Society & Culture Episodes

April 3, 2025

Making Up What is Lacking: Disability and Suffering in Christ's Body,…

Prof. Paul Gondreau reflects on the profound meaning of suffering, disability, and human frailty in light of Christ’s redemptive suffering, emphasizing shared vulnerability as a source of mercy and unity within the Church.

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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 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 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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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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Feb. 26, 2025

Going for Glory: Seeking Honor Rightly | Fr. Dominic Verner, O.P.

Fr. Dominic Verner explores Aquinas' definition of honor as reverence exhibited in testimony to someone's excellence, explaining its importance for personal virtue, self-knowledge, friendship, and fostering a community that values true goodness.

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Feb. 24, 2025

Go and Do Likewise: The Saints as Models for Growth in Virtue | Prof.…

Professor Michael Wahl discusses the Catholic Church's position on abortion, emphasizing the importance of both scientific and philosophical arguments in defending the pro-life stance.

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Feb. 13, 2025

The Art of Dating | Prof. Michael Foley

Professor Michael Foley discusses dating as an art, addressing the challenges posed by the sexual revolution and social media, and offering advice for men and women to approach relationships with virtue and integrity.

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Feb. 12, 2025

Marriage as Natural Community | Prof. Joshua Hochschild

Professor Joshua Hochschild connects Theology of the Body with Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that it supports the concept of marriage as a natural community amidst modern challenges from social contract theory and technology.

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Feb. 10, 2025

An Historical Overview: The Growth of Marriage as Avenue of Holiness …

Fr. Thomas Petri provides a historical overview of the evolving understanding of marriage as a path to holiness within the Catholic Church, set against the backdrop of societal changes, medical advancements, and challenges to traditional Christian views...

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Jan. 24, 2025

Catholic Feminism | Erika Bachiochi

In this lecture, Erika Bachiochi discusses Catholic feminism, her encounter with St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body and her subsequent intellectual journey, and the historical roots of feminism in Christian thought, particularly focusing on th...

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Jan. 20, 2025

Politics and the Modern State: Understanding the Common Good | Prof. …

Professor Brad Lewis discusses the concept of the common good in politics, contrasting contemporary Catholic social teaching with Aquinas's view and addressing criticisms of both.

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Jan. 14, 2025

The Spiritual Life | Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P.

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy discusses the fragmentation of the modern secular university and proposes that integrating one's spiritual life on campus involves rediscovering the meaningfulness of being, while cautioning against the disintegrating approache...

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Jan. 3, 2025

What is Beauty? Aquinas and Contemporary Culture | Prof. Thomas Hibbs

Professor Thomas Hibbs discusses the importance of beauty in contemporary culture, drawing upon Emily Dickinson, Charles Taylor, Iris Murdoch, and Jacques Maritain to explore how beauty can unself us, enhance our understanding of truth, and connect...

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Jan. 1, 2025

Truth, Goodness, and Fantasy Literature | Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P.

This lecture was given on November 2nd, 2024, at Thomistic Institute in Limerick.

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