The Thomistic Institute
The Thomistic Institute
The Thomistic Institute exists to promote Catholic truth in our contemporary world by strengthening the intellectual formation of Christians at universities, in the Church, and in the wider public square. The thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Universal Doctor of the Church, is our touchstone.
The Thomistic Institute Podcast features the lectures and talks from our conferences, campus chapters events, intellectual retreats, livestream events, and much more.
Founded in 2009, the Thomistic Institute is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.
The Thomistic Institute Podcast features the lectures and talks from our conferences, campus chapters events, intellectual retreats, livestream events, and much more.
Founded in 2009, the Thomistic Institute is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 5, 2026 • 38min
Catholic Faith and Medicine: In Harmony or in Conflict? – Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan, MD
Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan, an infectious disease professor, longtime HIV/AIDS clinician, and ordained deacon. He explores Jesus’ personal healing, the Catholic origins of hospitals, and how faith can visibly shape bedside care. He discusses secular pressures in medicine and practical ways clinicians can witness faith while navigating conflicts over abortion, assisted dying, and gender interventions.
18 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 46min
The War That Never Was: Science vs. Faith – Prof. Lawrence M. Principe
Prof. Lawrence M. Principe, Drew Professor at Johns Hopkins who studies alchemy, chemistry, and the science–religion dynamic, dismantles the myth of an inevitable conflict between science and faith. He traces the story to 19th century figures like Draper and White. Short takes explore myths like flat earth and God‑of‑the‑gaps, and why techno‑utopianism and bad theology kept the story alive.
Mar 3, 2026 • 51min
The Making of Another Catholic Scientist – Prof. Jonathan Lunine
Prof. Jonathan Lunine, NASA JPL chief scientist and Caltech planetary scientist, speaks about his journey from a Jewish upbringing to Catholic baptism and public advocacy for science-faith harmony. He discusses encounters with Jesuit astronomers, critiques the conflict narrative, traces its 19th-century roots, and explores how evolution, providence, and Aquinas' ideas intersect with modern planetary science.
16 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 48min
Is Religion Really an Enemy of Science? – Prof. Carlos A. Casanova
Carlos A. Casanova, philosopher and lecturer at the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center, explores the historical ties between religious worldviews and the rise of scientific methods. He traces Greek and medieval roots, monastic and university roles, scholastic contributions, and figures like Grosseteste, Domingo de Soto, and Galileo. Short takes spotlight how theology, institutions, and metaphysics shaped scientific inquiry.
Feb 27, 2026 • 49min
Truth, Goodness, and Fantasy Literature – Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P.
Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P., Dominican philosopher and Thomist professor at the Angelicum in Rome, discusses fantasy literature. He compares Tolkien-style classic fantasy with grimdark like George R. R. Martin. He explores truth and goodness in art through Aquinas, examines how genres order the imagination, and argues grimdark valorizes nihilism rather than moral hope.
Feb 26, 2026 • 50min
The Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis – Prof. Lee Oser
Lee Oser, professor of literature and religion and novelist known for work on Tolkien and Lewis, explores the Inklings as a countercultural circle. He traces Tolkien and Lewis’s formation, wartime grief, medieval and Arthurian influences, club practices, Barfield’s ideas on myth and language, and how their Christian imagination resisted modern secular trends.
Feb 25, 2026 • 45min
Christian Humanism and Shakespeare – Prof. Lee Oser
Lee Oser, a scholar of religion and literature and novelist noted for Christian humanism and satire, explores Shakespeare through a Christian humanist lens. He traces how Julius Caesar and Hamlet dramatize tragic ignorance about the soul, contrasts Stoic and Christian responses, and shows Shakespeare’s blend of biblical typology, providence, and theatrical self-awareness.
Feb 24, 2026 • 53min
Goodness, Truth, Beauty: The World According to Dante – Prof. Joshua Hochschild
Joshua Hochschild, a scholar of medieval logic, metaphysics, and ethics, brings Dante’s Paradiso into focus. He explores Dante’s Neoplatonic and Thomistic cosmos. Listens hear about celestial spheres, virtues mapped to heavens, and how goodness, truth, beauty, and peace function as divine names.
Feb 23, 2026 • 46min
Dante’s Passionate Intellect: The Divine Comedy’s Journey of Desire – Prof. George Corbett
Prof. George Corbett, a Dante scholar and theology professor at St Andrews, frames the Divine Comedy as a journey of desire guided by reason (Virgil) and grace (Beatrice). He explores sin’s dark wood, Hell as loss of hope, Purgatory’s training of will and reason, and Paradise’s ordered love. The talk highlights Dante’s poetic cosmology, Thomistic influences, and the transformative power of desire.
Feb 20, 2026 • 52min
Edith Stein and Thomism – Dr. Robert McNamara
Dr. Robert McNamara, associate professor of philosophy and scholar of Edith Stein and Thomistic personalism. He explores who we are and why identity matters. Short stories illuminate the face as expression of subjectivity. He weaves Aquinas, phenomenology, and Stein to show depth of soul, the moral stakes of encounter, and the call to become our true face.
