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SUMMARY:Aquinas Summer Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Thomas Aquinas on the Trinity (June 1–4\, 2026)\nThe Aquinas Institute at Blackfriars Hall\, Oxford University is pleased to announce a call for applicants for the 2026 Aquinas Summer Seminar on the theme of trinitarian theology in St Thomas Aquinas. The event will run from Monday morning of June 1st\, through Thursday evening of June 4th\, 2026. \nWe invite applications from doctoral students and recent Ph.D. graduates for this exciting event. Successful applicants (whether from within the UK or internationally) will have their meals and accommodation covered during their residential stay in Oxford\, and travel costs up to $1000 can be reimbursed by students without support from their home institutions. Participants will be expected arrive in Oxford on Sunday\, May 31\, and depart on Friday\, June 5. \nThe focus of the seminar will be St Thomas Aquinas’s treatise on the Trinity from the Summa theologiae I\, qq. 27-43. The seminar also aims to engage questions and challenges from contemporary Trinitarian theology. Participants will be expected to have read the whole of Summa theologiae I\, qq. 27-43 before coming to Oxford for the summer seminar. After successful applicants have been notified and have confirmed their attendance\, each participant will be assigned a different question from ST I.27-43\, which they will need to prepare ahead of time for a seminar presentation. \nThe seminar will be led by three distinguished scholars: \n\nRector Magnificus\, Fr. Thomas Joseph White\, O.P. (Angelicum)\n Prof. Bruce Marshall (Southern Methodist University)\n Prof. Daniel Gordon (Ave Maria University)\n\nApplications are welcomed from doctoral students in the UK and international programmes (as well as those who have recently completed doctoral studies in the 2024-2025 academic year). Eligible applicants should be studying theology or philosophy\, or adjacent disciplines (such as the study of religion or biblical studies)\, but need not be specialising in the thought of Aquinas or focusing on Trinitarian theology. \nApplication by CV\, covering letter\, and one letter of reference to aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk by February 15\, 2026.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/aquinas-summer-seminar/
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T160000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260512T075757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T084053Z
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SUMMARY:The Illusory Self
DESCRIPTION:The Illusory Self: Identity in Christianity and Buddhism\nSeminar and Dialogue at Blackfriars Hall\, University of Oxford \nThe concept of self presents itself to us in various forms\, prompting the question: which versions of the self truly exist? What are we\, at our core\, and what constitutes reality? The exploration of these questions can be found across a range of philosophical perspectives\, whether embraced by the faithful or the sceptical. Christianity and Buddhism offer intriguing insights into the nature of the individual and the repercussions of clinging to a false self. Furthermore\, they provide methods and reasoning to help dispel misconceptions surrounding this false self\, enabling us to grasp the true nature of our identity. \n  \nSpeakers: \n\nReginald Mary Chua OP\nGeshe Tenzin Namdak\n\nSchedule:\n14:00-14:05: Introduction by Blackfriars Hall \n14:05-14:25: Presentation by Reginald Chua OP \n14:25-14:45: Presentation by Geshe Tenzin Namdak \n14:45-15:15: Dialogue by moderator and two speakers \n15:15-15:45: Q&A and Discussion \n15:45-15:50: Concluding words by Blackfriars Hall \n  \nIn-person only event \nPlease let us know if you are attending and register at: admin@bfriars.ox.ac.uk \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS \nReginald Mary Chua OP\nFr Reginald grew up in Perth\, Western Australia\, before moving to Sydney to study philosophy at Sydney University\, gaining an MPhil in philosophy. During this time\, he met Dominican friars on campus\, leading him to join the Australian Province of the Dominican Order in 2014. This led to pastoral and theological training in Melbourne\, including a study of St Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of the concept of identity in Trinitarian theology.  