The Thomistic Institute

Latest Episodes:

More Than a Body, More Than a Mind: The Human Person in the Thought of Aquinas| Fr. Petri, O.P. May 13, 2019

Show notes

This talk was held on April 4th, 2019 for the Carnegie Mellon/University of Pittsburgh TI Chapter. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events/what-d…n-to-be-human

About the Speaker:

Father Thomas Petri, O.P. is the Vice President and Dean of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, where he also serves as an assistant professor of moral theology and pastoral studies. Ordained a priest in 2009, he holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from The Catholic University of America.

The Search for Life Beyond Earth: What Would This Mean for Our Faith? | Prof. Jonathan Lunine May 10, 2019

Show notes

This talk was offered at UC Berkeley on April 8th, 2019.

For more information on upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events/the-se…-beyond-earth

Speak Bio:

Jonathan I. Lunine is The David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences at Cornell University and Director of the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, His research focuses on astrophysics, planetary science and astrobiology. In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, he serves as Interdisciplinary Scientist on the James Webb Space Telescope project and is a coinvestigator on the Juno mission currently in orbit around Jupiter.

Lunine is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the 2014 recipient of the Jean Dominique Cassini Medal of the European Geosciences Union. He is the author of Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach and Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World.

Lunine obtained a B.S. in physics and astronomy from the University of Rochester (1980), an M.S. (1983) and a Ph.D. (1985) in planetary science from the California Institute of Technology.

He lives in Ithaca New York, where he is a member of St. Catherine of Siena parish. In 2016 Lunine helped to found the Society of Catholic Scientists and currently serves as its vice president.

The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Time | George Weigel May 09, 2019

Show notes

The annual St. Mary’s Lecture at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Haven, CT was held on April 8th, 2019.

The lecture was given by George Weigel (Ethics and Public Policy Center) on the themes of his recent book by the same name, published last year by Ignatius Press.

For more information about upcoming TI events, visit:

How to Avoid Being Unhappy: Vices that Undermine Human Flourishing | Prof. Scott Cleveland May 08, 2019

Show notes

This talk was given the University of Oklahoma on April 2nd, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

About the speaker:

Dr. Cleveland received his B.A. in philosophy and biblical studies from Taylor University, his M.A.R. in philosophical theology & philosophy of religion from Yale Divinity School, and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Baylor University (2014). Before coming to UMary, he conducted postdoctoral research at Saint Louis University on the virtue of intellectual humility.

His research interests are in ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of religion. He is especially interested in the study of virtues and emotions, the relation between the two, and the role of each in the moral and intellectual life. For example, he has defended an account of the virtue of courage with focus on its emotional excellences. He also has broad interests in metaphysics, theology, the history of philosophy, and the thought of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Historicity of Adam | Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP May 07, 2019

Show notes

This talk was given at Baylor University on March 28th, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

About the Speaker:

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., completed his Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.E.) in Bioengineering, summa cum laude, at the University of Pennsylvania, and then earned his Ph.D. in Biology from M.I.T. in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente, where he was a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers in May of 2004. He completed his Pontifical License in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in Moral Theology, summa cum laude, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, in 2005, and a Pontifical Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), magna cum laude, at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, in 2015.

Fr. Austriaco currently serves as Professor of Biology and of Theology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. His NIH-funded laboratory at Providence College is investigating the genetics of programmed cell death using the yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, as model organisms. Papers describing his research have been published in PLoS ONE, FEMS Yeast Research, Microbial Cell, Cell, the Journal of Cell Biology, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, among others. In philosophy and theology, his essays have been published in the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Theological Studies, Nova et Vetera, The Thomist, Science and Theology, and the Linacre Quarterly. His first book, Biomedicine and Beatitude: An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics, was published by the Catholic University of America Press in 2011. It was recognized as a 2012 Choice outstanding academic title by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

The Catholic Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings | Prof. Paul Gondreau May 06, 2019

Show notes

This talk was offered for our chapter at the United States Naval Academy on March 26th, 2019.

For more information on upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

Speaker Bio:

Paul Gondreau earned his doctorate in sacred theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, writing under the renowned Thomist scholar Rev. JeanPierre Torrell, O.P. He is professor of theology at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he teaches/has taught courses on marriage, Christology, the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the Church, the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and the Catholic thought of J.R.R. Tolkien.

He has a published manuscript on Christ's human passions in the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and has published numerous essays in the area of Thomistic Christology, Thomistic anthropology, a Thomistic account of human sexuality, and a Thomistic theology of disability. He is associate editor of the theological journal Nova et Vetera, and has served as a consultant to the USCCB's committee on marriage and family.

Can Beauty Save the World? | Prof. Raymond Hain May 03, 2019

Show notes

This talk was offered at the University of Maryland, College Park on March 28th, 2019.

For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

Speak Bio:

Professor Raymond Hain is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Providence College and Associate Director of the Providence College Humanities Program. He received his BA in Philosophy from Christendom College and his MA and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, where he studied under Ralph McInerny and David Solomon. He works primarily in moral philosophy in the Thomistic tradition, as well as topics in applied ethics (especially bioethics and the ethics of architecture) and connections between philosophy and literature. As part of the Humanities Program, he directs the Providence College Humanities Forum and the Providence College Humanities Reading Seminars.

God, Beauty, and Mathematics | Prof. Alexander Pruss May 02, 2019

Show notes

This lecture was given at MIT on Friday, March 15th, 2019. For more info on upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1.

About the speaker:

Alexander Pruss has doctorates both in philosophy and mathematics, and is currently Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University. His books include The Principle of Sufficient Reason: A Reassessment (Cambridge University Press), One Body: An Essay in Christian Sexual Ethics (Notre Dame University Press), and Actuality, Possibility and Worlds (Continuum). His research areas include metaphysics, philosophy of religion, Christian ethics, philosophy of mathematics and formal epistemology.

Sin And Redemption In The Lord of The Rings | Prof. Paige Hochschild May 01, 2019

Show notes

This talk was offered at Duke University on March 7, 2019.

For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

Speaker 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).

How to Read the "Dark Passages" of the Bible and Still Be a Christian | Prof. Matthew Ramage Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

This talk was offered at the University of Oklahoma on March 5th, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1.

About the speaker:

Dr. Matthew Ramage is Associate Professor of Theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. He is author, coauthor, or cotranslator of several books, including Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas (Catholic University of America Press, 2013) and Jesus, Interpreted: Benedict XVI, Bart Ehrman, and the Historical Truth of the Gospels (CUA Press, 2017). Dr. Ramage's articles have appeared in a variety of scholarly journals including Nova et Vetera, Scripta Theologica, Cithara, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review as well as popular online venues such as Strange Notions, The Gregorian Institute, and Crisis. Dr. Ramage has been interviewed by news outlets including the National Catholic Register and First Things and has made periodic appearances on the EWTN programs Catholic Answers Live, Catholicism on Campus, and The Son Rise Morning Show. Dr. Ramage lives in Atchison, Kansas, with his wife, Jennifer, and five children. For more on his work and his CV, visit Dr. Ramage's website www.truthincharity.com.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected