John Cuddeback

John Cuddeback
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John A. Cuddeback is a professor and chairman of the Philosophy Department at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, where he has taught since 1995. He received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America under the direction of F. Russell Hittinger. He has lectured on various topics including virtue, culture, natural law, friendship, and household. His book Friendship: The Art of Happiness was republished in 2010 as True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness. His writings have appeared in Nova et Vetera, The Thomist, and The Review of Metaphysics, as well as in several volumes published by the American Maritain Association. Though raised in what he calls an ‘archetypical suburb,’ Columbia, Maryland, he and his wife Sofia consider themselves blessed to be raising their six children in the shadow of the Blue Ridge on the banks of the Shenandoah. At the material center of their homesteading projects are heritage breed pigs, which like the pigs of Eumaeus are fattened on acorns, yielding a bacon that too few people ever enjoy. His website dedicated to the philosophy of family and household is baconfromacorns.com.

Recent Essays

Belloc on the New Year

"On New Year's Eve, at about quarter to twelve o'clock at night, the master of the house and all that are with him go...

What Aristotle Says about Christmas

My piece at Ethika Politika: Aristotle's Key to Christmas

Aristotle on Talking to Yourself

“The virtuous man wishes to converse with himself.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, IX Conversations with oneself. They could be a sign that something is wrong. But...

Surfing into Forgetfulness

“And wicked men seek for people with whom to spend their days, and shun themselves; for they remember many a grievous deed when they...

You, Child, are Our Bond

“And children seem to be a bond of union.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Moved by these words of Aristotle, I write here... An Open Letter to My...

Living with Former Friends

“Surely he should keep a remembrance of their former intimacy…” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Sometimes it feels like Aristotle foresaw all the vicissitudes of my life....

Leisure Starts at Home

If leisure is the basis of culture, it must first be the basis of home life. So I argue over at Ethika Politika: Leisure as...

The Festivity of the Just

“Men whose justice is straight know neither hunger nor ruin, but amid feasts enjoy the yield of their labors.” Hesiod, Works and Days Festivity. The word...

When Children Resemble Their Fathers

“Fleecy sheep are weighed down with wool, and women bear children who resemble their fathers.” Hesiod, Works and Days In describing “a city that prospers,” Hesiod...

When Scoundrels are Honored

“The man who keeps his oath, or is just and good, will not be favored, but the evildoers and scoundrels will be honored…” Hesiod,...

When Hospitality Vanishes

“…and there will be no affection between guest and host.” Hesiod, Works and Days Ancient Greek literature reveals a striking practice of hospitality. We would...

When Shame Vanishes

“… shame will vanish.” Hesiod, Works and Days Hesiod gives a remarkable description of a degenerate culture by pointing to several of its hallmark characteristics....