Campus Lectures Episodes

April 11, 2025

Coming to Know God Through Creation: A Biblical Perspective | Fr. Jor…

Fr. Jordan Schmidt explores biblical creation accounts, emphasizing their theological depth and historical context to reveal how the created world serves as a pathway to knowing God and understanding divine revelation.

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April 10, 2025

Human Nature and the Challenges of Our Advancing Technologies | Dr. W…

Dr. William Hurlbut examines the profound ethical and philosophical challenges posed by advancing biotechnologies, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of human nature, dignity, and purpose in light of developments like genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and transhumanist aspi…

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April 9, 2025

Creation and Big Bang Cosmology | Prof. Karin Öberg

Prof. Karin Öberg explores the interplay between theology and science, focusing on Thomas Aquinas' view of creation as a relational dependency on God and how Big Bang cosmology aligns with theological insights into the universe's origins.

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April 8, 2025

Should Catholics Run (Away) From Secular Politics? | Fr. John Harris,…

Fr. John Harris discusses the Catholic approach to secular politics, emphasizing Thomistic principles, the role of lay Catholics, and the balance between natural and supernatural ends in governance.

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April 7, 2025

A Neurologist's Reflections on Human Dignity and Suffering | Dr. Paul…

Dr. Paul LaPenna reflects on the integration of ancient virtues, Christian ethics, and self-sacrificial love in medical practice, emphasizing human dignity and compassionate care.

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April 4, 2025

Famine, Affluence, and Aquinas | Prof. Marshall Bierson

Prof. Marshall Bierson explores Aquinas's and Anscombe's moral absolutes, particularly concerning theft, arguing that in cases of extreme need, taking another's property may not constitute theft, suggesting a nuanced approach to absolutist moral frameworks.

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March 31, 2025

Reconciling the Image of God with the Scientific Image of Human Perso…

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.

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March 24, 2025

Understanding the Human Person as Imago Dei: A Biblical Perspective |…

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.

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March 18, 2025

The Nature and Significance of Contemplation According to Thomas Aqui…

Professor Rik Van Nieuwenhove explores Thomas Aquinas's concept of contemplation, emphasizing its intellective nature, self-transcendent character, and relationship to charity, while discussing its significance in modern life.

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March 17, 2025

Prayer and the Presence of God | Fr. Ambrose Little, O.P.

Fr. Ambrose Little explores the concept of praying always and becoming aware of God's constant presence in our lives, discussing biblical exhortations, patristic interpretations, and four ways God is present to us: by his presence, power, essence, and divine indwelling.

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March 14, 2025

Who Am I to Judge? Politics and the Problem of Moral Relativism | Pro…

Prof. Francis Beckwith explores the arguments for moral relativism, particularly the argument from disagreement and the argument from tolerance, and offers critiques, emphasizing that disagreement does not necessarily entail relativism and highligh...

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March 13, 2025

How Should Faithful Catholics Respond To Problems In Magisterial Teac…

Prof. Michael Sirilla explains how faithful Catholics should approach problematic magisterial teaching with a disposition of respect while recognizing that, in rare instances, fraternal correction motivated by love is necessary when Church authorit...

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March 12, 2025

What's Wrong with Moral Relativism? | Prof. Francis Beckwith

Prof. Francis Beckwith discusses moral relativism, presenting arguments for and against it, while emphasizing the importance of objective morality in the context of the Catholic intellectual tradition.

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March 10, 2025

Forgiveness: An Examination of Justice and Mercy from the Perspective…

Fr. Gregory Pine discusses justice as a virtue that enables us to render to others what is due to them, exploring its characteristics of otherness, equality, and precision, while also acknowledging its limits and the need to go beyond justice in ou...

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March 7, 2025

Evil and Vice in Entertainment | Dr. John Haldane

Dr. John Haldane examines the themes of evil and vice as portrayed in film and entertainment, utilizing philosophical concepts and specific examples like The Exorcist and Apocalypse Now, to analyze the ethical dimensions of these representations.

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