After being ordained a priest Fr Reginald served as a chaplain in Sydney at the University of Notre Dame Australia\, where he also taught philosophy. He is currently undertaking a DPhil in philosophy at Oxford\, taking a deeper look at the concept of identity through the work of the Catholic philosopher Peter Geach. He continues to have a particular interest in interreligious dialogue as well as dialogue between scholastic philosophy and Chinese philosophy\, including Chinese Buddhism. \nGeshe Tenzin Namdak\nGeshe Namdak began his career as an environmental researcher after earning a BSc in hydrology from Van Hall Larenstein University in the Netherlands. He subsequently pursued studies in Buddhist philosophy and mind science at Sera Jey Monastic University in South India\, where he completed the comprehensive twenty-year Geshe program as a Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Currently\, he serves as a teacher at the Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and as an associate tutor in the Department for Continuing Education at the University of Oxford. Geshe Namdak is engaged in doctoral research on the Madhyamaka and Cittam?tra schools within Indo-Tibetan doxography at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies\, University of Oxford. Additionally\, he frequently participates in dialogues with esteemed scientists on innovative topics\, including reality\, consciousness\, and the illusion of the self\, on Science & Wisdom LIVE.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/11915/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260608T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260608T180000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
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SUMMARY:Care and Filial Piety as burdened virtues
DESCRIPTION:Care ethicists have long called for a shift from an individualist society to a more communitarian one. Only this\, they argue\, will ensure the vulnerable among us are taken care of and their caregivers protected from exploitation. Even if care ethics is right that the ideal society is a communitarian one\, however\, it does not follow that just any communitarian society is ideal. Notably\, many East Asian societies influenced by Confucianism live out two key care ethical ideals\, namely a recognition of the self as fundamentally relational and an acceptance that unchosen relationships can nonetheless generate obligations. Despite this\, however\, caregivers in the East face their own challenges and examining the challenges these real life communitarian societies face with can be instructive for developing care ethics’ ideal of a fully supportive society. In this paper\, I examine care and filial piety the west and the east\, showing how they can each be burdened virtues for caregivers in their respective societies. Ultimately\, I argue that the fact that these parallel analyses can be made despite western and eastern societies’ opposite focuses on individualism and?communitarianism shows that communitarianism itself cannot be the full solution. A host of other safeguards need to be further developed\, such that filial piety in the?East?and?care in the?West?may be?unqualifiedly?virtues?in their cultural contexts. \nSara Chan\, University of Scranton\, will deliver this lecture at 5pm\, Monday the 8th of June. The event is free and open to everyone\, no registration is required. This lecture is part of our Trinity series\, see the other talks below. \nSara Chan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Scranton. Her research interests lie in ethics\, social epistemology and the philosophy of religion. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame\, where she was the recipient of two graduate fellowships. Prior to that\, she graduated from the University of Oxford with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and the University of St. Andrews with a master’s degree in philosophy and psychology. She publishes on the philosophy of disability and has spoken at conferences across the world. \nUpcoming events in this series\nMatthew Minerd\, Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius\, Pittsburgh\,\n4pm\, Tuesday 16 June: ‘Ens Morale: The Scholastic Metaphysics of Morals’
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/care-and-filial-piety-as-burdened-virtues/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260609T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260609T190000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260414T150742Z
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SUMMARY:Human Dignity: Its Roots and Challenges in Western Thought
