Volume 10

“Ten” derives from the same Indo-European root that gives us the Greek deka and the Latin decem. In the creation narrative, the words “God said” appear ten times, foreseeing the Commandments bestowed on humanity. As a symbol, “ten” signifies completeness and totality. Numbers signify the “inner design of [creation’s] fabric”; symbols such as ten direct “to the spirit, the language, and the meaning of creation” (Ratzinger, In the Beginning). These symbols illuminate the intentionality of creation and grasp the pronounced difference it makes to know not only the creation narrative, but the intricacies interwoven within it. Without understanding the biblical nature of “ten,” it is only another number. To truly know the creation story is to know the small but profound “ten.” This is so with all we encounter; to know a song is to know its composer; to know a story is to know its author; to know something is to know its maker.

Whether it is by exploring dimensions of Marian devotion through art, diving into historical court cases on pertinent contemporary issues, or coming to a greater appreciation of World War II America, Inventio’s tenth volume highlights authors who present art, events, and ideas not in isolation but embedded in their origins. In doing so, these authors exhibit not just a fundamental desire for knowledge, but a cultivation of that desire: a care for knowledge. This cultivation directs knowledge toward the intentionality of the world. To never cultivate knowledge is to risk the desire for it turning into indifference rather than finding its place in layer upon layer of the intended world. Careful study illuminates the world around us, accentuating our sense of place. The humanities appeal to us and demand such rigor because they build up our sense of place within the intended world.

This caring attitude is one condition for the cultivation of the virtue on which this jubilee year focuses: hope. Indifference towards knowledge indicates not only a lack of care, but a lack of realization that the world is an intentional place. Benedict XVI notes that “the Ephesians, before their encounter with Christ, were without hope because they were ‘without God in the world’” (Spe Salvi, 3). Looking to the world as created is a leap forward not only in faith (the substance of hope), but also in intellect. No longer are the humanities studying matters of convention. Rather, they allow the learner to tap into continuity with creation, helping them to hope.

Inventio’s tenth year incites hope as each published author—through attentive and careful study—demonstrates an intricate dedication to their object of study. It is inspiring to witness the tenacity with which each author has endeavored to explore complex topics. Through this perseverance, each author is able to guide readers out of their cave toward an accentuated good. We hope that Inventio’s Volume 10 provides its audience with a lens through which to examine a fuller world, one which encompasses the world not in isolation, but through its maker, composer, and divine derivative.

Trinity Ruiz, Editor-in-Chief

Isaac Krom, Associate Editor

Essays

The Secret Life of Things: The Implicit Abundance of Attention and Memory in the Profoundly Mundane Cases of Two Little Brown Loafers and a Silly Girl’s Cluttered Dormitory 

by Lauren McGinn

This essay is an exploration of mundane items that seem at first glance to lack existential meaning or wealth, and items that have implicit histories, which I define as items whose histories are evasive, hold a level of mystery, and require significant work to uncover. By engaging through autoethnographic experiences of lived space and its objects, exploring contemporary scholarship on the stabilization within time and space, and diving into being-in-the-world conceptually, I support Heidegger’s critique of categories, and posit a more existential understanding of space. I maintain that this point places us in a better relationship to our own life, as well as puts us in a deeper, more humanistic connection with others and the meaning of the mundane items in their own consciousness. My hope with this paper was to demonstrate that there is a secret life of things, and that our accounts of space ought to try to include them; otherwise, the things scattered around my room, or a boy’s loafers, are rendered as mere things, and lose their existential importance. 

STABAT MATER DOLOROSA: An Analysis of the Marian Title through the Works of Pergolesi and Sacred Scripture

by Matthew Cutrona

The Blessed Virgin Mary is revered as one of the most famous women in history, immortalized through Marian devotions in song, art, and prayer. The faithful constantly have asked for her maternal intercession. Among her many titles, her title “Queen of Sorrows” is vital in times of suffering and anguish. The Sorrowful Mother, otherwise known as Mater Dolorosa in Latin, is connected to a thirteenth-century lyric poem, Stabat Mater, that depicts the moment that possibly caused the most anguish: seeing her son, Jesus, crucified. Stabat Mater has inspired numerous musical settings, notably by Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. In this paper, I will demonstrate how Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater Dolorosa connects with the Marian Devotion of the Seven Sorrows and how both are crafted to portray Mary’s title of Mater Dolorosa with an account of Mary being the new Rachel from the Old Testament.

