Author Archives: Bill Schmitt

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About Bill Schmitt

Bill Schmitt is a Catholic journalist, author, educator, and marketing-communications specialist whose recent work can be seen on the Magis Center blog, in the diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Albany, and in commentaries at “Phronesis in Pieces” on the Substack platform and at “OnWord.net”. As a secular reporter/editor, he worked at Gannett Westchester Newspapers, McGraw-Hill, Cahners Business Information, Kiplinger Washington Letter, and Chemical Week magazine. Bill has been an adjunct professor of English and media at several schools, including Fordham University and the U of Notre Dame. Full bio: Click "About" at billschmitt.substack.com

Colleges Teach Quantum Civics—Mechanics to Help People Talk

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

There are signs of a hopeful movement spreading on university campuses. New projects are promoting a renaissance of civic engagement to civilize the fractious, volatile conversations in America’s public square. It seems the trend should be in full stride at … Continue reading →

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Phronesis on Stun! Great Treks Look Forward and Back

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

The Star Trek franchise has lived long and prospered, but Earth still needs to watch the sequels regularly to keep its mood elevated. Sixty years after the first broadcast of the original series, the latest program in the continuum, “Starfleet Academy,” has … Continue reading →

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As AI Threatens Jobs, Humanity Has Workarounds

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

Lots of folks are afraid of losing their jobs because of artificial intelligence. Yes, changes in the workplace will indeed make life more tumultuous, but this fear of decay shouldn’t paralyze anyone ready to react constructively. Our society, flirting with … Continue reading →

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A “Magnifica Movement”—Born on the 4th of July?

Posted on July 4, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

As America turns 250, there’s no better time to spark a revival of our nation’s commitment to human dignity. One essential element of a new beginning would be an appreciative review of our remarkable history, with the Declaration of Independence … Continue reading →

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‘We are Parthians, Medes and Elamites … and Claude?’

Posted on May 13, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

AI’s biggest contributions to human wisdom may be the questions it poses, not the answers it generates. News headlines about developments in artificial intelligence are sparking hopes and fears, alliances and disputes. We sense more keenly the need to anticipate … Continue reading →

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Speaker at RPI: Immigration Sets a Fast Pace for Theology

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

This news article for The Evangelist, the newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, was posted on April 15. By William Schmitt As society struggles to care for today’s immigrants with dignity and diligence, a priest-scholar told a local audience last week that … Continue reading →

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Inform Those Consciences—The Exams are Getting Harder

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

In the 2025 documentary film “The Age of Disclosure,” we watch Luis Elizondo—a former senior intelligence official who leads the push for government transparency about UAP investigations—as he reads instructive words engraved on the Jefferson Memorial. America’s third president had … Continue reading →

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Frantic Times Need St. Francis, a Patron for Animals … and Humans

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

Your pilot for these past several years of verbal flights into “Phronesis” happens to be a member of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). I made my lifetime-profession into that canonically recognized “third order” of laypeople during the summer of 2001. … Continue reading →

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World Communications Day Message Outlines AI’s Risks for Humans

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

An updated version of this article, with papal quotes from the Vatican website’s official translation, posted more recently, is available at the Substack publication here. The message of Pope Leo XIV for the Vatican’s 2026 World Day of Social Communications, … Continue reading →

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Words of the Year: Defining Our Loss of Definitude

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

Seldom is heard a discouraging word, but we might admit our malaise after five dictionary publishers revealed their selections of the 2025 “Word of the Year.” The common theme those selections conveyed was a worrisome view of cognitive pollution in … Continue reading →

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