DESCRIPTION:The Las Casas Institute is please to launch the recently released monograph of John Loughlin\, Senior Research Fellow.  The book launch will take place at 6pm Tuesday the 9th of June in the Aula\, Blackfriars Hall. Professor Tracey Rowland (Notre Dame\, Australia) will launch the book. \nThis event is free and open to everyone but registration is required. \nWe will also be streaming the book launch live on Zoom. To register for online attendance please follow the link. \nHuman Dignity: Its Roots and Challenges in Western Thought is a bold reappraisal of the concept of human dignity through the lens of Catholic tradition. Drawing on the biblical notion that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God (Imago Dei)\, John Loughlin\, Senior Research Fellow at the Las Casas Institute\, traces the development of this idea from antiquity to modernity. He examines key moments of continuity and rupture-from the Church Fathers to the Renaissance\, the Reformation to Enlightenment secularism\, and 20th-century renewal to today’s contested bioethical landscape. Integrating theology\, philosophy\, and political thought\, the book engages contemporary moral debates while presenting a constructive Catholic anthropology. This is a timely and provocative contribution for scholars\, students\, and general readers concerned with the future of human dignity in a fragmented world. \nBuy the book here.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/human-dignity-its-roots-and-challenges-in-western-thought/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Las Casas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Las Casas Institute":MAILTO:lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260610T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260610T190000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260528T092912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T092912Z
UID:11984-1781110800-1781118000@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Catholic Social Justice on the American Right
DESCRIPTION:‘Social justice’ is often viewed with suspicion or even outright rejected on the American right. Echoing concerns raised by F. A. Hayek\, many conservatives associate social justice with socialism\, as well as with progressive politics and activism. Catholic social teaching\, however\, presents social justice as one of its central commitments. The central place of social justice within Catholic social teaching therefore presents a challenge for Catholics on the right in the United States. Though not always embracing social justice by name\, prominent American Catholic thinkers on the right are advancing substantive visions of social responsibility\, economic life\, and the common good that overlap—at least in some respects—with the social vision articulated in Catholic social teaching. Besides surveying and evaluating some of these visions\, this talk will propose avenues for dialogue grounded in a Catholic understanding of social justice that transcends ideological lines. \nDr James Bergida\, Research Fellow at the Las Casas Institute\, will lead this seminar starting at 5pm\, Wednesday the 10th of June in the Aula of Blackfriars Hall. This event is free and open to all. Registration is required. This event is part of our Trinity series Thinking Social Justice convened by Dr Rebekah Wallace and Dr Jack Norman\, Research Fellows at the Las Casas Institute. \nA reception with refreshments and pizza will follow. Please email the Las Casas Institute to make us aware of any dietary restrictions. \nspeaker\nDr Bergida is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Economics at Christendom College and Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall. From 2020-2023\, he was Junior Research Fellow at Blackfriars. He also previously was Research Fellow in Philosophy\, Politics\, and Economics at the Canterbury Institute and Adam Smith Fellow in Political Economy at the Mercatus Center of George Mason University. \nHis research interests include political economy\, business and political ethics\, Islamic economics\, and the Catholic social tradition. His current research agenda is focused on the concept of dominion and its implications for contemporary debates.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/catholic-social-justice-on-the-american-right/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Las Casas Institute
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260612T200000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260415T122902Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T161050Z
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SUMMARY:MacIntyre in the Conflicts of Modernity
