The Thomistic Institute

Latest Episodes:

The Error of Beginnings and the Beginning of Errors: Creation and the Origin of the Universe | Prof. William Carroll Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

Professor William Carroll explores the philosophical and theological implications of cosmological claims about the beginning of the universe, emphasizing the distinction between creation and scientific explanations and cautioning against the "error of beginnings."

This lecture was given on August 29th, 2024, at Brown University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Professor William E. Carroll has recently retired from research and teaching at the Aquinas Institute of Blackfriars in the University of Oxford. For the past two years he has been a Visiting Professor at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (Wuhan, China), and at the Hongyi Honor College of Wuhan University. He is a European intellectual historian and historian of science whose research and teaching concern: 1) the reception of Aristotelian science in mediaeval Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and the development of the doctrine of creation, and 2) the encounter between Galileo and the Inquisition. He has also written extensively on the ways in which mediaeval discussions of the relationship among the natural sciences, philosophy, and theology can be useful in contemporary questions arising from developments in biology and cosmology.

He is the author of four books: Aquinas on Creation; La Creación y las Ciencias Naturales: Actualidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino; Galileo: Science and Faith; and Creation and Science (with translations in Slovak, Spanish, and Chinese). His published work has appeared in 12 languages.

Over many years he has written more than 25 op-ed pieces for Public Discourse, the web site of the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton.

Keywords: Big Bang, Causality, Cosmology, Creation, Ex Nihilo, Hawking, Nothing, Quantum Mechanics, The Grand Design, Vilenkin

The Christian Faith and Modern Science: Understanding and Correcting Models of Conflict | Prof. Christopher Baglow Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

Professor Christopher Baglow critiques the conflict model of science and religion, tracing its origins to the late 19th century and arguing that the Catholic intellectual tradition offers a more harmonious approach by keeping faith and reason together and honoring the integrity of nature.

This lecture was given on September 26th, 2024, at Brown University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Baglow is Professor of the Practice of Theology and the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. His work is the culmination of 19 years of faith and science scholarship and educational program creation, as well as a lengthy career in Catholic theological education spanning high-school, undergraduate, graduate and seminary teaching. For this work, he was co-recipient of an Expanded Reason Award in Teaching from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (Madrid) and the Vatican Joseph Ratzinger Foundation (Rome).

Baglow is the author of Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge (2nd edition, Midwest Theological Forum, 2019) and Creation: A Catholic’s Guide to God and the Universe (Ave Maria Press, 2021). He serves as theological advisor to the Board of Directors of the Society of Catholic Scientists and as a contributor to the JTF-funded science and religion programming of the Word on Fire Institute. Most recently, he authored the transcripts for Wonder: The Harmony of Faith and Science, a Word on Fire film series directed by Manny Marquez and narrated by Jonathan Roumie. His work has appeared in That Man is You, Crux, Church Life Journal, Culture and Evangelization, and Joie de Vivre Quarterly Journal.

Keywords: Andrew Dixon White, Catholicism, Conflict Thesis, Draper, Faith, History, John William Draper, Reason, Religion, Science

Analogy and the Semantics of Simplicity: Learning form the Limits of Theological Language | Prof. Joshua Hochschild Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Professor Joshua Hochschild explores Aquinas's understanding of analogy in relation to divine simplicity, distinguishing between analogy as a likeness between things and analogy as a relation between the significations of terms, and argues that the former, rather than the latter, is more fundamental to addressing the challenges posed by divine simplicity.

This lecture was given on May 31st, 2024, at Mount Saint Mary College.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Joshua Hochschild is Professor of Philosophy at Mount St. Mary’s University, where he also served six years as the inaugural Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. His primary research is in medieval logic, metaphysics, and ethics, with broad interest in liberal education and the continuing relevance of the Catholic intellectual tradition. He is the author of The Semantics of Analogy: Rereading Cajetan’s De Nominum Analogia (2010), translator of Claude Panaccio’s Mental Language: From Plato to William of Ockham (2017), and co-author of A Mind at Peace: Reclaiming an Ordered Soul in the Age of Distraction (2017). His writing has appeared in First Things, Commonweal, Modern Age and the Wall Street Journal. For 2020-21 he served as President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association.

Keywords: Analogy, Aristotle, Divine Simplicity, Language, Meaning, Metaphysics, Proportionality, Semantics, Theology

Is Belief in God Rational? | Prof. Joseph Trabbic Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Professor Joseph Trabbic explores the rationality of belief in God by first defining belief, distinguishing it from knowledge, and then examining what makes belief rational both subjectively and objectively, before finally addressing the nature of God according to Christian doctrine.

This lecture was given on November 15th, 2024, at University of Georgia.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Trabbic is an associate professor of philosophy at Ave Maria University in Florida where he has taught since 2006. His areas of interest include metaphysics, moral philosophy, philosophy of religion, the relationship between religion and politics, Aquinas, Heidegger, and postmodern philosophy. He has published articles on these topics in various academic and popular journals.

