For Budding Thomists

Looking for something to fill the long hours of summer? Probably not yet, standing as we are in the midst of Advent’s high tide, but for those of you who like to plan ahead, it may be worth taking a look at this four-day conference . “Thomas Aquinas and the Mind/Body Problem,” taking place at Mount Saint Mary College (in Newburgh, NY), promises to bring together some of the brightest lights in contemporary Thomism to probe an aspect of St. Thomas’ thought that could not be more relevant to today’s culture. The agenda, as explained in the program’s brochure , will involve discussing such questions as:

How might Aquinas’ philosophy of the human person speak to dilemmas in contemporary philosophy of mind? What is Aquinas’ hylomorphic conception of the human being as body and soul? How does his study of the diverse faculties of the human person (intellect, free will, emotions, physiological living processes) provide an illuminating account of human life? This conference will explore Aquinas’ understanding of the person, asking the question of the perennial relevance of his contribution.

The first day of the conference, it should be noted, is tailored specifically for graduate students (in fact, it’s exclusively for them), and anyone considering entering the academic life (particularly the fields of philosophy, theology, and related disciplines) is especially encouraged to look into this.