DESCRIPTION:The Aquinas Institute are co-sponsoring a conference with the Canterbury Institute\, and The Centre for Theology\, Law\, and Culture at Pusey House\, on 11 and 12 June at Campion Hall\, Christ Church\, and Pusey House. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe death of Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre (12 January 1929 – 21 May 2025) provides all who are indebted to his work with an opportunity to consider how he has made them rethink those areas of philosophy to which he made outstanding contributions. This conference considers how we ought to commemorate the work that MacIntyre began\, whether that be by developing and deepening it\, by refining and correcting what he overlooked or dismissed\, or by sharply disagreeing with the positions he held. It will consider how his work provokes us to redefine our positions in light of the arguments he made.  As he wrote in his last book: ‘In philosophy it is only rarely that anyone or any argument has the last word. Debate almost always continues\, and this is notably so with the topics and issues with which I am concerned in this book’ – MacIntyre\, Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity (2016).  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers include: Professor Jason Blakely\, Pepperdine; Dr Dominic Burbidge\, Regent’s Park; Professor David Cloutier\, Notre Dame; Professor John Cottingham\, Reading; Dr Daniel De Haan\, Blackfriars & Campion; Professor Anne Jeffrey\, Baylor; Professor Christopher Kaczor\, Loyola; Andreas Masvie\, Christ Church; Professor Melissa Moschella\, Notre Dame; Professor Stephen Mulhall\, New College; Professor Mark C. Murphy\, Georgetown; Professor Tracey Rowland\, Notre Dame\, Australia. \nTo register and for more information\, please follow the link \nSchedule\nThursday 11 June\nMorning Session\nLecture Room\, Campion Hall\n5 Brewer St\, Oxford\, OX1 1QS\n \n8:30 Tea & Coffee \n8:45 Introduction \n9:00 – 10:30 Session 1. Chair: Daniel De Haan \n9:00-9:45 Dominic Burbidge (Regent’s Park\, Oxford University)\, MacIntyre Applied to AI Ethics \n9:45-10:30 Christopher Kaczor (Loyola Marymount University)\, Justice\, Misericordia\, and the Virtues of Parenthood: MacIntyre’s Virtue Ethics Approach to Abortion \n10:30-11:00 Tea & Coffee \n11:00-12:30 Session 2. Chair: Mehmet Ciftci \n11:00-11:45 Mark Murphy (Georgetown University)\,MacIntyre on Moral Obligation and Directed Duty \n11:45-12:30 Melissa Moschella (University of Notre Dame)\,The New Natural Law Theory and Alasdair MacIntyre’s Moral Philosophy: A Rapprochement \n12:30-14:00 Lunch Break                    \nAfternoon Session\nChapter House\, Christ Church\nSt Aldate’s\, Oxford\, OX1 1DP \n13:45-14:00 Tea & Coffee \n14:00-15:15 Session 3. Chair: Andreas Masvie \n14:00-15:15 John Cottingham (University of Reading; St John’s Oxford University)\,Teleology and Transcendence in MacIntyre’s Ethical Outlook. Respondent: Daniel De Haan \nLate Afternoon Public Lecture\nPusey House\nSt Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LZ \n15:30-16:00 Tea & Coffee in Hood Room\, Pusey House \n16:00-17:15 Public Lecture in the Chapel. Chair: Mehmet Ciftci \nTracey Rowland (University of Notre Dame Australia)\, MacIntyrean Insights for the Leonine Era \n17:30 Evensong\, Pusey House.  \nGuest preacher: The Rev’d Dr Nicholas Austin SJ \nFriday\, June 12\nMorning Session\nChapter House\, Christ Church\nSt Aldate’s\, Oxford\, OX1 1DP \n9:30-9:45 Tea & Coffee \n9:45-11:15 Session 1. Chair: Dominic Burbidge \n9:45-10:30 David Cloutier (University of Notre Dame)\, Building on MacIntyre’s Legacy: Confronting ‘Morality’\, Appreciating Economy\, and Expanding Biography \n10:30-11:15 Anne Jeffrey (Baylor University)\,Virtues Fit for Being \n11:15-11:45 Tea & Coffee \n12:00 – 12:45 Session 2. Chair: Mehmet Ciftci \n12:00 – 12:45 Daniel De Haan (Blackfriars & Campion Hall\, Oxford University)\,Why do humans need participatory politics to flourish? Defending MacIntyre’s Neo-Aristotelian Political Animals \n12:45-13:45 Lunch Break\n13:45-14:00 Tea & Coffee \nAfternoon Session\nChapter House\, Christ Church\nSt Aldate’s\, Oxford\, OX1 1DP \nSession 3. Chair: Dominic Burbidge \n14:00 – 15:15 Andreas E. Masvie (Christ Church\, Oxford University)\, MacIntyre\, Political Philosophy\, and the Postliberals. Respondent: Stephen Mulhall (New College\, Oxford University) \nLate Afternoon Public Lecture\nPusey House\nSt Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LZ\n \n15:30-16:00 Tea & Coffee in Hood Room\, Pusey House \n16:00-17:15 Public Lecture in the Chapel. Chair: Mehmet Ciftci \nJason Blakely (Pepperdine University)\, Last of the Utopians: Alasdair MacIntyre as Radical Humanist \n17:30 Evensong\, Pusey House.  \nGuest preacher: The Rev’d Dr Richard Conrad OP \nAdditional Information\nOraganizers \n\nDr Dominic Burbidge is the Director of the Canterbury Institute\, a permanent Lecturer in Politics in Regent’s Park College\, University of Oxford\, and a Senior Research Associate of the Department of Politics & International Relations.\nDr Mehmet Ciftci is the Academic Programme Coordinator at the Centre for Theology\, Law\, and Culture at Pusey House\, Oxford.\nDr Daniel De Haan is the Director of the Aquinas Institute\, the Frederick Copleston Senior Research Fellow & Lecturer in Philosophy and Theology in the Catholic Tradition at Blackfriars and Campion Hall\, Oxford University.\nMr Andreas Masvie recently submitted his DPhil thesis in the Faculty of Theology at Oxford in which he examines and develops MacIntyre’s account of civic friendship. He is the incoming John and Daria Barry Junior Research Fellow in Civic Virtue at Regent’s Park College\, Oxford.\n\nAll attendees are warmly invited to the ecumenical services of Evensong in the Pusey House Chapel at the advertised times. There are also Roman Catholic Masses available nearby at Blackfriars Priory and the Oratory at 7:30 and 18:00. \nFor any questions or queries\, please email either andreas.masvie@chch.ox.ac.uk or mehmet.ciftci@stx.ox.ac.uk \n 
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/macintyre-in-the-conflicts-of-modernity/
LOCATION:Campion Hall\, Brewer Street\, Oxford\, OX1 1QS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T160000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260610T130419Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T130419Z
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SUMMARY:Fr Daniel Cardó: 'The Early History of the Eucharist
DESCRIPTION:You are warmly invited to a short seminar in the Aula when Fr Daniel Cardo will speak on ‘The Early History of the Eucharist’. \n Father Daniel Cardó holds the Benedict XVI Chair of Liturgical Studies at St. John Vianney Seminary and is visiting professor at the Augustine Institute\, both in Denver. He is also pastor at Holy Name Parish\, Denver. He is the author of The Cross and the Eucharist in Early Christianity (Cambridge University Press\, 2019)\, What Does It Mean to Believe? Faith in the Thought of Joseph Ratzinger (Emmaus Academic\, 2020)\, The Art of Preaching: A Theological and Practical Primer (Catholic University of America Press\, 2021)\, and the coeditor of the Cambridge Companion to Joseph Ratzinger (Cambridge University Press\, 2023).
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/fr-daniel-cardo-the-early-history-of-the-eucharist/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260616T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260616T170000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260415T121616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T121616Z
UID:11782-1781625600-1781629200@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Ens Morale: The Scholastic Metaphysics of Morals
DESCRIPTION:Late scholastic reflection on cognitional being generated a parallel and consequential question: what is the distinctive metaphysical status of moral acts precisely as moral? The various schools proposed competing solutions under the heading of ens morale. This talk maps those positions and examines the Thomist account in particular\, reading it against the Summa theologiae‘s Treatise on Human Acts. \nMatthew Minerd\, Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius\, Pittsburgh\, will deliver this lecture at 4pm\, Tuesday the 16th of June. The event is free and open to everyone\, no registration is required. \nMatthew Minerd\, is a Ruthenian Catholic\, husband\, and father\, serving as a professor of philosophy and moral theology at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh. His academic and popular writing has been published in the journals Nova et Vetera\, The American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly\, The Review of Metaphysics\, Études Maritainiennes\, Downside Review\, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He has also served as a translator or editor for volumes published by The Catholic University of America Press\, Emmaus Academic\, and Cluny Media.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/ens-morale-the-scholastic-metaphysics-of-morals/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T174500
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260428T112020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T112333Z
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SUMMARY:Passions\, Dispassion\, and the Ordering of Life. International Day Conference on Reception of the Tenth Commandment
