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The Thomistic Institute

The Thomistic Institute

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Good, Evil and Science | Fr. James Brent, OP

This talk was offered on February 16th, 2019 at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was one of the talks offered at the "Faith, Science and Nature Conference" co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute, the Scala Foundation and PTS.For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1Speaker Bio:Fr. James Dominic Brent, O.P. was born and raised in Michigan. He pursued his undergraduate and graduate studies in Philosophy, and completed his doctorate in Philosophy at Saint Louis University on the epistemic status of Christian beliefs according to Saint Thomas Aquinas. He has articles in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Natural Theology, in the Oxford Handbook of Thomas Aquinas on “God’s Knowledge and Will”, and an article forthcoming on “Thomas Aquinas” in the Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology. He earned his STL from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, and was ordained a priest in the same year. He taught in the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America from 2010- 2014, and spent the year of 2014-2015 doing full time itinerant preaching on college campuses across the United States. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.

Feb 19, 20191h 10m

Boundaries of Humanity: Humans, Animals, & Machines in the Age of Technology | Prof. William Hurlbut

This talk was offered on February 15th, 2019 at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was the keynote address for a 2 day conference on "Faith, Science and Nature" co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute, the Scala Foundation and PTS.For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1Speaker Bio:William B. Hurlbut, MD, is Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Scholar in Neurobiology at the Stanford Medical School. After receiving his undergraduate and medical training at Stanford University, he completed postdoctoral studies in theology and medical ethics, studying with Robert Hamerton-Kelly, the Dean of the Chapel at Stanford, and subsequently with the Rev. Louis Bouyer of the Institut Catholique de Paris.His primary areas of interest involve the ethical issues associated with advancing biomedical technology, the biological basis of moral awareness, and studies in the integration of theology with the philosophy of biology. He is the author of numerous publications on science and ethics including the co-edited volume Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue (2002, Oxford University Press), and “Science, Religion and the Human Spirit” in the Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (2008). He was also co-chair of two interdisciplinary faculty projects at Stanford University, “Becoming Human: The Evolutionary Origins of Spiritual, Religious, and Moral Awareness” and “Brain, Mind, and Emergence.”In addition to teaching at Stanford, he has also worked with NASA on projects in astrobiology and was a member of the Chemical and Biological Warfare Working group at the Center for International Security and Cooperation. From 2002-2009 Dr. Hurlbut served on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is the author of “Altered Nuclear Transfer” (2005, Stem Cell Reviews) a proposed technological solution to the moral controversy over embryonic stem cell research.Dr. Hurlbut serves as a Steering Committee Member of the Templeton Religion Trust.

Feb 18, 20191h 12m

Are Science and Religion Compatible? | Fr. Michael Dodds, OP

This lecture was given by Fr. Michael Dodds, O.P. for our chapter at the University of Arizona on Jan 30th, 2019, and was co-sponsored by the Faith and Science Forum.For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: www.thomisticinstitute.org

Feb 15, 201947 min

Tolkien's Perilous Beauty | Prof. David O'Connor

This event was hosted at Baylor University, on February 7th, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1About the Speaker:David K. O’Connor is a faculty member in the departments of Philosophy and of Classics at the University of Notre Dame. His teaching and writing focus on ancient philosophy, aesthetics, ethics and politics, and philosophy of religion. Dr. O’Connor is an acclaimed teacher and lecturer. His online lectures on love and sexuality have reached a wide international audience, and are the basis of his two recent books, Love is Barefoot Philosophy (in Chinese translation, 2014) and Plato’s Bedroom: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love(2015). He has also published extensively on the relation between philosophy, art, and literature, in both the ancient and the modern world.

Feb 14, 20191h 14m

The Need for Catholic Intellectuals Today | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.

