February 7, 2020
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For three days this summer, Thomas Aquinas College will host scholars from across the country who seek the truth in the footsteps of the Angelic Doctor. At the first-ever Thomistic Summer Conference, held from June 18-20, attendees will explore the theme of “Faith and Reason,” in light of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, at a series of lectures and conversations held on the College’s California campus.

“We are pleased to have secured an initial list of excellent speakers, including Rev. Michael Sherwin, O.P., from the University of Fribourg; Dr. John O’Callaghan from the University of Notre Dame; Dr. Steven A. Long from Ave Maria University, and Thomas Aquinas College’s own Dr. Michael Augros,” says Dean John J. Goyette. “We still have remaining openings, however, so we are requesting papers from interested scholars.”

Papers on any topic in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition are welcome, but preference will be given to those that pertain to aspects of the relationship between faith and reason in the thought of St. Thomas. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Proofs for the existence of God
  • The immateriality and immortality of the human soul
  • Any knowledge of God, the human person, or the natural world that is presupposed by faith or central to the study of sacred theology
  • The use of philosophy as a handmaiden to sacred theology
  • How the natural light of reason and its operation differ from the light of faith and the act of faith
  • The relation between natural belief and supernatural faith
  • Sacred theology’s perfection of the philosophical knowledge attained by the natural light of reason
  • The relation between man’s natural and supernatural end, between the acquired and infused moral virtues, or between natural law and divine law
  • The tension between contemporary neuroscience and the freedom of the will
  • The tension between, or compatibility of, evolution and Sacred Scripture or, more generally, between natural science and divine revelation

For more information, prospective speakers should consult the online proposal form. All proposals must include a titled, 500-word abstract and be submitted by March 7, 2020.