In his lecture titled "Disability and Social Justice," Tollefsen argued to a full audience of students and faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics that a system of governance founded on natural law theory deals more effectively with disabled individuals than do governments founded on natural law theory.

Tollefsen, currently associate professor of philosophy and director of graduate studies at the University of South Carolina, will also be the recipient of this year's Academic Achievement Award, to be presented at the Alumni Association Awards Dinner on Friday, October 3rd.

The Tollefsen memorial lecture originated in the early 1990s, philosophy department chair Montague Brown told the Crier. Past lecturers have included Joseph Boyle, Pat Lee, and Robert George, and typically address areas of interest to the late Professor Tollefsen, such as ethical law and natural law. Brown credits philosophy Professor James O'Rourke (emeritus) for starting the lecture series.

Earlier in the day, Christopher Tollefsen spoke on "The New Natural Law Theory," where Brown said he presented the outline for what will become a book on the history of natural law.

At Saint Anselm College, Tollefsen studied philosophy, and his wife, Laurie, also class of 1989, majored in great books. Both received their Ph.D.'s in philosophy from Emory and are currently raising eight children. Tollefsen is author or co-author of several books and numerous articles, including Biomedical Research and Beyond: Expanding the Ethics of Inquiry (Routledge, 2008) and Embryo: A Secular Defense of Life (Doubleday, 2008).

This article was published on September 30, 2008 in the Saint Anselm Crier.