This talk was given on February 7th, 2018 at St. Saviour's Church, Dublin. For more information about upcoming TI events in North America visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/For Europe, visit: angelicum.it/thomistic-institute/thomistic-events/Speaker Bio:Fr. Thomas Joseph White is the Director of the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum. He did his doctoral studies at Oxford University, and has research interests in metaphysics, Christology, Trinitarian theology, and the theology of grace. His books include The Incarnate Lord, A Thomistic Study in Christology (2015) and The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism (2017). He is co-editor of the academic journal Nova et Vetera and in 2011 was appointed an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Feb 13, 20191h 13m

Being Religious in a Post-Medieval World: Spinoza, Paschal and Thomas | Prof. F. C. Bauerschmidt

This lecture was offered at Duke University on January 24, 2019. For more info about upcoming TI Events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Dr. Frederick C. Bauerschmidt is Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland and a deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He has published a book on the theology of Thomas Aquinas and the Christian mystical tradition, as well as numerous articles on Catholic life and thought.

Feb 12, 20191h 13m

When is Religious Belief Irrational? On the Harmony of Faith and Reason | Fr. Thomas Joseph White OP

This lecture was offered at University College Dublin on February 6th, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events in North America visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/For Europe, visit: angelicum.it/thomistic-institute/thomistic-events/Speaker Bio:Fr. Thomas Joseph White is the Director of the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum. He did his doctoral studies at Oxford University, and has research interests in metaphysics, Christology, Trinitarian theology, and the theology of grace. His books include The Incarnate Lord, A Thomistic Study in Christology (2015) and The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism (2017). He is co-editor of the academic journal Nova et Vetera and in 2011 was appointed an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Feb 11, 201956 min

Christianity in the Public Square | R.R. Reno

This lecture was given for our UVA chapter on February 7th, 2019, and was co-sponsored with the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought.For more information on upcoming events, visit our website: thomisticinstitute.eduAbout the Speaker:R. R. Reno is the editor of First Things magazine. He was formerly a professor of theology and ethics at Creighton University. He is the author of several books including Fighting the Noonday Devil, a theological commentary on the Book of Genesis in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. His work ranges widely in systematic and moral theology, as well as in controverted questions of biblical interpretation.

Feb 8, 20191h 15m

"Late Have I Loved You" - Augustine & Thomas on Grace & Conversion | Paige Hochschild

This lecture was offered on Feb. 5th, 2019 at Brown University. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/eventsSpeaker Bio:Dr. Paige Hochschild is a professor of historical and systematic theology at Mount St. Mary's University (MD), specializing in Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and the early Church. She also teaches philosophy courses at the Seminary at Mount St. Mary's. She has written a book on the place of memory in Augustine's theological anthropology, and publishes on the Church, education, tradition, 20th c. theological debates within the Church (Scripture, history; marriage).

Feb 6, 201952 min

What Can Film Teach Us About Religion? C.S. Lewis Goes to the Movies | Thomas Hibbs

This lecture was given to our chapter at the United States Naval Academy on January 29th, 2019.For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org.

Feb 4, 201947 min

The Antidote to Death: St. Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist | Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P.

This lecture was given for our Yale University chapter on Jan. 30th, 2019.The handout for this lecture is available here: tinyurl.com/yda5cc72For more information on upcoming events, visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org.

Feb 1, 20191h 7m

Is Belief in Miracles Rational? | Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P.

This lecture was given for the Thomistic Institute chapter at the University of Oregon on Jan. 17th, 2019.For more information on other upcoming events, visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org.Lecture Description:Modern people, including believers, can be embarrassed by miracles, fearing to be accused of superstition or unwarranted credulity. Can it ever be rational to believe in miracles? In order to answer this question and the skeptical objections that have been raised, we will consider the fundamental principles at work: What are miracles? Can they violate laws of nature? How can we know that they have occurred? What do they tell us about God, about the world and ourselves? How about miracle claims in other religions?

