The Thomistic Institute

Prohibiting What? Censorship and the Catholic Church in the Scientific Revolution - Dr. Nuno Castel-Branco

Challenging popular narratives of the Scientific Revolution and Catholic suppression, Dr. Nuno Castel-Branco demonstrates that early modern censorship focused on theology

Why Should You Follow Your Conscience? Wisdom from John Henry Newman - Dr. Christopher Mooney

Prof. Christopher Mooney explores Saint John Henry Newman’s defense of conscience as the immediate apprehension of divine law, arguing that prioritizing this interior voi

Just War Principles Applied to Drone and AI Warfare - Prof. Michael Krom

Prof. Michael Krom considers the question of the use of AI and autonomous drones, drawing upon just war theory with virtue ethics to protect human agency and moral respon

Why 'Looksmaxxing' Won't Make You Happy - Prof. Catherine Peters

Applying Thomas Aquinas’s hierarchy of goods to the modern "looksmaxxing" trend, Prof. Catherine Peters critiques the elevation of physical attractiveness to an ultimate

Jesus and Socrates - Dr. Peter Kreeft

Dr. Peter Kreeft explores the profound parallels and radical distinctions between Socrates and Jesus, examining how these two figures fundamentally shaped the course of h

Joining Jesus on the Cross - Prof. Bruce Marshall

Emphasizing that suffering is not inherently good, Prof. Bruce Marshall explains how uniting our personal griefs to Christ's redemptive sacrifice during the Eucharist tra

The Cross and the Revelation of God's Glory - Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P.

Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P. examines the Johannine theology of glory, arguing that the cross, as the definitive revelation of God's presence, calls believers to par

The Cross and the Revelation of God's Son - Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P.

Highlighting structural parallels in the Gospel of Mark, Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P., demonstrates how Jesus redefines messianic identity and the title "Son of God"

Naked Without Shame: Identity, Desire, Freedom, and the Meaning of the Body - Dr. Robert McNamara

Dr. Robert McNamara explains how the physical body is a revelatory book of our identity, arguing that we find true freedom and fulfillment by understanding our existence

Contemplation and Action - Fr. Cassian Derbes, O.P.

Fr. Cassian Derbes, OP, examines the Thomistic distinction between the active and contemplative lives, arguing that they are not merely states of life but distinct activi

A Pre-Christian Overview of Honor - Prof. Michael Foley

Prof. Michael Foley examines the pre-Christian roots of honor in Western civilization, contrasting the competitive, individualistic nature of classical honor with the mor

Abiding in the Son: The Eucharist in the Gospel of John - Prof. Daniel Garland

Prof. Daniel Garland explores how the Gospel of John presents the Eucharist as the theological center of the narrative, arguing that the Incarnation and the seven signs a

The Catena Aurea as a Turning Point in Thomas Aquinas' Thought - Prof. Jane Sloan Peters

Prof. Jane Sloan Peters explores how Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Catena Aurea serves as a transformative synthesis of patristic thought, demonstrating how his masterful arrang

Beauty and the Catholic Imagination - Mr. Dana Gioia

Poet and cultural critic Dana Gioia explores the vital role of beauty in the Catholic imagination, arguing that beauty is an objective, transformative experience that con

What is Truth? - Dr. Scott Roniger

Dr. Scott Roniger explores the nature of truth by synthesizing Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics with phenomenology to demonstrate how the human intellect achieves a pro

How to Be a Good Friend: Combatting Envy and Fostering Love - Prof. Scott Cleveland

Prof. Scott Cleveland explores the Aristotelian and Thomistic vision of friendship, arguing that true flourishing requires overcoming the vices of envy and apathy through

Why Do We Need Justification?: On Original Sin - Prof. Erik Dempsey

Prof. Erik Dempsey explores Original Sin as a fundamental, lived reality inherently inclining the human person toward wrongdoing, but recognizing our brokenness is essent

Identifying the Question? - Prof. Adam Eitel

Prof. Adam Eitel argues that modern identity theories ultimately fail because they lack a stable metaphysical grounding, and he proposes an alternative view rooted in Sai

The Natural Principles of Identity in Christ - Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P.

Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy examines the contemporary crisis of identity by contrasting modern fluid subjectivism with the Thomistic realist perspective of the human person, arg

Identity in Christ - Prof. Adam Eitel

Prof. Adam Eitel contrasts the modern, self-constituted notions of identity with the Thomistic understanding of man as a creature capable of seeing God., whereby our huma