THE DEMOCRATIC FAMILY AND WORLD WAR II

By Julia Pandolfi

In the years prior to the United States entrance into World War II, the country had already been grappling with an economic depression for nearly a decade, marked by widespread unemployment, food insecurity, and a growing anxiety about the stability of society in the United States. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his administration attempted to keep American society afloat through programs from the New Deal policy: everyone would have a part to play in helping their country recover from the Great Depression. Through the creation of the New Deal, the idea of the democratic family also emerged; in the ideal American family, everyone within it would also have their role and needed to stick to it to maintain some kind of normalcy. In this family, the democratic mother would maintain normalcy through providing for her family a clean house, hot supper, and childcare. Once the country entered World War II, however, the role of the democratic mother shifted. Now, she was not only responsible for her homely duties, but she also had the weight of the war on her shoulders by working in the wartime factories. 

This paper explores the dynamics of the democratic family and how important it was for policy makers to protect this family model, as well as the fears that circulated if it were to fail. It examines propaganda used to reinforce the mother’s role in the American family and how the democratic family provided a bridge to post-war domesticity. The time has come for the voices of the women who sacrificed their individual wants and needs for the safekeeping of their country during one of its most vulnerable times to be heard.

CONFUSION SURROUNDING THE RIGHTS OF THE MENTALLY ILL: A Look at O’Connor v. Donaldson (1975)

by Mia Beldner

The Supreme Court’s decision in O’Connor v. Donaldson (1975) marked a pivotal moment in addressing the right to treatment for individuals with mental illness. Despite its opportunity to address growing concerns about the right to treatment—a right previously upheld by lower court decisions—the Court focused solely on the right to liberty guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. This paper examines the vague criteria for involuntarily confining individuals with mental illness and their subsequent right to treatment, highlighting the inadequacies of the Court’s ruling in addressing these issues. Analyzing the decision by the Court, this paper argues that the justices prioritized legal precedent over political motivations when making their decision. However, the use of this legal purist lens by the justices has left significant confusion surrounding the rights of the mentally ill, emphasizing a need for clearer legal standards.

THE POWERS AND DANGERS OF KNOWLEDGE: The Nature of Mankind’s Pursuit of Wisdom

by Elizabeth LeMaster

Just because knowledge has the potential to become dangerous, does not mean that it shouldn’t be pursued. Aristotle believed that humans are meant to acquire and foster knowledge, because the rationality of mankind is what separates us from animals. Conversely, Rousseau believed that humans are better off without it, because it originally invited division and inequality into society. I believe that knowledge should certainly be sought after, but the pursuit must be regulated by the intention. Knowledge allows us to thrive as individuals and conceptualize things beyond the senses; however, the purpose of knowledge is to foster the good rather than gain power and control. Therefore, knowledge can, and should, be used for its intended purpose by assuring that the intentions of the individual person are selfless and pure.

AN UNSUSTAINABLE CULTURE: Contributing Factors to the American Fertility Crisis

by Joseph Baranoski II 

Throughout the world, the populations of various countries are stagnating and declining. The total fertility rate (TFR), which represents the average number of children a woman will have over her lifetime, is well below the sustainable level of 2.1 in many nations, including the United States, China, and all of Europe. As birth rates continue to fall around the world, many countries are concerned with the negative effects of population decline, including decreased innovation and economic stagnation. Although some governments have focused on economic incentives to increase fertility, these efforts have not been successful. The “birth dearth” is not a product of economic conditions, but rather a socio-cultural environment that is hostile to the idea of children. In particular, lack of religious beliefs is one of the most important predictors of below replacement fertility. If the United States wants to sustain its population and economy, an organic cultural shift, not top-down government intervention, is needed. Although a pro-natalist societal revolution seems unlikely, even small scale changes, such as giving young people more exposure to children, could be effective measures to slow or reverse fertility decline.