Prof. Matthew Gaetano discusses Thomists' defense against Descartes and Gessendi, rejecting atomism in the 17th century. The debate on prime matter and divine power, the importance of structure in Thomism, and the clash between classicism and modern science in the 17th and 18th centuries are explored.
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Aristotle's Matter and Modern Thought
Rejecting Aristotle's view of matter is fundamental to modern thought shifts.
This rejection sparked intense criticism during the scientific revolution.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Dominican Thomists and New Science
The podcast analyzes 17th/18th-century Dominican Thomists: Godin, Picinardi, and Rosselli.
These figures grappled with new scientific theories while defending older traditions.
insights INSIGHT
Atomism Rejection and Ancient Debates
The rejection of atomism wasn't solely due to theological concerns (like transubstantiation).
Thomists saw a resurgence of ancient debates between Aristotle and materialists (Democritus, Epicurus).
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This was one of the lectures from our 2019 Summer Science Conference, "Novelty in Nature: Scientific and Philosophical Understanding of Flux and Chance in the Natural World." For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: www.thomisticinstitute.org/events
Conference Theme:
Modern science consistently presents us with new and surprising truths about the natural world, particularly about how new things come to be, whether stars and galaxies, plants and animals, or chemical and physical structures. In many ways this creativity and flux in nature might seem antithetical to the classical picture of nature that Aquinas inherited from Aristotle. The theme for the second annual Thomistic Institute symposium on modern science and Thomistic philosophy, “Novelty in Nature: Scientific and Philosophical Understanding of Flux and Change in the Natural World,” touches on this question. Expert scientists and philosophers will discuss whether Thomistic philosophy is compatible with our modern scientific view of nature and how the two might enrich one another. The symposium is primarily intended for graduate students in the sciences and the philosophy of science and will include introductory sessions on basic of Thomistic philosophy of nature in its own day and in the history of science.
2019 Featured Speakers:
Karin Oberg (Harvard University), Robert Koons, (University of Texas), Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, (Providence College), Marissa March (University of Pennsylvania), Fr. James Brent, OP, (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception), Thomas McLaughlin (St. John Vianny Theological Seminary), Matthew Gaetano (Hillsdale College), Dr. Brian Carl (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception).
The Thomistic Institute 