Keywords: Belief, Evidence, God, Knowledge, Nicene Creed, Objective Rationality, Reason, Subjective Rationality, Theology, Trinity

What is Beauty? Aquinas and Contemporary Culture | Prof. Thomas Hibbs Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Professor Thomas Hibbs discusses the importance of beauty in contemporary culture, drawing upon Emily Dickinson, Charles Taylor, Iris Murdoch, and Jacques Maritain to explore how beauty can unself us, enhance our understanding of truth, and connect us to something transcendent.

This lecture was given on September 12th, 2024, at University of Pittsburgh.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Thomas Hibbs is currently J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor where he is also Dean Emeritus, having served for 16 years as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College. At Baylor he was also the inaugural director of Baylor in Washington, D.C. where he currently runs a summer program on Religion and Social Life. He has served as department chair at Boston College and as president of the University of Dallas.

Hibbs has published more than thirty scholarly articles, the most recent of which is “Aquinas and Black Natural Law.”

He has published eight books, the most recent of which is Theology of Creation: Ecology, Art, and Laudato Si’ (University of Notre Dame Press, 2023). He has also published two books on film and philosophy and one book on art. He has published more than 100 reviews and discussion articles on film, theater, art, and higher education in a variety of venues including First Things, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review. He writes regularly for The Dallas Morning News.

Hibbs’ lectures have been protested by nihilists at Boston University and by communists in Palermo, Sicily.

Keywords: Aesthetics, Anscombe, Beauty, Charles Taylor, Emily Dickinson, Iris Murdoch, Jacques Maritain, Maritain, Murdoch, Thomas Aquinas

Why Do You Desire to KNOW? Human Nature & Philosophy w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. & Prof. Therese Cory Jan 02, 2025

Show notes

Why do human beings desire knowledge? Why should YOU care about philosophy? Join Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. of Aquinas 101, Godsplaining, and Pints with Aquinas for an off-campus conversation with Prof. Therese Cory about the role of wonder in philosophy, the right temperament with which to approach philosophy, how philosophy educators can awaken the desire to understand in their students, how to create space for healthy discourse, and what the future of philosophical conversations could look like.

You can watch this interview on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfCuyMjWa2Q.

About the speaker:

Therese Scarpelli Cory is the John and Jean Oesterle Associate Professor of Thomistic Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her work focuses on medieval theories of mind, cognition, and personhood, with special focus on the thought of Thomas Aquinas and his thirteenth-century interlocutors. She serves on the executive committee of the "Aquinas and the Arabs Project" and is also a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, appointed by Pope Francis in 2019.

This project/publication was made possible through the support of Grant 63391 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Keywords: Aristotle, Curiositas, Desire To Know, Intellect, Philosophy, Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Therese Cory, Wonder

Truth, Goodness, and Fantasy Literature | Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P. Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

This lecture was Fr. Philip Neri Reese explores truth and goodness in fantasy literature through a Thomistic lens, paying special attention to the difference between classical fantasy and the "grimdark" subgenre (epitomized by Game of Thrones).

This lecture was given on November 2nd, 2024, at Thomistic Institute in Limerick.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P. is a Dominican Friar of the Province of St. Joseph and a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum), where he also serves as the assistant director of the Angelicum Thomistic Institute. Though his scholarly research mainly focuses on metaphysics (especially the scholastic metaphysics of St. Thomas and his later interpreters), he has also published on ethics, economics, Christology, and philosophical anthropology.

Keywords: Fantasy Literature, Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin, Glenn Cook, Goodness, Grimdark, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literature Subgenres, Thomistic Philosophy, Truth

Aquinas on Art and Contemporary Film | Prof.Thomas Hibbs Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

This lecture was given on October 22nd, 2024, at University of North Texas.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Hibbs has published more than thirty scholarly articles, the most recent of which is “Aquinas and Black Natural Law.” He has published eight books, the most recent of which is Theology of Creation: Ecology, Art, and Laudato Si’ (University of Notre Dame Press, 2023). He has also published two books on film and philosophy and one book on art. He has published more than 100 reviews and discussion articles on film, theater, art, and higher education in a variety of venues including First Things, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review. He writes regularly for The Dallas Morning News.

Hibbs’ lectures have been protested by nihilists at Boston University and by communists in Palermo, Sicily.

Scotus on Why Christ's Assumed Human Nature Is Not a Person | Prof. Michael Gorman Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

This lecture was given on February 24th, 2024, at The Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Michael Gorman is professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America. He has doctorates in philosophy and theology. He has authored over thirty academic papers and a book entitled Aquinas on the Metaphysics of the Hypostatic Union (Cambridge University Press, 2017). His main interests are metaphysics, human nature, and ethics.

What is "Meaning" and Why Should I Care Whether My Life Has it? | Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P. Dec 26, 2024

Show notes

This lecture was given on April 20th, 2024, St. Albert's Priory.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P. is a Dominican friar of the Western Province. Originally from Oregon, he converted to the Catholic faith in high school. He went on to study applied physics for seven years before joining the Dominican Order. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2009, and was then sent by the Order to study philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. In 2019 he moved to Houston and now teaches philosophy at the University of St. Thomas.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected