Spring 2014 Conference

Do We Have Spiritual Souls?

Among the most pressing philosophical and theological issues today is whether humans have spiritual souls.  From patristic (and arguably New Testament) times onward, the doctrine of the spiritual soul assisted the Christian community in affirming the equality of all persons in Christ, including those baptized persons who, due to age, illness, or severe mental disability, could not exercise the powers of thinking and free will.  The doctrine of the spiritual soul also served important roles in Christology, the theology of deification, the theology of the virtues, the intermediate state after death, and many other areas.  Recently, due in part to advances in neuroscience and due also to the effects of a Cartesian portrait of the soul, philosophers have come largely to deny that humans have spiritual souls.  The Catholic Church, of course, has doctrinal teaching regarding the existence of the spiritual soul.

In accord with its mission to engage topics at the intersection of philosophy, theology, and scriptural exegesis, the Center has invited three prominent philosophers to offer scholarly presentations on this fascinating and central topic.

View presentations from the Spring 2013 Conference >>

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Schedule of Events

Friday, March 14, 2014

2:30 PM Welcome

2:45-3:30 Dr. Edward Feser, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Pasadena City College, Pasadena California.

3:30-4:00 PM Q&A with Dr. Feser

4:00-4:15 break

4:15-5:00 Dr. John O'Callaghan, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Jacques Maritain Center, University of Notre Dame

5:00-5:30 Q&A with Dr. O'Callaghan

5:30-5:45 PM break

5:45-6:30 Dr. Gyula Klima, Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University

6:30-7:00 Q&A with Dr. Klima

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Past Conferences

Explorations in Catholic Mariology

Friday, March 8, 2013

Sears Recital Hall, Jesse Phillips Humanities Center

This event is free and open to the public.

Events

2:30-2:45 PM: Introduction

2:45-3:30 PM: "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Theological Reflections on Dogma, Faith, and Hope"
Reinhard Huetter, Professor of Theology, Duke University Divinity School
(Moderator: Matthew Archer)

3:45-4:30 PM: "Look on the Faith of Your Church: Mary's Assent and the Task of Theology"
Bruce D. Marshall, Lehmann Professor of Christian Doctrine, Southern Methodist University
(Moderator: Alan Mostrom)

4:45-5:30 PM: "On Mary's Mortality: In Conversation with John Henry Newman"
Paul J. Griffiths, Warren Professor of Catholic Thought, Duke University Divinity School
(Moderator: Benjamin Heidgerken)

5:45-6:30 PM: "The Sex Life of Mary and Joseph: A Theological Meditation"
John C. Cavadini, Professor of Theology and Director of the Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame
(Moderator: Joshua Brown)

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