DESCRIPTION:Passions\, Dispassion\, and the Ordering of Life.\nInternational Day Conference on Reception of the Tenth Commandment.\nSeptuagint\, Philo\, Clement of Alexandria\, Maximos the Confessor\, Aquinas \n\n\nAn international interdisciplinary conference exploring the tenth commandment and its prohibition on coveting or desire. \n\n\n\n\nThe tenth commandment “thou shalt not covet” is often the most obscure and yet has been the focus of much reflection by connecting it to a prohibition of desire. This day conference brings together scholars of the Greek Bible\, Antiquity and Patristics to discuss what it might mean for passion to be limited or regulated by law. \n\n\nSpeakers: \n\nThomas Cattoi (Angelicum);\nJane Heath (Durham University);\nJennifer Herdt (Yale University);\nEzra Sullivan (Angelicum);\nHans Svebakken (Loyola University Chicago);\nElisa Uusimäki (University of Aarhus).\n\nFree entry\, follow the link below to book your place. \nOrganised by the Lagrange Project for Scripture and Historical Theology: Blackfriars Hall\, University of Oxford\, in partnership with the Angelicum University\, Rome\, and the McDonald Agape Foundation.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/passions-dispassion-and-the-ordering-of-life-international-day-conference-on-reception-of-the-tenth-commandment/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Lagrange Project for Scripture and Historical Theology
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T173000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T193000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260414T151828Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T145519Z
UID:11762-1781803800-1781811000@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Realistic and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence
DESCRIPTION:The Las Casas Institute will be launching the recent publication Realistic and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence  by Maggi and Zak Savin-Baden on Thursday the 18th of June in the Aula\, Blackfriars Hall. This will be an ‘in-conversation’ event with the authors\, Kester Brewin\, David Burden\, Sarah Hayes\, and Elaine Kasket. \nThis event is open to everyone and free registration is required. \nCurrent perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI) tend to focus on the wide parameters between fear and hope. Realistic and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence provides some (ethical) hope with realistic solutions. It deals with the complexities of AI\, unpacking specific challenges presented by the AI problem and suggesting what we do about them. \nThis book is written by an experienced researcher and a young innovator\, with expert reflections from researchers and practitioners. It promotes community-focused\, collective values and ethical uses of AI\, and it challenges ideologies based on capitalist modes of consumption\, privilege and exploitation. Chapters explain current understandings of AI\, how it has developed since its inception and the various types of AI. The text explores issues such as scraping of data\, privacy\, unethical corporate practices\, trust and AI abuse\, as well as outlining the potential environmental\, social and psychological impact of AI – for better and for worse. \nYou can purchase the book at this link \nSpeakers\n \nKester Brewin is Associate Director at the Institute for the Future of Work\, a research and development institute exploring how AI and automation technologies are impacting the labour market in the UK. He is also an author of several books on technology and social history\, including\, most recently\, God-like: a 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths\, Machines\, Monsters. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \nDavid Burden has been involved in AI and immersive environments since the 1990s\, delivering over 100 Virtual reality and conversational AI projects across the globe\, including for the MOD. David has published widely\, co-authoring Virtual Humans in 2019 and is currently series co-editor for Taylor & Francis on The Metaverse  Series. David is an ex-Royal Signals officer\, a Chartered European Engineer and is currently studying for a PhD in Wargaming Urban Conflict. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \nProfessor Sarah Hayes\, University of Bath Spa has co-edited the Springer books Bioinformational Philosophy and Postdigital Knowledge Ecologies (2022) and Human Data Interaction\, Disadvantage and Skills in the Community (2023). She recently led two projects funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council about Data and disadvantage and Extending Human Data Interaction. