The Thomistic Institute

Fr. Anselm Ramelow critically examines whether artificial intelligence can achieve personhood, arguing that machines lack the essential qualities of being, consciousness, and unity inherent to human nature.

This lecture was given on September 14th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P., a native of Germany, teaches philosophy at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California, where he is also currently the chair of the philosophy department. He is also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the Academy of Catholic Theology. He obtained his doctorate under Robert Spaemann in Munich on Leibniz and the Spanish Jesuits (Gott, Freiheit, Weltenwahl, Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1997) and did theological work on George Lindbeck and the question of a Thomist philosophy and theology of language. Areas of research and teaching include Free Will, the History of Philosophy and Philosophical Aesthetics. He has worked on a philosophical approach to Miracles and other topics of the philosophy of religion, and more recently the philosophy of technology.

Keywords: AI and Personhood Debate, Consciousness and Qualia, David Chalmers on Materialism, Human Unity in Consciousness, Immaterial Nature of Humans, Nagel’s What Is It Like to Be a Bat?, Reductionism in AI Ethics, Simulation vs. Reality in AI, Thomas Hobbes’ Materialism

Dr. Daniel De Haan examines the interplay between philosophical, theological, and scientific images of human persons, emphasizing their complementarity and addressing challenges posed by reductionist scientific perspectives.

This lecture was given on September 28th, 2023, at University of Edinburgh.

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About the Speaker:

Dr. Daniel De Haan is a Research Fellow of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford. He is working on the Renewal of Natural Theology Project directed by Professor Alister McGrath. Before coming to Oxford, De Haan was a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge working on the neuroscience strand of the Templeton World Charity Foundation Fellowships in Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and the Sciences Project, directed by Sarah Coakley. During this postdoctoral fellowship, he conducted research on the intersections of theology, philosophy, and neuroscience in Lisa Saksida’s Translational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory in the Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge.

Keywords: Aristotelianism, Augustine’s De Trinitate, Catholic Anthropology, Divine Image, Human Dignity, Psychological Analogy of the Trinity, Rational Animals, Reductionism in Neuroscience, Scientific Challenges to Theology

Fr. John Mark Solitario explores the transformative power of grace offered by Christ, emphasizing the perfection of charity and voluntary poverty as a means to participate in divine goodness and a sure path to eternal life.

This lecture was given on July 10th, 2024, at Theodore House at Stonyhurst.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P. is a coordinator for campus outreach at the Thomistic Institute. He met the nuns and friars of the Order of Preachers at the Dominican Monastery of the Mother of God in his hometown of West Springfield, MA. Their lives of Christian totality, marked by sacrifice, prayer, and preaching but above all, a supernatural goodness and joy, made a huge impact on him. After studying the liberal arts and philosophy at Christendom College and teaching high school theology as a member of Providence College’s PACT program, Father entered the Dominican novitiate in Cincinnati, OH, and went on for theological studies at the Dominican House of Studies. Following the solemn profession of religious vows, he was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ in 2019. Focusing on the Universal Call to Holiness in the theology of the Spanish Dominican Juan Arintero, Fr John Mark earned his licentiate in sacred theology in 2020. He is delighted to be working with students and professors as they seek to know better the truth about God and his creation through the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Keywords: Abandonment of Riches, Evangelical Poverty, Grace and Divine Goodness, Incarnation Theology, Material Detachment, Perfection of Charity, Saint Augustine’s Eighty-Three Questions, Saint Jerome’s Commentary on Matthew, Voluntary Poverty, Way of Perfection

Fr. Dominic Legge explores the intricacies of the hypostatic union, focusing on Aquinas's understanding of how the divine and human natures are united in the person of Christ, while navigating various Christological heresies.

This lecture was given on February 24th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Dominic Legge is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and Associate Professor in Systematic Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He is an Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and 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, 2017).

Keywords: Albert the Great, Christological Heresy, De Unione, Divine Nature, Ephesus, Hypostatic Union, Monophysitism, Nestorianism, Saint Thomas Aquinas

Professor Paul Gavrilyuk explores Cyril of Alexandria's Christology as a sustained meditation on majesty and lowliness, driven by the desire to probe the mystery of the hypostatic union in light of the Nestorian controversy.

This lecture was given on February 23rd, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Prof. Paul L. Gavrilyuk holds the Endowed Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy in the Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (2013- present). His fields of expertise range from historical theology to philosophy of religion to ecumenical studies. He has contributed to the understanding of the early Christian doctrine of God, of modern Russian religious thought, and of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. He is the founding president of the International Orthodox Theological Association and Rebuild Ukraine.

Keywords: Alexandria, Antioch, Christology, Cyril of Alexandria, Divine Impassibility, Hypostatic Union, Kenosis, Logos, Nestorius, Philippians 2:5-11

Fr. Khaled Anatolios argues that the Nicene Council and its doctrine of creation from nothing entail a comprehensive understanding of Christian existence, particularly as illuminated by Athanasius's "On the Incarnation," which configures human life within the dialectic of being and nothingness.

This lecture was given on February 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Khaled Anatolios is John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame. He is interested in all aspects of the theology of the early Church, with special emphases on the Trinitarian, Christological, and soteriological doctrines of the Greek fathers and Augustine; early Christian biblical exegesis; and the development of theological methodology in Patristic and medieval theology. He has published on a variety of early Christian theologians including Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, and Gregory of Nyssa. A particular focus of his work is the engagement between early Christian theological reflection and contemporary theological concerns.

Keywords: Saint Athanasius, Creation From Nothing, Existential Theology, Gabriel Marcel, Homoousios, Nicene Council, On The Incarnation, Theology, Word of God

Fr. Jordan Schmidt explores the concept of humans being created in God's image and likeness (Imago Dei) from a biblical perspective, particularly focusing on the Genesis creation account and St. Paul's teachings.

This lecture was given on November 7th, 2024, at University of South Florida.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Jordan Schmidt graduated with a BA in English and Philosophy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN in 2002. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2005 and after completing his theological studies (STL and Mdiv), he was ordained a priest in 2012. Fr. Jordan initially served as associate pastor of St Mary’s parish in New Haven, CT, and subsequently returned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC to pursue doctoral studies at CUA, ultimately earning his PhD in biblical studies in 2018. He is currently an assistant professor of Sacred Scripture at the PFIC where he teaches various Old Testament courses, including survey courses on the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Wisdom literature as well as seminar courses on biblical inspiration, eschatology and apocalyptic literature, theological history, and creation theology.

Keywords: Ancient Near East, Creation, Genesis, Imago Dei, Jesus Christ, Original Sin, Saint Paul, Sacrifice, Worship

This lecture was given on February 9th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

The speaker requests that anyone interested in a summary of this talk listen to the whole thing.

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About the Speaker:

Sr. Anna Wray, O.P. (Thomistic Institute) is a native of Connecticut and a member of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia. Sister received her PhD in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, having written her dissertation on Aristotle’s account of the activity of contemplation. Sister is on faculty in CUA's School of Philosophy.

Keywords: Aristotelian Contemplation, Aristotle’s De Anima, Contemplation, Fulfillment in Human Activity, Peripatetic Therapy, Saint Thomas Aquinas on Contemplation, Speculative Thinking vs. Practical Thinking, Therapeutic Philosophy, Virtue Ethics, Unmoved Mover

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy explores the meaning of loving God with all our minds, drawing from St. Thomas Aquinas's interpretation of the greatest commandment.

This lecture was given on April 9th, 2024, at the University of Pennsylvania.

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About the Speaker:

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, OP is a Coordinator for Campus Outreach at the Thomistic Institute in Washington, DC. He has served as a parochial vicar at St. Pius V Church in Providence, RI, as well as an adjunct professor and assistant chaplain at Providence College. He originates from Columbus, OH, studied architecture in Virginia and Switzerland, and practiced in the DC area before entering the Order of Preachers in 2013. He was ordained a priest in 2020 at the Dominican House of Studies during the quarantine. In his work with the Thomistic Institute, he has given talks on the virtue of penance and the use of metaphor in Scripture. He often travels the country visiting Thomistic Institute Campus Chapters, leading seminars that help students grasp Thomistic concepts. Additionally, he coordinates the TI's intellectual retreat programming, which affords students time to pray and integrate into their lives Thomistic theology and philosophy.

Keywords: Analogical Predication, Articles of Faith, Deposit of Faith, Ignorance, Love of God, Saint Paul, Sacred Study, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Wounds of Original Sin

This lecture was given on November 15th, 2023, at Dominican House of Studies.

The speaker requests that anyone interested in a summary of this talk listen to the whole thing.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events

About the Speaker:

Sister Anna Wray is a native of Connecticut and a member of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia. Sister received her Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, having written her dissertation on Aristotle’s account of the activity of contemplation. Sister is on faculty in CUA's School of Philosophy.

Keywords: A.G. Sertillanges, Contemplation, Crucifixion of the Desk, Dominican Order, Prayer, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Spiritual Growth, Studying, Study and the Spiritual Life