STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Franciscan University of Steubenville’s student chapter of Young America’s Foundation hosted well-known Catholic journalist Michael Knowles on November 28. Speaking to a sold-out crowd of students, Knowles criticized an ideologically based “fake science” in favor of an authentic Catholic understanding of truth.

The managing editor at The Daily Wire, Knowles hosts The Michael Knowles Show, The Book Club at PragerU, and co-hosts Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. He lectures on college campuses and at research institutions across the country. A regular guest on television news programs, he has written for The Daily Wire, Fox News, the American Mind, the Daily Caller, and the Point, among other outlets.

Knowles’s lecture challenged liberals and conservatives to acknowledge the limitations of a purely scientific worldview and embrace a broader vision of truth.

“The ‘image and likeness of God’ conveys much more precisely the reality of who we are than does carbon and oxygen and 80 percent water,” Knowles told the audience. “It is not the case, as many people mistakenly believe today, that the scientific view of things is objectively true while the philosophical and religious views are mere interesting representations.”

Criticizing the tendency of liberals and conservatives to argue exclusively on the basis of science, Knowles went on to say that “representations become idols when we mistake them for ultimate reality. And while we easily recognize idols in the context of religion, the scientific revolution with its attendant magic and wonders has rendered us oblivious to the ubiquitous idolatry of science.”

“I invited Michael Knowles to campus because he exemplifies what it means to be a devout Catholic conservative in political life,” said Mary-Grace Byers, president of Franciscan’s student chapter of Young America’s Foundation. “Michael sparks thoughtful discussion about our current cultural and political issues, which is something I wanted to bring to Franciscan’s campus.”

Joe Prendergast, a junior philosophy major at Franciscan University and member of the Young America’s Foundation chapter, was among the enthusiastic student audience.

“Michael Knowles represents a much-needed shift away from the libertarian malaise that has dominated the Right in recent decades,” he said. “He speaks with wit, charm, and Catholic faith. It was amazing to meet him.”

Event sponsor Young America’s Foundation (YAF) seeks to inspire young people to become bold advocates for freedom and traditional values on campuses. As the primary outreach organization of the conservative movement, YAF works to educate and inspire thousands of young people to defend individual liberty, limited government, free enterprise, and a strong national defense.