This January, I will be giving a series of talks here in Wichita. Register at this link! The writings of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, are replete with contemplation of God the Creator and His creation. Despite the distance of eight centuries, the study of St. Thomas’s work still gives us philosophical and theological … Continue reading Creator, Creation, & Cosmos
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
Recently, I acquired the new translation of Karol Wojtyła’s Person and Act, the first volume of the critical edition of the works of Pope St. John Paul II. I had never bothered to purchase a copy of the previous English edition, The Acting Person (Analecta Husserliana, 10), having heard of various serious issues with the … Continue reading Traduttore, Traditore
I review two recent books over at Thomistica, with some comments regarding philosophical pedagogy. An excerpt: The above two books by Prof. Houser and Fr. Dodds are recent entries in what could be an unofficial series answering to Msgr. Sokolowski’s call for “textbooks” that aid students and teachers, especially those in undergraduate programs that are … Continue reading The return of the manuals?
To the minds of some, the articles of the Angelic Doctor’s Summa Theologiae are captive in a historical or tradition-bound cell from which they cannot emerge. What a pity—for the articles of St. Thomas’s great Summa are complete or perfect acts of the mind. “Perfect” signifies that which lacks none of the parts due its … Continue reading A complete act of the mind
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 