Society & Culture Episodes

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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

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

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

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.

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.

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."

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

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.

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

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