From Facts to Truth to Wisdom with Thomas Aquinas
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
About the Seminar
It has been suggested in recent years that we live in a post-truth society. Such a
suggestion bears directly upon the idea of a university, especially a Catholic university.
Simultaneously, we are surrounded by a ubiquitous appeal to "facts" that are often
interpreted in contradictory ways and enlisted in the service of questionable and
opposed agendas. How might we as inquirers, citizens, and teachers respond to these
contemporary issues? What role should a university play in such a cultural moment?
And what resources might our tradition harbor for thinking about the relationship
between facts and truth and wisdom?
This summer faculty seminar will explore the thought of Thomas Aquinas in light of
these contemporary concerns. Readings will include the sections of both the Summa
Contra Gentiles and the Summa Theologiae covered in Core II. It will be a great opportunity
for ongoing faculty development as well as a careful consideration of our role and
responsibility as a university community in the present age.
Jeremy Wilkins is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College, where he teaches in the undergraduate great books program and graduate seminars on the person and work of Christ, the problem of development in doctrine and theology, and other topics. His book, Before Truth: Lonergan, Aquinas, and the Problem of Wisdom (CUA, 2019) explores the factors of permanence and change in a religious tradition that knows it has developed and is developing still. He is also co-editor of two volumes in the Collected Works of noted Canadian Jesuit thinker Bernard Lonergan, and author of numerous articles on theological and philosophical topics.
About the Center for Catholic Studies
Founded at Seton Hall University in 1997, the Center for Catholic Studies is dedicated to fostering an ongoing dialogue between the Catholic intellectual tradition and all areas of study and contemporary culture. In the spirit of the Catholic Church's legacy of bringing forth things "new and old," the Center's scholarly research, publications, and programming serve to generate new initiatives and facilitate conversation and collaboration among faculty, administrators, students, and the general public.
The primary function of the Center for Catholic Studies (CCS) is to foster the Catholic
mission of Seton Hall in creative ways. It endeavors to be an incubator for innovative
initiatives in promoting Catholic identity across the university. It fulfills this
role for diverse demographics within the university in five principal areas: Faculty
Development, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Intellectual Life, Student Engagement,
and Ongoing Innovation.
The Center developed the undergraduate program in Catholic Studies Program which offers
a major, minor and certificate and continues to support the Program's students with scholarship aid as well as ongoing
co-curricular activities. Focusing on the central role of the faculty, the Center
also sponsors regular Faculty Development programs, including lectures, seminars and
retreats. In addition, the Center administers two national faculty programs: Collegium:
A Colloquy on Faith and Intellectual Life, and The Lilly Fellows Program.
The Center maintains a global focus in international scholarship and is the home of the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture, as well as the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute. The Institutes offer opportunities for study and research, as well as ongoing programs related to faith and culture. In addition, the Micah Institute for Business and Economics concentrates on communicating Catholic Social Teaching and ethics to business education at Seton Hall and the wider business community. The Center also publishes the prestigious Chesterton Review and The Lonergan Review. For more information, visit here!
About the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership
The Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership promotes openness to God's call in both the academic life and common life of Seton Hall University to support the overall mission of forming students as servant leaders for today's world. The Center began in 2003 supported by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment to further their goal of preparing the next generation of Church leadership. The Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership does its work in cooperation with other campus organizations and by sponsoring several different programs including faculty development, scholarships, and retreats for faculty and administrators. The mission of Seton Hall University reflects a faith in God who knows us individually and has a personal plan for our life. The call to our vocation is not a demand but an invitation to join God in something meant for our doing. A generous response to our vocation – like the choice at a fork in the road – can make all the difference. For more information visit here!
Categories: Faith and Service, Nation and World