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n Dr Elaine Kasket is an expert on technology’s role within our work\, individual psychology\, and relationships. Her latest book is Reboot: Reclaiming Your Life in a Tech-Obsessed World (2023). She is a leading Counselling Psychologist\, inspiring keynote speaker\, effective psychological/ transformational coach\, and seasoned storyteller. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n Maggi Savin-Baden is Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford\, is the co-author\, this is her 30th book. Funded by JISC and the Leverhulme Trust\, Maggi has explored the impact of learning in Virtual Worlds\, and now plans to continue researching Digital and Artificial Intelligence at Blackfriars Hall’s Las Casas Institute for Social Justice. For the last five years she has been a member of the William Temple Foundation Ethical Futures group\, through which she met which Dr Maria Power\, resulting in a fruitful collaboration. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \nZak Savin-Baden is a PhD student at Cranfield University studying AI driven monitoring of UK  and Australian pollinators for biodiversity and sustainable land management. \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/realistic-and-ethical-use-of-artificial-intelligence/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Las Casas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Las Casas Institute":MAILTO:lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
GEO:51.756248;-1.259881
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Blackfriars Hall St Giles Oxford OX1 3LY United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=St Giles:geo:-1.259881,51.756248
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260625
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260627
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260415T123032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T114901Z
UID:11786-1782345600-1782518399@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Action: Human and Divine\, Civic and Ecclesiastical
DESCRIPTION:A Research Symposium\nA joint collaboration between Ave Maria University and the Aquinas Institute\, Blackfriars Hall\, Oxford\, to be held in the Aula of Blackfriars Hall\, Oxford\, on 25-26 June 2026. Open to the public. \n***If the high temperatures on the day become a concern\, the conference will be moved to the Seminar Room of the Blackfriars Annexe (33 St Giles’\, OX1 3LD). In which case email the Aquinas Institute (aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk) to be let in.*** \nSpeakers include: Gerald Boersma\, Janice Chik Breidenbach\, Michael Breidenbach\, Richard Conrad\, Daniel De Haan\, Gaven Kerr\, Dawn LaValle Norman\, Roger Nutt\, William Simpson\, Jeffrey Walkey \nDay 1\, Thursday\, June 25\, 2026\nAula\, Blackfriars Hall\n09:45-10:00   Introduction \n10:00-11:00   Dawn LaValle Norman\, “What Monica Learned: Enslaved Women as Educational Agents in Augustine’s Confessions” \nRespondent: Michael Breidenbach \n11:00-12:00   Michael Breidenbach\, “Enslaved to a Bishop: Slave Agency and Sacramental Action in Early America” \nRespondent: Dawn LaValle Norman \n12:00-12:30   Tea & Coffee break \n12:30-13:30   Daniel De Haan\, “Developmental Flourishing: Answering the Riddle of the Eudaimonic Sphinx”  \n13:30-14:30   Lunch Break               \n14:30-15:00   Tea & Coffee  \n15:00-16:00   Janice Chik Breidenbach\, “Civic Action and Social Ontology: The Organic Homonymy Principle in Political Life” \nRespondent: Daniel De Haan \n16:00-17:00   William Simpson\, “Created Instruments of Grace: Hylomorphism and Sacramental Action” \nRespondent: Janice Chik Breidenbach \n17:00-18:00   Drinks Reception \nDay 2\, Friday\, June 26\, 2026\nAula\, Blackfriars Hall\n10:00-11:00   Gaven Kerr\, “An Anscombian Analysis of God’s Causal Acts” \nRespondent: Gerald Boersma \n11:00-12:00   Jeffrey Walkey\, “Providence and Proofs for the Existence of ‘God’: Reflections on the Scope of Divine Action and (Un)Successful Reference to the God of Jesus Christ” \nRespondent: Joshua Madden \n12:00-12:30   Tea & Coffee break \n12:30-13:30   Gerald Boersma\, “Aristotle’s horme in Aquinas’s Theology of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” \nRespondent: Gaven Kerr \n13:30-14:30   Lunch Break                \n14:30-15:30   Roger Nutt\, “The Virtue of Penance and Sacramental Absolution: Historical and Speculative Considerations from Thomas Aquinas’s De forma absolutionis.” \nRespondent: Fr Richard Conrad\, OP  \n15:30-16:00   Tea & Coffee \n16:00-17:00         Fr Richard Conrad\, “The Sacrament and Virtue of Repentance for the Remission of Sins: Translating the Latin Graciously and Hopefully.” \nRespondent: Roger Nutt \n17:00-18:00   Drinks Reception
