philosophy
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Where Philosophy and Sacred Theology Meet
On 20 May at 10am ET (see times around the world here), Dr. Victor Salas (Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit MI) will present on “Where Philosophy and Sacred Theology Meet: The Case of John of St. Thomas (Poinsot)”. This presentation will be accessible via Zoom (details on recording availability forthcoming). Add it to your calendars!…
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On Listening
What immediate irony! Reading about listening. Indeed, we all tend to do far more reading, I suspect, than we do listening. That often we read poorly does not take away from the fact that we read continually. For a great many of us, the nature of work, study, and even distraction often involves a discernment…
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Science and Philosophy: In Dialogue?
Positivism and Science A difficult and complex question in philosophy today concerns the discussion regarding the intersection and “boundaries” of the harder empirical sciences and the distinct activity of philosophical enquiry. Given the success of scientific discovery, one temptation in the early 20th century was to claim that disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, and…
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Walls of Glass
Metaphors of Personal Identity in Derek Parfit and Teresa of Ávila Personal identity over time is an idea derided by analytic philosophy. Hume began the process of debunking the person, or self, as “nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions.”[1] The demolition job concluded in 1984, with the publication of Derek Parfit’s Reasons…
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Being Realists
The first step on the realist path is to recognize that one has always been a realist; the second is to recognize that, however hard one tries to think differently, one will never manage to; the third is to realize that those who claim they think differently, think as realists as soon as they forget…
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Meet the Columbanus Fellows: Bea Cuasay
Today we introduce another of our Columbanus Fellows—who are demonstrating their commitment and desire to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding through a creative retrieval of the classic Western tradition and participation in genuine dialogical inquiry. Bea Cuasay is an alumna of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame. She received a B.A. in Philosophy with…
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Bellarmine on the Defeat of the Devil
In his meditations upon the seven last words of Christ, spoken from the cross, St. Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) offers a series of reflective considerations most apt for this season, not only for the Christian, but for all who would think carefully on the meaning of life, death, and the universe. Particularly poignant in this, a…
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Language, Non-Existent Objects, and Semiotics
In the 19th and 20th centuries, a fever for scientific explanation of all phenomena gripped many an intellectual. Language, however, has proved resistant to the methods of modern science. Too many aspects of our experience prove irreducible to the empiriometric approach successful in disciplines such as chemistry or biology. This resistance vexes the reductionist’s mind.…