The Thomistic Institute

Life to the Full: Are You Surviving or Thriving? – Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, O.P.

22 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd argues that Christ calls us not merely to survive but to thrive, and that “life to the full” comes through meaning, sufferi...

Science, Reason... and Beyond – Prof. Alexander Pruss

21 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Alexander Pruss argues that science is powerful but limited, because it depends on presuppositions about logic, rationality, uniformity of natur...

Aquinas and Catholic Theology – Prof. Gaven Kerr

20 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Gaven Kerr argues that Aquinas is central to Catholic theology because Thomas provides the systematic, deductive, and scripturally grounded fram...

Diagnosing Dignity in the Era of AI – Prof. Paul Scherz

19 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Paul Scherz argues that AI-driven precision medicine and genetic risk prediction can undermine human dignity by turning health into an endless m...

The Idea of a University – Prof. Raymond Hain

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Raymond Hain presents John Henry Newman’s Idea of a University as a powerful defense of liberal education, arguing that a university should in...

Does Vatican II Permit a Hermeneutic of Rupture? – Prof. Christopher Malloy

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Christopher Malloy argues that Vatican II does not permit a hermeneutic of rupture but demands one of continuity and reform, as Benedict XVI tau...

Like Soul to Body?: The Church's Developing Understanding of Her Relation to the State – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Brad Elliott traces the Church's evolving use of the soul-body metaphor for her relation to the state, purifying it in modern social teaching to a...

Foreigners’ Views on American Secularism: Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber, and G.K. Chesterton – Prof. James Nolan

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. James Nolan argues that Tocqueville, Weber, and Chesterton offer contrasting foreign views on American secularism, with Tocqueville and Chestert...

The Catholic Imagination of Oscar Wilde – Prof. Guiseppe Pezzini

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Giuseppe Pezzini argues that Oscar Wilde's aestheticism and life journey reveal a Catholic imagination, where art confronts suffering and beauty...

Catholic Social Teaching: Highlights from the Popes – Prof. James Felak

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. James Felak traces Catholic social teaching from Leo XIII to Francis, showing how the popes defend human dignity, a just wage, solidarity with t...

Mary's Necessary Role in the Spiritual Life – Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P.

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 20th, 2026, at Vanderbilt University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcom...

How to Marry Your Best Friend: Thomas Aquinas on Friendship, Marriage, and Children – Dr. Nathaniel Peters

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 19th, 2026, at Universidad Panamericana.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/up...

'I Cannot Tell a Lie': Thomas Aquinas on the Moral Permissibility of Lying – Prof. Christopher Tomaszewski

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 19th, 2026, at University of Toronto.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcom...

Newman on the Dangers of Liberal Education – Prof. Thomas Hibbs

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on January 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.or...

To Live is to Change: Newman on Cognitive, Moral, and Spiritual Development – Prof. Thomas Hibbs

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on January 17th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.or...

After Death Comes Life...to the Soul in the Grace of Jesus Christ – Fr. Gabriel O'Donnell, O.P.

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 14th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/...

After Death Comes Life – Dr. Carl Vennerstrom

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Carl Vennerstrom argues that the capital vices are best understood as a path of disordered desires that Christ exposes and heals, with pride stand...

Death Comes to the Soul: The Vulnerable Christian in Distress – Fr. Gabriel O'Donnell

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell argues that the Christian life is not mainly about rule-following or behavior modification, but about becoming a whole, Godwar...

The Devil's Unveiling in the Temptation of Christ: A 'Perfect' Temptation – Dr. Carl Vennerstrom

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Carl Vennerstrom argues that Christ’s temptation in the desert is a perfect temptation: it reveals every major kind of temptation, shows the dev...

An Image of an Image (of God): Athens, Jerusalem, and Artificial Intelligence – Dr. Kevin Kambo

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Kevin Kambo argues that AI should be understood less as genuine intelligence and more as a highly sophisticated form of simulated intelligence, li...

