The Thomistic Institute

Prof. Matthew Dugandzic explores the concept of free will, questioning if it is an illusion. He discusses the limitations of machines and argues that they cannot possess free will. The chapter also delves into the influence of mood on human behavior and the connection between freedom and knowledge. Additionally, it explores the concept of a perfect circle and its implications on our understanding of knowledge and reality. The chapter also discusses the concept of abstraction and how it allows the mind to derive universal ideas from specific characteristics. Lastly, it explores the relationship between predictability and free will.

This podcast explores the significance of the household in understanding human nature. It discusses the importance of work, discipline, and character formation, as well as the role of wisdom in the household. The connection between wisdom, virtue, and parenting is examined, along with the definition and forms of wisdom. The podcast emphasizes the importance of incorporating a contemplative element in the active life of a household and highlights intentional households and the challenges of raising children. The value of engaging in simple arts for celebrating and connecting is also discussed.

This lecture was given on June 15, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: University of Washington The Thomistic Institute at the University of Washington presents a lecture by Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P. of the Dominican House of Studies titled “The Search for Happiness: Wisdom from Aquinas and the Classical Tradition.” Friday, November 4 2:00 PM HUB 334 This lecture is free and open to the public. About the Speaker: Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P., is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and Assistant Professor in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Ph.L. from the School of Philosophy of the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2001, after having practiced constitutional law for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught at The Catholic University of America Law School and at Providence College. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Join Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. of Aquinas 101, Godsplaining, and Pints with Aquinas for an off-campus conversation with Dr. Michael Root about his latest Thomistic Institute, "What is Our Hope? Heaven and the Kingdom of God." What is Our Hope? Heaven and the Kingdom of God w/ Dr. Michael Root and Fr. Gregory Pine (Off-Campus Conversations) You can listen to the original lecture here: https://on.soundcloud.com/w9AaZ About the speaker: Professor Michael Root (Catholic University of America is an Ordinary Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Root is a native of Norfolk, Virginia and studied at Dartmouth College (B.A.) and Yale University (Ph.D. in theology). He was received into the Catholic Church in August, 2010. His particular theological interests are ecumenical relations, eschatology/last things, and grace and justification. Root has been a member of the US and international Lutheran-Catholic dialogues, the US Lutheran-United Methodist dialogue, the Anglican-Lutheran International Working Group, and the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission. He served on the drafting teams that produced the Lutheran Roman Catholic “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification”.

This lecture was given on June 15, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: Russell Hittinger is a leading scholar of Catholic political and social thought. From 1996-2019, Dr. Hittinger was the incumbent of the William K. Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, where he was also a Research Professor in the School of Law. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Fordham University, Princeton University, New York University, Providence College, and Charles University in Prague. In January 2020, Dr. Hittinger gave the Aquinas Lecture at Blackfriars, Oxford. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, to which he was elected a full member (ordinarius) in 2004 and appointed to the consilium or governing board from 2006-2018. On 8 September 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Dr. Hittinger as an ordinarius in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, in which he finished his ten-year term in 2019. He is currently a Fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America, where he also serves as the inaugural co-Director of the Program in Catholic Political Thought.

This lecture was given on June 14, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: Russell Hittinger is a leading scholar of Catholic political and social thought. From 1996-2019, Dr. Hittinger was the incumbent of the William K. Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, where he was also a Research Professor in the School of Law. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Fordham University, Princeton University, New York University, Providence College, and Charles University in Prague. In January 2020, Dr. Hittinger gave the Aquinas Lecture at Blackfriars, Oxford. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, to which he was elected a full member (ordinarius) in 2004 and appointed to the consilium or governing board from 2006-2018. On 8 September 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Dr. Hittinger as an ordinarius in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, in which he finished his ten-year term in 2019. He is currently a Fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America, where he also serves as the inaugural co-Director of the Program in Catholic Political Thought.

This lecture was given on June 14, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas" For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P., is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and an Assistant Professor in systematic theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Ph.L. from the School of Philosophy of the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2001 and was ordained a priest in 2007. He practiced law for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice before becoming a Dominican.

This lecture was given on June 13, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Michael Gorman is professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America. He has doctorates in philosophy and theology. He has authored over thirty academic papers and a book entitled Aquinas on the Metaphysics of the Hypostatic Union (Cambridge University Press, 2017). His main interests are metaphysics, human nature, and ethics.

This lecture was given on June 13, 2023, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: Russell Hittinger is a leading scholar of Catholic political and social thought. From 1996-2019, Dr. Hittinger was the incumbent of the William K. Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, where he was also a Research Professor in the School of Law. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Fordham University, Princeton University, New York University, Providence College, and Charles University in Prague. In January 2020, Dr. Hittinger gave the Aquinas Lecture at Blackfriars, Oxford. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, to which he was elected a full member (ordinarius) in 2004 and appointed to the consilium or governing board from 2006-2018. On 8 September 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Dr. Hittinger as an ordinarius in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, in which he finished his ten-year term in 2019. He is currently a Fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America, where he also serves as the inaugural co-Director of the Program in Catholic Political Thought.

This lecture was given on June 13, 2023 at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. as part of the 2023 Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship: "Friendship, Happiness, and the Search for God: Aristotle, Augustine, & Aquinas" For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events Speaker Bio: Michael Gorman is professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America. He has doctorates in philosophy and theology. He has authored over thirty academic papers and a book entitled Aquinas on the Metaphysics of the Hypostatic Union (Cambridge University Press, 2017). His main interests are metaphysics, human nature, and ethics.