Upcoming speaking engagements
Just back
from a very enjoyable speaking engagement at Baylor
University. Here are the next few
scheduled talks:
On Thursday,
April 19, I will be speaking on the topic of classical theism and the divine
attributes at Southern Evangelical Seminary near Charlotte, North
Carolina. More information here.
I will be
speaking at the Society of Catholic Scientists conference on The Human Mind and
Physicalism which will be held at Catholic University of America in
Washington, D.C. from June 8-10. More
information here.
On June 27,
I will be speaking at Fermilab near Chicago, Illinois, on the topic “What is a
Law of Nature?” More information here.
Further
speaking engagements to be announced.
Stay tuned.
The Baylor talk was given in the Alexander reading room. Question is, was that room named after the LEGEND himself?
ReplyDelete(Probably not, but still.......)
Will any of the talks be made available for those who can't attend? Maybe a transcript or video.
The Thomistic Institute posts their talks on the Institute's Soundcloud page, including many of my talks.
DeleteThis morning I was thinking, it will be good if Ed Feser writes a detail book on the difference between Human mind and the animal mind. It will be good for psychologist who would wish to work in Thomist tradition.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Daniel De Haan
DeleteHe is writing a book on the philosophy of mind, so I assume he'll discuss such differences there.
DeleteA good book already written on that subject is "Thomistic Psychology" by Brennan, and also "The Difference of Man and the Difference It Makes" by Mortimer Adler.
DeleteProbably a lot of others, too.
Thank you everyone for showing the path. It means a lot to me.
DeleteWill you be writing anything on the morality of Pharisees any time soon?
ReplyDeleteYou mean things like tolerating divorce and re-marriage (as the Pharisees did), contrary to Christ's teaching?
DeleteActually, I do have something related to that forthcoming.
More to do with religious people who put on a show in order to get status and attention etc. You probably touched on the issue when reading writing By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed. People mentioned Ananias and Sapphira on the issue recently.
DeleteI'm sure you remember some of the people in recent times playing the Saint only to be found out later. Nobody seems to have written much on the issue. I think you might bring a good angle to the topic.
I did notice Prof. Feser is not a speaker at this June's Aquinas Workshop at Mount Saint Mary. I'm still going, but rats.
ReplyDeleteHi Craig, my sentiments exactly. There was a schedule conflict this year because the workshop is earlier than usual, so I'm afraid I can't make it.
DeleteEd,
ReplyDeleteIs there any chance of a response in detail to recent issues involving biological (or even chemical) evolution with Thomism? Namely, those brought up by the blogger Bonald, referring to Fr. Chabarek and his recent book?
There seems to be a lot of confusion going on in the anti-evolution camp, especially with regards to associating metaphysical claims one-for-one with scientific ones. I think this is a very important subject, maybe one of the *most* important in recent times.
Yes, I've got stuff on that forthcoming.
DeleteFr. Ripperger also has a book that raises issues-
DeleteRipperger, Chad (2012). The Metaphysics of Evolution.
-which seem worth at least getting clear on since he does reprent a very traditional Thomist line of thinking in the Church.
Ed,
DeleteDo you ever plan on writing something in detail about animal psychology and alleged claims of intellect amongst animals, most relevantly parrots (Alex the Gray Parrot comes to mind, him being probably the most intelligent animal in existence!) and dolphins, as well as gorillas?
This is the only subject I know of where Thomistic claims of immateriality of intellect are challenged strictly empricially.
Oh, and if you don't mind me asking, do you plan on writing on the hylemorphist view of re-animation of human bodies, such as via cryogenic freezing in hopes of reviving the human body, and how this would play out given divine relevation and the metaphysics of change if the rational soul were to really come back into the body that was re-animated?
I recently went to a talk by Daniel De Haan who was included in the recent Neo Aristotelian perspectives on contemporary science book. He contributed a paper on psychology in that anthology. In the talk I went to, he briefly outlined how much Aquinas attributed to animals. I would get in touch with him Joe
DeleteJoeD: This [animal intelligence] is the only subject I know of where Thomistic claims of immateriality of intellect are challenged strictly empirically.
DeleteRemember these steps whenever the question of a supposedly rational animal comes up:
→ Could the alleged feat be performed by a computer?
YES → In fact, is the alleged feat already surpassed by the capabilities of the computer you probably are carrying around in your pocket?
NO → Wait ten minutes and check the App Shop again
YES → Is your computer possessed of a rational intellect?
NO → Then we have no empirical evidence of animal intellects.
You may also ask yourself, "If parrots/dolphins/chimps/etc. are so smart, why am I not having this discussion with them?!"
Well, there is compelling evidence that Elephants, Chimpanzees, Dolphins, and Corvids have a degree of unambiguous self-awareness. You might want to look into the MRS (Mirror Response Tests). The stuff is pretty amazing, especially with the elephants and the dolphins. With that said, I am not sure why animal self-awareness and possibly rudimentary self-consciousness poses any insurmountable problem to classical theistic arguments on the nature of the body/mind/soul issue. Self-recognition is still a far cry from human rationality. The animals do, after-all, have immaterial animal souls. A major difference, however, is that the animal soul (according to orthodox teaching) is not eternal.
DeleteWoops, correction to my previous post (above). Animals have material souls, not immaterial souls.
DeleteI wish you’d come to the Four States area here in the Midwest. Baylor was just too long of a drive for me, unfortunately. Can’t wait for the upcoming book(s).
ReplyDeleteAs someone from southeast Iowa, even Chicago is a bit far. I don't suppose Prof. Feser would want to schedule an event in Ottumwa? Bloomfield? Oskaloosa? Drakesville? Hey, the University of Iowa is in Iowa City; that's only ninety miles.
DeleteProfessor Feser, can you give us a little bit of inside knowledge regarding your next books?
ReplyDeleteIs it true you're currently writing one on the soul, another one on philosophy of science, and yet another on the truth of Catholicism? Are there any others in the works? And should we expect them to be published this year, or maybe in 2019?
Thank you so much for your marvelous work defending the intellectual foundations of the Faith.
I believe those are the books that he has said he plans or writing, though, perhaps not in that order. I think the philosophy of nature one is first.
DeleteI think it is the philosophy of nature or is it natural philosophy? Not sure what the other books are.
DeleteEdward Feser is not an apologist, he is a philosopher.
Guys, I'm sorry for the off topic, but what do you think about the miracle of the Holy Fire that occurs every year at the Orthodox Easter, according to Eastern Orthodox? Is it a real miracle, is it a hoax? What's the Catholic stance on that?
ReplyDeleteIf Ed himself would like to comment on that, I'd appreciate it.
Video is now up for the Fermilab talk.
ReplyDelete