Jan 30, 20191h 41m

Law Without a Law Giver? Why Natural Rights Require a Divine Source | Prof. Francis Beckwith

This lecture was given by Prof. Francis Beckwith (Baylor University) to our chapter at the University of Virginia Law School on Jan 28th, 2019.For more information on upcoming events, visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org

Jan 29, 201939 min

Aquinas on the Person and the Analogical Scale of Truth | Enrique Martinez

This lecture was given as the annual lecture in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC on January 24th 2019.For more information on upcoming events visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events?view=c…month=01-2019

Jan 25, 201957 min

The First Theologians: Who Were the Church Fathers and Why Do They Matter? | Fr. Gregory Pine, OP

This lecture was written and prepared by Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., and delivered by Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. to our chapter at George Mason on November27th, 2018.For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org

Jan 24, 201949 min

The Catastrophe of the Self: Walker Percy on Sin and Transcendence | Jennifer Frey

This lecture was given on December 5th, 2018 at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C.This is the final lecture in a three-part series titled "Tales That Tell: Moral Devastation and Original Sin in Literature," co-sponsored by the Catholic Information Center and the Thomistic Institute.For more information on other upcoming events, visit our website: thomisticinstitute.orgAbout the speaker:Jennifer A. Frey (University of South Carolina) received her BA from Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana in 2000, and her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh in 2012. In 2013 she was Collegiate Assistant Professor and Harper Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago prior to taking up her current appointment as Assistant Professor in the Philosophy department at the University of South Carolina. Jennifer's research interests lie at the intersection of virtue ethics and action theory. She has publications in The Journal of the History of Philosophy, The Journal of Analytic Philosophy, and in several edited volumes. She is the recipient of several grants, including a 2.1 million dollar project awarded by the John Templeton Foundation, titled "Virtue, Happiness, and Meaning in Life." She is currently at work on three separate book projects.

Jan 23, 201952 min

The Possibility of Perfection | Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

This talk was offered at Duke University on January 17th, 2019. For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Event Description:In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord instructs us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect . . . inspiring on one hand, but daunting on the other. Is it possible to be perfect or are we doomed to despair? Come hear how the universal call to holiness resonates really, truly, and personally in every human heart.Speaker Bio:Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. serves presently as the Assistant Director for Campus Outreach with the Thomistic Institute in Washington, DC. He served previously as an associate pastor at St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, KY where he also taught as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University. Born and raised near Philadelphia, PA, he attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, studying mathematics and humanities. Upon graduating, he entered the Order of Preachers in 2010. He was ordained a priest in 2016 and holds an STL from the Dominican House of Studies.

Jan 18, 201944 min

Classical Theism and the Nature of God | Edward Feser

This talk was offered on January 16, 2019 at Oxford University. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Organized in partnership with the Aquinas Institute at Blackfriars Hall at the University of OxfordSpeaker Bio:Prof. Edward Feser is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College and has also served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Loyola Marymount University. He received a PhD in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the author of books including Philosophy of Mind (A Beginner's Guide), The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, Aquinas (A Beginner's Guide), Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction, NeoScholastic Essays, Five Proofs for the Existence of God, and By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment. He blogs at edwardfeser.blogspot.com/

Jan 17, 20191h 22m

Neuroscience and the Soul | James Madden

This talk was offered on January 15, 2019 at Harvard Medical School. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Dr. James Madden is Professor of Philosophy at Benedictine College. He lives in Atchison, Kansas with his wife (Jennifer) and their six children; William, Martha, J. Patrick, Brendan, Jack, and Cormac. He is originally from Wisconsin, where he received a B.A. from St. Norbert College, and did his graduate work at Kent State (MA, 1998) and Purdue (Ph.D., 2002). He was awarded the Benedictine College Distinguished Educator of the Year Award in 2006.

Jan 16, 201934 min

Let Us Pray?The Liturgical Revolution of the 1960's | Prof. Christopher Ruddy

This lecture was held at St. Gretrude's parish on October 9th, 2018. It was cosponsored by the Aquinas Society of Cincinnati and the Thomistic Institute. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/About the event:What is the liturgy? Why is liturgy so important? Why would would you reform the liturgy and how would you do it? - These are some of the fascinating questions that Dr. Ruddy (CUA) undertakes in his sweeping lecture.Speaker Bio:Christopher Ruddy is associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America. He was formerly associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and also taught at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Divinity School, he received his doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame.His two books are titled The Local Church: Tillard and the Future of Catholic Ecclesiology and Tested in Every Way: The Catholic Priesthood in Today’s Church (both Herder & Herder). His articles and reviews have appeared in America, Christian Century, Commonweal, Ecclesiology, Heythrop Journal, Horizons, Irish Theological Quarterly, Josephinium Journal of Theology, Logos, Nova et Vetera, Origins, Theological Studies, The Thomist, and Worship. His theological interests include ecclesiology, Vatican II, the nouvelle théologie and ressourcement movements, and the relationship of Christianity and culture. New York natives, he and his wife, Deborah, have four sons.