John Henry Newman on Following Your Conscience – Dr. Christopher Mooney

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Mooney argues that John Henry Newman’s teaching on conscience means conscience is not mere personal preference or social conditioning, b...

The Gift of Disability and the Hope for Healing – Prof. Paul Gondreau

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Paul Gondreau argues that disability, though a real physical wound of human nature, can also be a profound gift because it deepens participation...

Thomas Aquinas and the Philosophy of Punishment – Dr. Peter Koritansky

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Peter Koritansky argues that Thomas Aquinas grounds punishment in natural law and retributive justice, where punishment is justified not merely to...

The Roots of the Church in the Old and New Testament – Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman argues that the Church is not a human invention but a divinely founded reality rooted deeply in Scripture, where Israel’s...

Becoming a Good Conversationalist: How Not to Bore, Boast, or Otherwise Blather . . . and More! – Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Gregory Pine argues that good conversation is a real moral and spiritual practice: it matters, takes time, and should be used to draw near to othe...

St. John Henry Newman’s Idea of the Saint – Dr. Rebekah Lamb

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rebekah Lamb argues that St. John Henry Newman’s idea of the saint is deeply relational: saints are friends knit together in the communion of sa...

I Want to Live a Good Life, Where Do I Start? – Dr. Wes Siscoe

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Wes Siscoe argues that true happiness and the good life are not found in pleasure, wealth, fame, or even bodily health, but in a fully ordered hum...

Is Abortion Morally Acceptable to Save the Life of the Mother? – Prof. Steven Jensen

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Steven Jensen presents several arguments in favor of the conclusion that the life of a fetus has intrinsic human dignity on account of what a hu...

The Savonarola Option: Why We Should Elect Christ as King – Dr. John-Paul Heil

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. John-Paul Heil argues that Christians should “elect Christ as king” by judging political institutions according to whether they actually lead ...

The Lost Art of Dying – Dr. Lydia Dugdale

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Lydia Dugdale argues that the “lost art of dying” can be recovered by reviving older practices of mortality awareness, community, reconciliati...

Anscombe vs. Miscamble on Truman: Catholic Disagreement over Honoring a President – Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P.

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau presents the Catholic disagreement over honoring Truman as a serious moral dispute rooted in differing judgments about just war, ...

Applying Just War Principles in Contemporary Warfare – Prof. Michael Krom

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Krom argues that just war principles still govern contemporary warfare, especially drone warfare and autonomous weapons, and that moral ...

Making War Moral: The Enduring Relevance of Just War Theory – Prof. Michael Krom

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Krom argues that just war theory remains morally necessary today because war must be judged by justice, right intention, and the common ...

Stoicism and Christianity, with a Focus on Boethius - Prof. Thomas Ward

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Thomas Ward argues that Stoicism offers valuable detachment and moral discipline, but Boethius and Christianity deepen it by reordering the huma...

Making Sense of Physician Assisted Suicide – Dr. Lydia Dugdale

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on February 12th, 2026, at Vanderbilt University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/up...

The Cross is a Marriage Feast – Prof. Nina Sophie Heereman

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 5th, 2026, at University of Louisiana at Lafayette.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinsti...

Thomas Aquinas and the Theological Virtue of Hope in Times of Quiet Despair – Prof. Rik Van Nieuwenhove

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 12th, 2026, at University of Edinburgh.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upc...

The Promises and Pitfalls of Stoicism – Prof. Christopher Frey

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Christopher Frey argues that Stoicism offers real insights about freedom and detachment from externals, but its ideal of self-sufficient serenit...

Why So Sad? The Sorrows that Kill and the Sorrows that Save – Sr. Anna Wray, O.P.

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sr. Anna Wray argues that sorrow can either deform the soul as acedia or save it when rightly faced, and she offers a Thomistic account of how sorrow,...

Wisdom from the Old Testament on Prayer and the Spiritual Life – Fr. Stephen Ryan, O.P.

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on February 19th, 2026, at University of Tulsa.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upco...

