understanding our children and helping them thrive
Work Wellbeing: Leading thriving teams in rapidly changing times
Word up: A lexicon and guide to communication in the 21st century
The Generations Defined: Navigating the New Landscape of employees and consumers (report)