Jan 14, 20191h 17m

Who's in Charge Here?: The Church, Society and Obedience| Fr. Joseph Fox, OP

This lecture was held at St. Gretrude's parish on October 30th, 2018. It was cosponsored by the Aquinas Society of Cincinnati and the Thomistic Institute. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/About the event:The 1960s were a time of anti-establishment rebellion, and the rejection of existing authorities and structures. This turbulent time left its mark on the Church, for priests and religious and for the lay faithful alike. How have the structures of the Church responded to the demands of a skeptical time?Speaker bio:Fr. Joseph Fox, a member of the Order of Preachers in vows since 1969, was ordained a priest in 1974. He has a licentiate degree in theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, a licentiate degree in canon law from the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome.Fr. Fox served in a variety of positions during his 22 years in Rome including that of staff official of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, bureau chief of the personnel office of the Holy See, teaching in the faculties of theology and canon law at the Angelicum, economic administrator of the Convitto San Tommaso and of the Dominican priory at the Angelicum, and as the director of pastoral formation at the Pontifical North American College.He is currently serving as Vicar of Canonical Services for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Jan 11, 201942 min

A Discordant Time: Musical Revolution Since the 1960s | Fr. William Goldin

This event was hosted by the Aquinas Society of Cincinnati and cosponsored by the Thomistic Institute on October 23rd, 2018. It includes performances by Fr. William Goldin, a trained opera singer and theologian, of pieces by John Cage ("Aria" with "Fontana Mix") and Tchaikovsky.About the event:This revolution had a soundtrack. The 1960s saw a tremendous change in music, from the highest forms of opera to the popular songs on the radio. What we hear and sing in church and on our radios has been marked by that revolutionary decade. Fr. Goldin’s presentation will both explain and illustrate how the standards of musical beauty and excellence have changed.For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Jan 10, 20191h 20m

Do Muslims and Christians and Jews Believe in the Same God? | Prof. Francis Beckwith

This talk was offered on November 30th, 2018 at Brown University. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Francis J. Beckwith is Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Philosophy. Among his over one dozen books are Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Politics For Christians: Statecraft As Soulcraft (IVP, 2010), and Taking Rites Seriously: Law, Politics, and the Reasonableness of Faith (Cambridge University Press, 2015), winner of the American Academy of Religion's prestigious 2016 Book Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in Constructive-Reflective Studies. He is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law, St. Louis (MJS) as well as Fordham University (PhD, MA, philosophy).

Jan 9, 20191h 14m

Has Neuroscience Disproved Free Will? | Dr. Daniel De Haan

This lecture was given by Dr. Daniel De Haan at Stanford University on November 12th, 2018.For more information on upcoming lectures, visit thomisticinstitute.orgAbout the speaker:Daniel De Haan is a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the University of Cambridge working on the neuroscience strand of the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and the Sciences Project, directed by Professor Sarah Coakley. He is conducting research on the intersections of theology, philosophy, and neuroscience in the Faculty of Divinity and in Lisa Saksida’s Translational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory in the Department of Psychology

Jan 8, 201950 min

Sacraments, Grace and Ethics: The Church at Work | Fr. Romanus Cessario, OP

This talk was given at Harvard University on November 15th, 2018. For move information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P. is professor of systematic theology at St. John's Seminary, associate editor of The Thomist, senior editor of Magnificat, and general editor of the Catholic Moral Thought series at the Catholic University of America Press.

