The Witherspoon Institute's Fifth Thomistic Institute

This in, from Matthew O’Brien of the University of Texas:

The Thomistic Seminar is the Witherspoon Institute’s fifth-annual, week-long, intensive program for graduate students in philosophy. The seminar is devoted to exploring the intersection between analytic philosophy and the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition.

This year’s seminar, entitled “Aesthetics and Morality: Thomistic and Contemporary Philosophical Approaches,” will examine the relationship between aesthetics and morality, particularly with respect to the social aspects of human life. It will take place August 15 - 21, 2010 in Princeton, New Jersey.

Recent years have seen intense philosophical work on the nature and content of morality; addressing issues in normative ethics, moral theory and metaethics. There has also been a growth of serious work on nature and value of the arts, and on the role of the aesthetic as a constituent of human well-being. The seminar will draw together some of these themes and issues, bringing to bear both contemporary ideas and aspects of the theories of value and practice to be found in the writings of Aquinas.

It has been increasingly common to see Aquinas cited or discussed by contemporary moral philosophers outside the Thomistic tradition, such as Philippa Foot, Alasdair MacIntyre, John Rawls, Thomas Scanlon, Michael Thompson, and David Wiggins, but to date aestheticians in the analytical tradition have neglected ideas and figures from the pre-Kantian period. Yet there is in Aquinas the makings of theories of beauty, art and normative aesthetics that are of intrinsic interest and which also suggest ways in which aesthetics and ethics might be interwoven in a general account of value and practice, both personal and social.

Faculty

John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St. Andrews
Thomas Hibbs, Professor of Ethics and Culture, Baylor University
Anthony O’Hear, Professor of Philosophy, University of Buckingham
Candace Vogler, Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago

Past student participants in the seminar have hailed from top-tier graduate philosophy programs in North America and Europe. Past faculty participants have included Nicholas Rescher (Pittsburgh), Michael Gorman (Catholic University), John Haldane (St. Andrews), Candace Vogler (Chicago), John O’Callaghan (Notre Dame), Robert Koons (UT, Austin), Gavin Lawrence (UCLA), Mark Murphy (Georgetown), David Solomon (Notre Dame), Alexander Pruss (Baylor), David Oderberg (Reading), Gyula Klima (Fordham), Anselm Mueller (Trier), Jeff McDonough (Harvard) and Thomas Pink (King’s College, London).

Seminar Participants

This seminar is open to graduate students in philosophy. Applications from students in other disciplines (e.g. theology, political theory, and art history), who nonetheless have a background in philosophy, will also be considered.

Seminar Facilities

This seminar will take place on the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. Seminar participants will be provided with room and board for the duration of the seminar.

Visit http://www.winst.org/ethics_and_university/seminars/philosophy/index.php for application information. The application deadline has been extended to April 15, 2010.

PAST and Doctor Communis

Here is some news on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas (PAST) will hold its X Plenary Session in the Vatican on 18-20 June 2010 on the topic The Human Animal: Procreation, Education and the Foundations of Society. The speakers will include Kevin Flannery SJ, John Haldane, Reinhard Hütter and John O’Callaghan.

For more on the Pontifical Academy, follow this link to their new website.

As a follow-up on our report on last year’s Plenary Session (see here), we have acquired the proceedings of the sessions of 2009 and 2008.

Doctor Communis 2009: Saint-Thomas’s Interpretation of Saint Paul’s Doctrines

• Rodríguez, Pedro: Del año paulino al año sacerdotal (20-22)
• Martínez García, Enrique: In memoriam Francisco Canals Vidal (23-25)
• Cordero Lanza DiMontezemolo, Andrea: L’anno paolino ed i programmi svolti nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura (26-38)
• Hütter, Reinhard: “In hope he believed against hope” (Romans 4:18) (39-59)
• DiNoia, Joseph A.: Christ brings freedom from sin and death (60-75)
• Biffi, Inos: Aspetti della figura di Cristo nel commento di Tommaso alla Lettera agli Ebrei (76-91)
• Rodríguez, Pedro: El “sacrum ministerium” en los comentarios de Santo Tomás al “Corpus paulinum” (92-113)
• Ocáriz, Fernando: L’adozione filiale e il mistero di Cristo (114-130)
• Elders, Leo J.: The “Lecturae” of St. Thomas Aquinas of the Letters of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians and Colossians (131-149)
• Wielockx, Robert: Au sujet du commentaire de saint Thomas sur le “Corpus paulinum” (150-184)
• Waldstein, Michael: The spousal logic of justification (185-197)
• Ferrara, Ricardo: “Gratia secundum se”. La dottrina della grazia nel commento alla Lettera ai Romani (198-218)
• Sánchez Sorondo, Marcello: Grace as “new creation” (219-236)

