Society & Culture Episodes

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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Dec. 31, 2024

Aquinas on Art and Contemporary Film | Prof.Thomas Hibbs

This lecture was given on October 22nd, 2024, at University of North Texas.

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Dec. 13, 2024

Can Beauty Save the World? | Prof. Raymond Hain

This lecture was given on April 11th, 2024, at University of North Texas.

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Dec. 3, 2024

Human Person, Community, and Communion | Dr. R.J. Snell

Dr. R.J. Snell explores the contemporary Western world's struggle with disenchantment, loneliness, and lack of purpose, exemplified through Elena Ferrante's fiction by contrasting Ferrante's works with the Christian concept of relational personhood.

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Nov. 29, 2024

Friendships and Social Life - Thomistic Insights | Prof. Thomas Hibbs…

Professor Thomas Hibbs and Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau discuss the importance of friendship and social life from a Thomistic perspective, highlighting the decline in friendships in modern society with philosophical insights from Aristotle and Aquinas.

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Nov. 28, 2024

Feasting like a Saint | Prof. Michael Foley

Professor Michael Foley discusses how to "drink like a saint" by outlining five principles: moderation, gratitude, memory, merriment, and ritual. This lecture was given on March 9th, 2024, as a part of the Texas Intellectual Retreat: "Honorable Festivity."

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Nov. 27, 2024

Honorable Festivity: An Oxymoron? | Prof. Michael Foley

Professor Michael Foley examines the idea of honorable festivity, demonstrating how human culture elevates the basic act of eating into a dramatic, artistic experience.

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Nov. 25, 2024

Aquinas, the 'Great Theory of Beauty', and Music | Prof. Michael Dick…

This lecture was given on February 20th, 2024, at University of South Carolina. Professor Michael Dickson examines the relationship between beauty and music, tracing the development of aesthetics from ancient Greece to modernity.

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Nov. 6, 2024

Judging Truth: Moral Intolerance or the Dictatorship of Relativism | …

This lecture was given on November 8th, 2023, at Ave Maria University.

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Nov. 1, 2024

The Catholic Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings | Prof.…

This lecture was given on April 5th, 2024, at University of South Carolina.

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Oct. 30, 2024

C. S. Lewis and Aquinas: Was Lewis Influenced by Thomism? | Prof. Pet…

This lecture was given on February 20th, 2024, at Regent University.

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Oct. 29, 2024

Tolkein's Philosophy | Prof. Robert Koons

This lecture was given on March 20th, 2024, at University of Texas at El Paso.

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Oct. 28, 2024

Flannery O'Connor and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Future of Catholic Fi…

This lecture was given on April 4th, 2024, at Fordham University.

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Oct. 10, 2024

The Importance of Play and Leisure w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. & Dr. R.…

Join Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. of Aquinas 101, Godsplaining, and Pints with Aquinas for an off-campus conversation with Dr. R.J. Snell about the importance of play and leisure, work and contemplation, and the communal nature of leisure.

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