Why Modern Christians Need the Eucharist – Prof. Michael Dauphinais

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Dauphinais contends that modern Christians, formed by empiricism, individualism, and a this‑worldly hope that easily turns to despair,...

Catholic Doctrine and Judaism – Prof. Gavin D'Costa

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Gavin D’Costa explains how, since Vatican II, the Catholic Church has rethought its relationship to Judaism by affirming the enduring validity...

Justified by Grace, Works, or Faith? – Prof. Michael Root

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Root argues that, in Catholic theology, we are saved wholly by the unmerited grace of Christ, and that this grace brings us into a Spiri...

Why the Catholic Church Has Priests – Fr. Dominic Langevin, O.P.

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Dominic Langevin defends the Catholic priesthood as a divinely willed, sacramental system of mediation in which ordained men, configured to Christ...

Aquinas on Predestination: The Main Issues – Fr. John Baptist Ku, O.P.

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. John Baptist Ku unpacks St. Thomas Aquinas’s doctrine of predestination, showing how God’s universal salvific will, efficacious grace, and rea...

Immorality and Immateriality – Prof. Thomas Osborne

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Thomas Osborne clarifies how, for Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, the distinctive immateriality of human intellectual knowledge grounds a phil...

Beyond Work and Play: Aristotle on Friendship, Contemplation, and The Value of Human Activity – Prof. Marshall Bierson

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Marshall Bierson uses Aristotle’s distinction between work, play, and deeper “energetic” activities to argue that friendship and contempla...

St. Thomas Aquinas on Pleasure and the Good Life – Dr. Erik Dempsey

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Erik Dempsey explains how St. Thomas Aquinas sees pleasure as a natural and God-given part of the good life, one that both signals our true human ...

Suffering and the Communion of Saints – Prof. Timothy O'Connor

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Timothy O’Connor examines why an all-loving, omnipotent God permits horrendous suffering and explores how, within a Christian framework, such ...

Friendship: The Art of Striving and Thriving Together – Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, O.P.

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd draws upon Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and friendship with Christ in order to show that sharing a common journey and life, t...

Burnout Society – Dr. R.J. Snell

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. R. J. Snell analyzes our “burnout society” as an achievement-obsessed culture that drives people to anxiety, depression, and exhaustion by dem...

From the Dictatorship of Relativism to the Tyranny of Pathos – Dr. Kevin Kambo

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Kevin Kambo argues that our culture has moved from a “dictatorship of relativism” to a “tyranny of pathos,” in which appeals to hurt feeli...

Are Right and Wrong Just a Matter of Opinion? – Prof. Steven Jensen

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Steven Jensen argues that right and wrong are not just a matter of opinion by defending moral realism over moral relativism, showing that moral ...

Is the Church Anti-Catholic? – Fr. Jacques-Benoît Rauscher, O.P.

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Jacques Benoit-Rauscher explores whether the Catholic Church is truly anti-capitalist by clarifying how Catholic social doctrine distinguishes leg...

Dante and Aquinas – Prof. George Corbett

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on January 20th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.or...

Catholic Scientists – Prof. Jonathan I. Lunine

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Jonathan I. Lunine presents his life as a planetary scientist and Catholic convert as a lived example of the harmony between faith and science, ...

Catholic Faith and Medicine: In Harmony or in Conflict? – Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan, MD

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan, M.D., presents Catholic faith and medicine as profoundly harmonious, showing how Christ’s person‑to‑person healing, the...

The War That Never Was: Science vs. Faith – Prof. Lawrence M. Principe

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Lawrence M. Principe argues that the supposed “war” between science and faith is largely a modern myth, constructed in the late 19th century...

The Making of Another Catholic Scientist – Prof. Jonathan Lunine

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Jonathan Lunine offers a personal and intellectual witness that one can be both a serious planetary scientist and a committed Catholic, describi...

Is Religion Really an Enemy of Science? – Prof. Carlos A. Casanova

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Carlos A. Casanova argues that religion—understood as a theological worldview affirming God as the rational creator—is not an enemy but an h...

Truth, Goodness, and Fantasy Literature – Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P.

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Philip-Neri Reese argues that while grimdark fantasy (exemplified by George R. R. Martin) can be just as true artistically as Tolkien-style classi...

The Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis – Prof. Lee Oser

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Lee Oser portrays the Inklings—and especially J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis—as a countercultural circle of Christian writers and scholars wh...

Christian Humanism and Shakespeare – Prof. Lee Oser

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Lee Oser argues that Christian humanism—the “radical middle” between secularism and sectarianism—offers the best key to Shakespeare’s ...

Goodness, Truth, Beauty: The World According to Dante – Prof. Joshua Hochschild

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Joshua Hochschild shows how Dante’s Paradiso offers a philosophically rich, Thomistic, and Neoplatonic vision of the cosmos in which goodness,...

Dante’s Passionate Intellect: The Divine Comedy’s Journey of Desire – Prof. George Corbett

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. George Corbett presents Dante’s Divine Comedy as a transformative “journey of desire” in which the passionate intellect—shaped by Virgil...

Edith Stein and Thomism – Dr. Robert McNamara

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on March 6th, 2025, at Farm Street Church.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-...

How to Avoid Being Unhappy: Gluttony and the Proper Place of Food and Alcohol in the Good Life – Prof. W. Scott Cleveland

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. W. Scott Cleveland explains how food and alcohol can either undermine or promote true happiness, arguing that gluttony is a disordered desire fo...

The Terrible Covenant of Sloth: Boredom and the Resistance of Joy – Dr. R.J. Snell

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. R.J. Snell argues that the real epidemic behind student anxiety, boredom, and frenzied achievement is not laziness but sloth—a refusal of respon...

Money, Pleasure, Influence and the Key to a Happy Life – Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Gregory Pine shows how money, pleasure, and influence all fail as ultimate goals and argues that true happiness comes from living in accord with o...

Do We Really Have a Bill of Rights? – Prof. Jerome Foss

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on November 4th, 2025, at Washington & Lee University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitu...

John Henry Newman's Critique of Liberalism: Lessons from the Aristotelian Tradition – Prof. Joshua Hochschild

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on October 9th, 2025, at University of Michigan.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upc...

The Types of Miracles and the Possibilty of Demonic Miracles – Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P.

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Anselm Ramelow explains how, in a Thomistic framework, miracles are graded by how they surpass nature and why only God can perform the highest-lev...

Fire on the Altar: A Lecture on St. Augustine – Prof. Chad Pecknold

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Chad Pecknold shows how St. Augustine’s Confessions should be read as a Catholic, sacramental account of conversion in which the “altar of t...

Dominican Mystics of the Rhineland – Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P.

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy introduces the medieval Dominican mystics of the Rhineland and, in dialogue with Aquinas and Pseudo-Dionysius, shows how their of...

Catholic Women in the Arts & Sciences: An Underappreciated Tradition – Dr. Bronwen McShea

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Bronwen McShea uncovers the rich but often forgotten history of Catholic women in the arts and sciences, showing how figures from late antiquity t...

The Natural Law Ethics of Killing – Prof. Christopher Tollefsen

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Christopher Tollefsen argues from a Thomistic natural law perspective that it is always morally wrong to intend the death of an innocent human b...

Catholic Ethics in the Modern World – Prof. Marshall Bierson

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on January 23rd, 2026, at Washington & Lee University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitu...

The Scopes Trial & the Myth of Warfare between Science & Religion – Prof. Kenneth Kemp

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Kenneth Kemp reexamines the Scopes “Monkey Trial” to show that it has been mythologized into evidence of a supposed war between science and ...

My Life Exploring the Solar System and Worlds Beyond – Prof. Jonathan I. Lunine

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Jonathan I. Lunine recounts his life as a planetary scientist, tracing how early inspirations from Carl Sagan and the space race led to his work...

Creation vs. Creationism – University of America Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P.

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on October 20th, 2025, at The Catholic University of America.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinst...

Vocation of a Catholic Scientist – Prof. Karin Öberg

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on January 15th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.o...

What Contemporary Culture Needs to Learn from Thomas Aquinas – Prof. Michael Dauphinais

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Dauphinais explains what contemporary culture needs to learn from Thomas Aquinas, arguing for a metaphysics of communion in which God, ...

Flirting with Happiness: Aquinas on the Good Life – Fr. Alan O'Sullivan, O.P.

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Alan O’Sullivan unpacks Aquinas on the good life, explaining why wealth, power, fame, and pleasure cannot be our ultimate happiness and how true...

Does God Exist? How Do I Know? The Five Ways of Aquinas – Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P.

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on May 8th, 2025, at North Dakota State University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/...

John Paul II on the Value of Human Life and Euthanasia – Prof. Christopher Tollefsen

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on September 23rd, 2025, at University of South Carolina.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitut...

St. Thomas Aquinas on the Beatitudes – Fr. Anton ten Klooster

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on November 3rd, 2025, at Oxford University.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcomin...

Engaging Politics as a Catholic – Fr. Jan Bentz

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Jan Bentz explores what it means to engage politics as a Catholic, calling believers to critical thinking rooted in truth, a both‑and logic that...

Understanding Anscombe’s Absolutism – Prof. Marshall Bierson

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Marshall Bierson unpacks Elizabeth Anscombe’s moral absolutism, arguing that questions like “Why is it worse to kill one innocent person tha...

Icons and Idols: An Augustinian Reflection on Race, Racism, and Antiracism – Prof. Kevin Kambo

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Kevin Kambo reflects on race, racism, and antiracism through Augustine, showing how modern racial categories operate as idolatrous myths born of...

Augustine and Aquinas Against Skepticism – Prof. Chad Pecknold

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Chad Pecknold explains how Augustine and Aquinas argue against skepticism, defending metaphysical realism and the mind’s capacity to know trut...

The Issue of Free Will: Are We the Authors of Our Actions? – Prof. Steven Jensen

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Steven Jensen explores the issue of free will and moral responsibility, arguing that we are genuine authors of our actions only if our choices a...

Rewiring the Brain – Dr. William Hurlbut

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. William Hurlbut examines how natural neuroplasticity, education, lifestyle, and new neurotechnologies are “rewiring the brain,” highlighting b...

If ChatGPT Exists, Why Study? – Fr. Chris Gault, O.P.

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Chris Gault explores whether AI like ChatGPT should change how or why we study, showing that while machines can accelerate information processing,...

Can a Machine Understand?: ChatGPT, Knowledge, and the Nature of Understanding – Prof. Tomás Bogardus

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was given on November 17th, 2025, at University of Georgia.For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/up...

Does God Care About Suffering? – Dr. Christopher Mooney

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Christopher Mooney asks "whether God really cares about our suffering" and uses biblical narratives, the significance of Christ’s tears, and phi...

Is Suffering Good? – Sr. Elinor Gardner, O.P.

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sr. Elinor Gardner asks whether suffering can be called “good” by engaging Stoic thinkers like Seneca, modern echoes in Nietzsche, and biblical wi...

The God of Love and the Reality of Evil and Suffering – Prof. Chris Baglow

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Chris Baglow explores how the God of love can allow evil and suffering by showing that a world created for freedom and love—not as a determini...

Christ Fully Reveals Man to Himself: What Christ's Humanity Says about What It Means to Be Human – Prof. Paul Gondreau

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Paul Gondreau explores how Christ’s concrete, fully human life uniquely “fully reveals man to himself,” showing that every human person an...

Creation as Relation: An Existential Consideration – Dr. Robert McNamara

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Robert McNamara explores how creation is not a distant event but our very act of existing here and now, so that each person’s being is itself a ...

Do We Make Morality, or Discover It? An Examination of the Basis of Natural Law – Dr. Erik Dempsey

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Erik Dempsey explores whether we make morality or discover it by unpacking Aquinas’s three natural inclinations and arguing that they ground obj...