Doctor Communis 2008: The “Praeambula Fidei” and the New Apologetics

• Zdybicka, Zofia J., Commemorazione di Mieczysław Albert Krąpiec, O.P.(18-20)
• Levada, William J., The importance of a new apologetics (21-28)
• McInerny, Ralph M., Newman and natural religion (29-37)
• Wippel, John F., Philosophy and the preambles of faith in Thomas Aquinas (38-61)
• Brock, Stephen L., Realistic practical truth (62-75)
• Glendon, Mary A., Apologetics in the public square (78-86)
• Morerod, Charles, Le nouvel athéisme évolutionniste et les praeambula fidei (87-112)
• Cottier, Georges, Scientisme et apologétique (113-124)
• Biffi, Inos, Per una nuova coscienza della centralità di Cristo nella cultura contemporanea (125-135)
• Bruguès, Jean L., Moral convictions and evangelical ethics (136-144)
• Livi, Antonio, La teologia di oggi ha bisogno di una nuova interpretazione filosofica della dottrina tommasiana dei “praeambula fidei” (151-175)
• Galeazzi, Umberto, La razionalità dei tommasiani “praeambula fidei” el il fideismo di K. Barth, convergente con i neopositivisti (176-200)
• Seidl, Horst, Apologetic theology as fruit of the encounter between Christian faith and metaphysics (201-208)

A blog devoted to St. Anselm

Thanks to David Whidden of Southern Methodist University, a link to a blog devoted to the life and work of St. Anselm, whose 900th-year anniversary of death just passed in 2009. The link is: http://anselm2009.blogspot.com. David notes:

It looks relatively new and seems to focus a bit on the philosophic side of Anselm rather than the theological.

Take a look!

bab.la iPhone / iPod Touch app now available

I thought I was making a funny when I said that the good people at bab.la should make an iPhone/iPod Touch app for their on-line dictionary. It turns out that they were right in the midst of doing just that. Their first app is now available on iTunes, for German -> English. It’s free, and is a great way to work on your German (or Englisch).

They plan on producing apps for the other 24 dictionaries they have on the go. Wow.

Dewan books in Spanish

This in, from Liliana Irizar of the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Columbia:

I am writing to you to tell you that two books, Fundamentos metafísicos de la ética and Lecciones de metafísica have just come out! The first contains Fr. Dewan’s lessons of the Seminar which was given by him here, in Colombia, during his stay in September 2008. The second is a compilation of some of his Metaphysics’ classes and several relevant Metaphysical articles.

It’s important to note that Fr. Stephen L. Brock wrote the prologue for the Lecciones de metafísica and Professor Jason West wrote prologue for the second book.

Liliana also provided pictures of the covers for each book (click on the pictures below for the original resolution).

bab.la toolbar

A follow-up to the preceding post on the bab.la on-line dictionary portal. If you’re using Firefox as your browser there’s a bab.la toolbar (link), and if you’re using IE there’s also a toolbar (link). These plug-ins also include links to Google and to Wikipedia. Cool.

I’m waiting for them to create an iPhone/iPod Touch app.

bab.la GmbH: an on-line language portal

Even though I've got some links here on the site to various on-line dictionaries, usually in a one-for-one way, the online language portal bab.la offers 25 dictionaries in 15 languages, all freely available (e.g. German, French, Italian, Spanish, on and on).

The site also features exercises and other activities you can use to improve your knowledge of other languages. A fine, fine resource.

Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine 2010 in Wyoming

This in, from Peter Kwasniewski:

The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, founded by John Mortensen (recent recipient of a pontifical award), Jeremy Holmes, and Peter Kwasniewski, will be conducting its third annual Summer Program from May 24th to July 16th, 2010, in the town of Lander, Wyoming.  The theme of this summer is “Man on Pilgrimage to God: The Prima Secundae of the Summa theologiae.”  Serious students of Catholic theology: consider joining us as we plumb the depths of the Angelic Doctor’s most profound general treatment of moral theology, including the ultimate end of human life, the definition of the moral act in all its components, the concupiscible and irascible passions of the soul, the structure of the virtues both natural and supernatural, the goal of heroic sanctity put forth in the beatitudes, the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit, law in its magnificent range of analogous forms (human, natural, eternal, revealed), and supernatural grace, the very foundation of specifically Christian morals.  In this eight-week summer program we will read nearly every treatise in the Prima Secundae — a rare and enviable opportunity to see the whole domain of morality as the Church’s greatest theologian conceived it.

For details, visit our website.

Francis Beckwith and Ralph McInerny confess (sort of)

Francis Beckwith recounts a story that is perfectly Ralph.

Thomas Hibbs on Ralph McInerny

Thomas Hibbs, a former-student of Ralph McInerny’s (and current Dean of the Honors College at Baylor University), wrote an appreciation of Ralph that appeared in First Things magazine (link).

Ralph M. McInerny (1929-2010)

Ralph McInerny died yesterday morning, January 29, 2010, at around 6:30 a.m. A towering figure in the study of Aquinas. More information will be posted as I’m able to obtain and shape it for publication.

Collection of essays by Leo Elders s.v.d.

The Dutch Thomist Leo Elders s.v.d. has collected some of his published and unpublished essays, written during the last thirty years or so. Together they comprise over 900 pages and are collected in two volumes, published by Éditions Parole et Silence and Les Presses Universitaires de l’IPC.

The volumes are entitled:

Au coeur de la philosophie de saint Thomas d’Aquin, Parole et Silence/Presses Universitaires de l’IPC, Paris, 2009, 357 p. ISBN 987-2-84573-792-1

 Sur les traces de saint Thomas d’Aquin : Étude de ses commentaires bibliques. Thèmes théologiques, Parole et Silence/Presses Universitaires de l’IPC, Paris, 2009, 590 p. ISBN 987-2-84573-813-3

Here is the description of the theology-volume and the table of contents :

“Ce livre est le pendant du recueil Au coeur de la philosophie de saint Thomas, déjà publie par Parole et Silence et les presses de I’IPC. Le lecteur trouvera une série de neuf articles portant sur les leçons du Docteur Commun sur plusieurs textes de la Bible, sa doctrine de l’inspiration et sa méthode en exégèse. Ces essais montrent la grande richesse et la profondeur de ces commentaires, relativement peu étudiés. Une deuxième série de quatorze articles concerne des questions théologiques: la présence des Pères dans les écrits de Thomas, la paternité de Dieu, la christologie, sa doctrine de la Loi nouvelle comme la grâce du Saint-Esprit, la théologie de l’image de Dieu et d’autres études, par exemple celle sur l’influence des courants de la pensée philosophique sur l’expression de la foi. Elle nous permet de mettre en relief l’admirable aptitude de la philosophie de saint Thomas ä servir d’instrument dans l’élaboration de la doctrine de la foi. Dans leur ensemble, ces études laissent voir l’étonnante richesse, la profondeur, la catholicité et l’actualité de la théologie de saint Thomas.”

Content : “Inspiration et révélation selon saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 13-36 ; “Les commentaires bibliques de saint Thomas : le Principium Rigans montes et Hic est liber”, 37-56 ; “Introduction à l’Expositio super Isaiam ad litteram”,57 - 84 ; “Le commentaire de saint Thomas d’Aquin sur le Livre de Job”, 85-122 ; “L’actualité de la Lettre de saint Paul aux Romains selon la lectura super epistulam ad Romanos de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 123 - 140 ; “Saint Paul et la connaissance naturelle de Dieu par l’homme (Rm 1,18-32) selon le commentaire de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 141-166 ; “Les leçons de saint Thomas d’Aquin sur la Lettre aux Philippiens et la Lettre aux Colossiens”, 179 -192 ; “La lectura super epistulam ad Hebræos de saint Thomas d’Aquin, 193-223 ; “Thomas d’Aquin, commentateur de saint Paul”, 224-250 ; “Une recherche des racines de l’hétérodoxie et l’apport de la philosophie de saint Thomas”, 251-286 ; “Histoire et historicité dans la théologie de l’histoire de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 287-298 ; “Vie active et vie contemplative selon saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 299-316 ; “Saint Thomas d’Aquin et les Pères de l’ Église”, 317-350 ; “La présence de saint Jean Chrysostome dans les oeuvres de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 351-378 ; “Saint Jérôme et saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 379-416 ; “La théologie de saint Thomas d’Aquin de l’image de Dieu”, 417-442 ; “La signification de la paternité de Dieu dans la théologie spirituelle de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 443-458 ; “La christologie de la Somme contre les Gentils”, 459-492 ; “Le jugement dernier dans la théologie de saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 493-508 ; “La Loi Nouvelle est la grâce du Saint-Esprit”, 509-524 ; “Les racines de l’amour divin pour la vie selon saint Thomas d’Aquin”, 525-537 ; “Saint Thomas et l’évangélisation des païens”, 538-554 ; “La doctrine de saint Thomas et l’évangélisation de l’Amérique”, 555-569 .