Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P., has recently written “Losing the Forest for the Tree: Why All Thomists Should (Not) Be River Forest Thomists,” an open-access article in the journal Religions. Here is the abstract: One of the most influential and controversial schools of 20th century Thomism—especially in North America—is the “River Forest School” or “River Forest … Continue reading The Natural Path to Saving the Old River Forest “Tree”
The following is the prepared copy of a paper I delivered on September 15, 2023, at “Aquinas After 750 Years: Still the Common Doctor?” a conference at the Dominican House of Studies. Despite the observation by Pope Leo XIII that “there is no conflict worthy of the name”[1] between scholastic philosophical principles and the modern … Continue reading St. Thomas Aquinas’s Sapiential Vision for the Philosophy of Nature
Over the next several months, based on rereading it for a reading group with fellow interested philosophers and scientists, I hope to post some reflections on Rob Koons’s new book, Is St. Thomas’s Aristotelian Philosophy of Nature Obsolete? The book is a summative presentation of an ongoing research project into hylomorphism and modern science which … Continue reading De Koninck’s “philosophical species”
Forthcoming in 2023, the proceedings of the IPC 50 Colloque Charles De Koninck et Maurice Dionne. (Read the final draft; for a final copy, please email me.) The volume will be titled Le discernement des habitus – Autour de Charles De Koninck. In his 1941 essay “Are the Experimental Sciences Distinct from the Philosophy of … Continue reading Charles De Koninck and the Cosmos of the Natural Sciences
Now published in Aquinas and Us, edited by Timothy Kearns, Gyula Klima, and Alex Hall, the latest volume (no. 18) of the Proceedings of the Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics. From the publisher: “This volume considers the contemporary relevance of Aquinas’ thought and what parameters should influence its reception. It discusses the reception of … Continue reading From First Physics to Fundamental Physics and Back Again
During the last presidential election cycle, I heard of a parish regularly praying the rosary for our country after morning Mass. One ought to pray for one’s country. Surely love of country is not passé? Yet does it go too far to announce the name of one state for each of the fifty Hail Mary’s? … Continue reading Misunderstanding the Rosary
Now available from the Thomistic Institute Soundcloud is an audio version of the presentation I gave in June 2021 at the Third Annual Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science Symposium, "Chance and Indeterminacy in the Natural World." The talk is entitled “Chance and Indeterminate Causes in the Cosmos.” From the paper itself: Chance is a necessary part … Continue reading Thomistic Institute Talk
In preparation for an upcoming symposium talk on the Aristotelian-Thomistic understanding of chance and indeterminism in nature, I had the opportunity to read Cardinal Cajetan’s commentary on ST, Ia, q. 115, a. 6, where St. Thomas wonders “whether heavenly bodies impose necessity on things subject to their action?” This article and Cajetan’s commentary is used … Continue reading Cajetan on contingency in the stars
The following is the abstract of a paper soon to be under review. If you would like a personal copy, please e-mail me here. Is Personal Dignity Possible Only If We Live in a Cosmos? The Catholic Church has increasingly relied upon the principle of human dignity as part of its evangelical mission in modern times. Catholic … Continue reading Dignity in a cold, dark universe
John G. Brungardt 