Jan 7, 20191h 24m

In the Beginning: The Big Bang and the God of Creation | Fr. Thomas Davenport, OP

This lecture was given by Fr. Thomas Davenport, OP (Providence College) to the Yale undergraduate chapter on 11/14/18.For more information on upcoming events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org

Jan 4, 201952 min

Perspective of a Catholic Prosecutor | Honorable John Durham

This talk was given at Yale Law School on November 13th, 2018 by the Honorable John Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:John Durham became the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut in February of 2018Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Durham served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in various positions in the District of Connecticut for 35 years, prosecuting complex organized crime, violent crime, public corruption and financial fraud matters.From 2008 to 2017, Mr. Durham served as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney; from 1994 to 2008, he served as the Deputy U.S. Attorney, and served as the U.S. Attorney in an acting and interim capacity in 1997 and 1998; from 1989 to 1994, he served as Chief of the Office’s Criminal Division, and from 1982 to 1989, he served as an attorney and then supervisor in the New Haven Field Office of the Boston Strike Force in the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section.From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Durham also served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he investigated matters relating to the destruction of certain videotapes by the CIA and the treatment of detainees by the CIA. From 1998 to 2008, Mr. Durham served as a Special Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and Head of the Justice Task Force, where he reviewed alleged criminal conduct by FBI personnel and other law enforcement corruption in Boston, led the prosecution of a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and a former Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant, and handled direct appeals and related proceedings following convictions after trial.From 1978 to 1982, Mr. Durham served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office headed by Arnold Markle, and from 1977 to 1978, he served as a Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.From 1975 to 1977, Mr. Durham worked as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.Mr. Durham graduated, with honors, from Colgate University in 1972 and the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1975.

Jan 3, 201939 min

Why Leisure is Necessary for Human Beings | Zena Hitz

This lecture was offered at the University of Oklahoma on November 13th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Dr. Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John's College where she teaches across the liberal arts. She is interested in defending intellectual activity for its own sake, as against its use for economic or political goals. Her forthcoming book, Intellectual Life, is rooted in essays that have appeared in First Things, Modern Age, and The Washington Post. Her scholarly work has focused on the political thought of Plato and Aristotle, especially the question of how law cultivates or fails to cultivate human excellence. She received an MPhil in Classics from Cambridge and studied Social Thought and Philosophy at the University of Chicago before finishing her PhD in Philosophy at Princeton.

Jan 2, 20191h 9m

Literature as Philosophy | Fr. Gregory Pine, OP

This lecture was given by Fr. Gregory Pine, OP for the campus chapter at the University of Maryland on November 13th, 2018.Check out upcoming events on our website: thomisticinstitute.org

Jan 1, 201949 min

Eating God: Can the Eucharist Really be Jesus? | Alexander Pruss

This lecture was offered at Baylor on November 14th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Dec 31, 201840 min

What Do the Saints Do for Eternity? The Activity of Heaven | Michael Root

This lecture was offered at NYU on November 10th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/The hand out for this lecture is available at: tinyurl.com/yclptrzp

Dec 28, 20181h 4m

Artificial Intelligence and the Soul | Anselm Ramelow

This lecture was offered at Stanford on October 16th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Dec 28, 20181h 21m

Hell and the Mercy of God | Adrian Reimers

This lecture was offered at NYU on November 10th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Dec 27, 201840 min

The Thirst for Immortality and the Soul’s Need for Purgatory | Carol Zaleski

This lecture was offered at NYU on November 10th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Dec 22, 201840 min

The Human Soul and Neuroscience: Is Belief in the Soul Obsolete? | Daniel De Haan

This lecture was offered at the University of Arizona on November 7th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Daniel De Haan is a Research Fellow in Natural Theology at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion and the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. Before coming to Oxford he was a postdoctoral fellow working on the neuroscience strand of the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and the Sciences project at the University of Cambridge. He has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven and University of St Thomas in Texas. His research focuses on philosophical anthropology and the sciences, natural theology, and the thought of Thomas Aquinas.

Dec 21, 201846 min

What Can Philosophy Tell Us About Life after Death? | Prof. Mark Spencer

This lecture was offered at NYU on November 10th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/The hand out for this lecture is available at: tinyurl.com/ycx2596r

Dec 20, 201841 min

Does Evolutionary Theory Disprove Christianity? | Fr. Michael Dodds OP

This lecture was given on November 5th, 2018 at UC Berkeley. For more information about upcoming TI events, check out: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/About the speaker:Michael J. Dodds, O.P., is Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. After undergraduate studies at Seattle University, he entered the Order of Preachers in 1970 and was ordained in 1977. He then taught for three years at St. Mary’s College, Moraga, California, before doing his doctoral studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, from which he graduated summa cum laude in 1986. He has served as Academic Dean of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Convener of the Theology Area at the Graduate Theological Union, and Regent of Studies and Vicar Provincial of the Western Dominican Province. He is the author of The Unchanging God of Love: Thomas Aquinas and Contemporary Theology on Divine Immutability (2008), and Unlocking Divine Action: Contemporary Science and Thomas Aquinas (2012), both from The Catholic University of America Press.

Dec 19, 20181h 17m

St.Thomas & the Meaning of Love: Human and Divine Friendship | Fr. Gregory Pine OP

This talk was offered as the second of a 2 part series at NYU on the "Wisdom of Aquinas." The first talk on "Love, Passion and Affection" is also available on SoundCloud: Thomisticinstitute – St-thomas-the-meaning-of-love-love-passion-affection-fr-gregory-pine-opFor more info about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. serves presently as Assistant Director of Campus Outreach for the Thomistic Institute. He served previously as an associate pastor at St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, KY where he also taught as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University. Born and raised near Philadelphia, PA, he attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, studying mathematics and humanities. Upon graduating, he entered the Order of Preachers in 2010. He was ordained a priest in 2016 and holds an STL from the Dominican House of Studies.

Dec 18, 20181h 5m

St. Thomas & the Meaning of Love: Love, Passion & Affection | Fr. Gregory Pine OP

This talk was offered as the first of a 2 part series at NYU on the "Wisdom of Aquinas." The second talk on "Human and Divine Friendship" is also available on SoundCloud.For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. serves presently as Assistant Director of Campus Outreach for the Thomistic Institute. He served previously as an associate pastor at St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, KY where he also taught as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University. Born and raised near Philadelphia, PA, he attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, studying mathematics and humanities. Upon graduating, he entered the Order of Preachers in 2010. He was ordained a priest in 2016 and holds an STL from the Dominican House of Studies.

Dec 15, 201855 min

Are Animals Intelligent? | Marie George

This lecture was offered at MIT on October 25th as the 2nd part of a series of lectures on "The Distinctiveness of Human Intelligence."For more information about upcoming TI events, check out: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Marie George has been a member of the Philosophy Department of St. John's University since 1988. Professor George is an Aristotelian-Thomist whose interests lie primarily in the areas of philosophy of nature and philosophy of science. She has received several awards from the John Templeton foundation for her work in science and religion, and in 2007 she received a grant from the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) for an interdisciplinary project entitled: “The Evolution of Sympathy and Morality.” Professor George has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and two books: Christianity and Extraterrestrials? A Catholic Perspective(2005) and Stewardship of Creation (2009). She is currently working on Aquinas’s “Fifth Way,” and also on a variety of questions concerning living things (self-motion, consciousness, evolution, etc.). Professor George is a member of ten philosophical societies, including the American Catholic Philosophical Association, the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy, and the Society for Aristotelian Studies.

Dec 14, 201856 min

Aquinas's Reception of Aristotle | Reinhard Hütter

This lecture was given to a small student seminar at Duke University on October 5th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Dr. Reinhard Huetter is Ordinary Professor of Fundamental Theology at the School of Theology and Religious Studies of The Catholic University.Professor Huetter is a native of Lichtenfels, Germany. He received his Dr. theol. (summa cum laude) in 1990, and his Habilitation in 1995, both from the University of Erlangen. He taught for nine years theological ethics and systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and for seventeen years systematic theology at Duke University Divinity School. In 2004, he and his wife entered into the full communion of the Catholic Church.His teaching and research focuses on fundamental theological questions of the relationship between faith and reason, nature and grace, revelation and faith, theology and philosophy, dogma and history, on questions of theological anthropology (grace and freedom), and the theology and epistemology of faith. He has an abiding interest in the thought of Thomas Aquinas and has, in more recent years, developed also an intense interest in the thought of John Henry Newman.Huetter is the author of numerous books, most recently Dust Bound for Heaven: Explorations in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas (2012) and Divine Happiness: Aquinas on the Journey to Beatitude, the Ultimate Human End (forthcoming 2018) and has contributed numerous chapters to handbooks and edited collections. He is presently working on a theological commentary on Psalm 119, a small book on John Henry Newman, and a theological treatise on Doctrine: Its Nature and Development.

Dec 13, 201841 min

Thomas Aquinas and the Greek Fathers for the Renewal of Theology | Fr. Andrew Hofer OP

This lecture was given at Duke by Fr. Andrew Hofer OP (Dominican House of Studies) on October 25th, 2018.For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., grew up as the youngest of ten children on a farm in Kansas, and studied history, philosophy, and classics at Benedictine College. He then went to St Andrews, Scotland for a Master of Letters in medieval history. He entered the Order of Preachers as a son of the Province of St. Joseph, and was ordained a priest in 2002. After finishing his S.T.L. and serving as an associate pastor for a brief time, he was sent to Kenya as a missionary for two years. He taught at the Tangaza College of The Catholic University of Eastern Africa and other institutions in Nairobi. He returned to the U.S. and completed the Ph.D. in theology at the University of Notre Dame, with the primary area of history of Christianity (specializing in patristic theology with additional studies in medieval theology) and the secondary area of systematic theology. His research appears in such journals as Vigiliae Christianae, Augustinianum, International Journal of Systematic Theology, New Blackfriars, Nova et Vetera, Pro Ecclesia, The Thomist, Communio, and Angelicum and in books published by Catholic University America Press and Ignatius Press. He is the author of Christ in the Life and Teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus (Oxford Early Christian Studies), Oxford University Press, 2013, and the editor of Divinization: Becoming Icons of Christ through the Liturgy, Hillenbrand Books, 2015.

Dec 12, 201855 min

What is the Purpose of Life? Classical and Contemporary Answers | Jennifer Frey

This lecture was offered at UVA on October 19th, 2018. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Jennifer A. Frey (University of South Carolina) received her BA from Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana in 2000, and her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh in 2012. In 2013 she was Collegiate Assistant Professor and Harper Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago prior to taking up her current appointment as Assistant Professor in the Philosophy department at the University of South Carolina. Jennifer's research interests lie at the intersection of virtue ethics and action theory. She has publications in The Journal of the History of Philosophy, The Journal of Analytic Philosophy, and in several edited volumes. She is the recipient of several grants, including a 2.1 million dollar project awarded by the John Templeton Foundation, titled "Virtue, Happiness, and Meaning in Life." She is currently at work on three separate book projects.

Dec 11, 20181h 5m

Is Free Will an Illusion?| Timothy Pawl

This talk was offered on October 17th, 2018 at Brown University. For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Speaker Bio:Tim Pawl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, MN, where he works on metaphysics and philosophical theology. In metaphysics he works on "truthmaker theory, modality, and free will. In philosophical theology, he has published on transubstantiation, Christology, and divine immutability. Publications where his work has appeared include: The Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Faith and Philosophy, and Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion. A listing of his publications is available on his PhilPapers Profile. Additionally, Prof. Pawl published a monograph in the Oxford Studies in Analytic Theology series, entitled In Defense of Conciliar Christology: A Philosophical Essay. In this book he argues that the philosophical objections to the traditional Christian doctrine of the incarnation fail.Prof. Pawl currently leads a grant with Gloria Frost called The Classical Theism Project, and recently finished a grant in collaboration with Kevin Timpe called Exploring the Interim State Writing Workshop. He is the husband of another philosopher, Faith Glavey Pawl, and the proud father of one son and four daughters.