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/action-human-and-divine-civic-and-ecclesiastical/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
GEO:51.756248;-1.259881
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Blackfriars Hall St Giles Oxford OX1 3LY United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=St Giles:geo:-1.259881,51.756248
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260629T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260629T170000
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260616T121548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T090249Z
UID:12023-1782745200-1782752400@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Animal Suffering From Rabbi Moses to Aquinas and Beyond
DESCRIPTION:***CANCELLED***\nWe are very sorry but due to logistical issues this evening’s talk has been cancelled. \n  \nIn the Guide\, Maimonides argues that Providence pertains to irrational animals only in terms of their species. This claim is criticized later by Thomas Aquinas for implying that Providence does not pertain immediately to singular individuals. While Aquinas’ approach is arguably not as distinct from Maimonides as might appear\, Aquinas does not address what seems to be Maimonides’ motivation: that animals suffer blamelessly and cannot benefit from their suffering. Aquinas’ approach to the place of non-human animals in Providence appears to be lacking\, as he apparently holds a principle that animals are valuable only in terms of their usefulness to human life\, and that natural evils (including the suffering of animals) are instrumentally necessary for biological goods. There are well-known reasons in the literature to question whether these responses are satisfactory. My paper will outline a theodicy for animal suffering that moves beyond Aquinas and Maimonides\, but incorporates elements from the theories of both\, arguing that animal suffering has a role in God’s Providence where the life of each animal is of intrinsic value\, and where their suffering was not necessary for biological life. Rather\, their suffering takes on a sacrificial aspect in a fallen world harmed by idolatry. \nFr James Dominic Rooney OP will deliver this lecture at 3pm\, Monday the 29th of June in the Aula of Blackfriars Hall. The event is free and open to everyone\, no registration is required. \n \nFr James Dominic Rooney OP was born in Akron\, OH. He graduated from the Catholic University of America with a Bachelors of Philosophy\, and then proceeded to obtain a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Toledo\, before entering the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans). After spending his novitiate year in Denver\, Colorado\, he completed his studies in theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology (St. Louis\, MO) with a dual Master of Arts/Master of Divinity degree. He was subsequently ordained to the priesthood and completed doctoral studies at Saint Louis University in 2015 under Dr. Eleonore Stump. He has taught previously at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome\, Italy\, and remains a fellow of the Angelicum Thomistic Institute.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/animal-suffering-from-rabbi-moses-to-aquinas-and-beyond/
LOCATION:Blackfriars Hall\, St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Aquinas Institute
ORGANIZER;CN="Aquinas Institute":MAILTO:aquinas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
GEO:51.756248;-1.259881
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Blackfriars Hall St Giles Oxford OX1 3LY United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=St Giles:geo:-1.259881,51.756248
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260630
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260702
DTSTAMP:20260714T041032
CREATED:20260618T113652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260618T113652Z
UID:12029-1782777600-1782950399@www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Conference: Testimony of the Monks of Tibhirine
DESCRIPTION:For full details of the programme and for booking\, see https://www.blackfriars.org.uk/news/conference-testimony-of-the-monks-of-tibhirine/.
URL:https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/event/conference-testimony-of-the-monks-of-tibhirine/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR