Campus Lectures Episodes

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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March 6, 2025

The Christian Tradition on the Virtue of Prudence | Fr. Gregory Pine,…

Fr. Gregory Pine explores the virtue of prudence as practical wisdom, emphasizing its role in navigating human limitations, ordering practical life, and integrating intellect and appetite to achieve human flourishing.

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March 5, 2025

Disease and the Problem of Evil | Prof. Stephen Meredith

Professor Stephen Meredith explores the problem of evil, particularly in the context of disease, examining philosophical and theological perspectives, including those of Aquinas, Leibniz, and Voltaire, while also considering biological factors like...

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March 3, 2025

God and Suffering: How Could God Allow Evil? | Fr. Thomas Petri O.P.

Fr. Thomas Petri explicates St. Thomas Aquinas's understanding of God as ipsum esse subsistens (being itself), the source of all existence and goodness, and that evil is not a thing but an absence or deficiency of good within God's ultimate plan.

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Feb. 28, 2025

The Benedict Option: What Is It and Would Aquinas Advise Us to Embrac…

Professor Michael Krom evaluates the modern "Benedict Option" as a proposed Christian response to cultural decline, contrasting it with Saint Benedict’s historical withdrawal from Rome and analyzing its merits through Thomistic ethical frameworks g...

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