Dec 8, 20181h 3m

"Out of this Stony Rubbish" Devastation and Rebirth in Eliot's "The Waste Land" | Thomas Pfau

This lecture was held on October 17th, 2018 at the Catholic Information Center, Washington DC. For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/Lecture Description:More than any other work of high modernist literature, Eliot's The Waste Land (1922) captures the loss of meaning and purpose that has overwhelmed an entire civilization. Surrounded by fragments of past knowledge that now seem barely intelligible in the wake of World War I, modern society appears mired in an unprecedented spiritual crisis. Yet unlike his modernist peers (e.g., Virginia Woolf, Bertrand Russell, Ezra Pound, et al.), Eliot's critique of modern life is not confined to the conceptual resources and secular axioms that have shaped modern life. Though it predates Eliot's “conversion” to Christianity by five years, The Waste Land's forceful summation of spiritual, ecological, psycho-sexual, and moral devastation already contains the seeds for the spiritual awakening that will be at the center of Eliot's "Ash Wednesday" (1927) and his Four Quartets (1936-1943).This lecture is the second of a three-part series titled "Tales That Tell: Moral Devastation and Original Sin in Literature," co-sponsored by the CIC and the Thomistic Institute.Speaker BioThomas Pfau (PhD 1989, SUNY Buffalo) is the Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of English, with secondary appointments in Germanic Language & Literatures and the Divinity School at Duke University. He has published forty-five essays on literary and philosophical subjects ranging from the 18th through the early 20th century, translations of Hölderlin and Schelling (SUNY Press, 1987 and 1994). Having edited seven essay collections and special journal issues, he is also the author of three monographs: Wordsworth’s Profession (Stanford UP 1997), Romantic Moods: Paranoia, Trauma, Melancholy, 1790-1840 (Johns Hopkins UP 2005), and Minding the Modern: Intellectual Traditions, Human Agency, and Responsible Knowledge (Notre Dame UP, 2013). His current book project focuses on phenomenology of image-consciousness in literature, theology, and philosophy.

Dec 6, 20181h 7m

The Return of the Strong Gods | Rusty Reno

On October 9th, 2018, Rusty Reno, the editor of "First Things" offered this talk at Blackfriars, Oxford elaborating on his May 2017 article in First Things of the same name. This lecture was presented in collaboration with the Aquinas Institute, Blackfriars Hall.For more about the TI's upcoming events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/

Dec 5, 20181h 9m

What Does it Mean to be Human? Neuroscience, Psychology, and Personhood | Daniel De Haan

This lecture was given for the Harvard Medical School Chapter on November 6th, 2018.Speaker Bio:Daniel De Haan is a Research Fellow in Natural Theology at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion and the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. Before coming to Oxford he was a postdoctoral fellow working on the neuroscience strand of the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and the Sciences project at the University of Cambridge. He has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven and University of St Thomas in Texas. His research focuses on philosophical anthropology and the sciences, natural theology, and the thought of Thomas Aquinas.More information on upcoming events can be found on our website: thomisticinstitute.org

Dec 4, 20181h 17m

What's the Purpose of Life? | Christopher Kaczor

In this lecture, Prof. Christopher Kaczor draws from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and research in contemporary psychology to discuss the final end to which human beings are ordered.This lecture was delivered by Prof. Christopher Kaczor(LoyolaMarymount University) to the University of Arizona chapter of the Thomistic Institute on October 17, 2018.

Dec 1, 201857 min

The Fellowship of Happiness: Aquinas on the Making of Good Friends | Prof. Michael Pakaluk

This talk was given by Dr. Pakaluk on October 16th, 2018 at the United States Naval Academy and was co-sponsored by the Catholic Midshipmen's Club.For more details about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1/About the Speaker:Michael Pakaluk studied philosophy at Harvard College and the University of Edinburgh on a Marshall Scholarship before getting his Ph.D. at Harvard writing a dissertation under John Rawls. He is a recognized authority on classical philosophy, especially Aristotle’s ethics. Pakaluk has held academic appointments at Clark University, Brown University, Ave Maria University, and The Catholic University of America, among others.

Nov 30, 201828 min

Fundamental Questions for Ethical Decision Making | Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

This lecture was given on October 27, 2018 in Philadelphia, PA as part of the "Emerging Leaders Conference" cosponsored with World Youth Alliance.

Nov 29, 201835 min