University of California-Santa Barbara

Written By Thomistic Institute

Thomistic Institute chapters are on-campus, academic clubs formed and run by students to bring top-notch Christian intellectuals to their university campuses. These chapters organize lectures, seminars, and reading groups to explore the riches of the Christian intellectual tradition.

All Thomistic Institute lectures on campus are free and open to the public.

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PAST EVENTS
Neanderthal Personhood and Rationality: Were They Like Us?
Feb 7
Neanderthal Personhood and Rationality: Were They Like Us?

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Christopher Baglow (University of Notre Dame)

Buchanan Hall, Room 1940

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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The Resurrection in Context: The Strangeness of Early Christian Claims
Nov 26
The Resurrection in Context: The Strangeness of Early Christian Claims

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Matthew Thomas (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology)

Buchanan Hall, Room 1940

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Can a Liberal Democracy Survive Moral Relativism
May 9
Can a Liberal Democracy Survive Moral Relativism

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Fr. Stephen Fields, S.J. (Georgetown University)

Loma Peloma Center 1108

This lecture is free andopen to the public.

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Medical Utopia and Dystopia
Feb 16
Medical Utopia and Dystopia

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Stephen Meredith (University of Chicago)

North Hall 1006

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Challenges and Opportunities of Gene Editing
Jan 19
Challenges and Opportunities of Gene Editing

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. William Hurlbut (Stanford University)

North Hall 1006

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Faith, Reason, and the Wonder and Limitation of Science
Nov 7
Faith, Reason, and the Wonder and Limitation of Science

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Karin Öberg (Harvard University)

Student Resources Building, MPR Room

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Neuroscience and Human Freedom
Feb 2
Neuroscience and Human Freedom

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. James Madden (Benedictine College)

Buchanan Hall 1920

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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To Be Human in the Presence of God: St. Thomas Aquinas and Desert Spirituality
Apr 1
To Be Human in the Presence of God: St. Thomas Aquinas and Desert Spirituality

A Weekend Intellectual Retreat for Students

With Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell, O.P. (Dominican House of Studies).

St. Albert the Great Priory | Oakland, CA

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Thomas and the New Atheists
Jan 28
Thomas and the New Atheists

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Bishop Robert Barron (Archdiocese of Los Angeles)

St. Mark’s University Parish and Newman Center

This lecture is free and open to the public

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Two New Arguments Against Atheism
Nov 10
Two New Arguments Against Atheism

University of California, Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Tomas Bogardus (Pepperdine University)

Theater and Dance West, Room 1701

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Christianity as True Philosophy: The Theology of St. Justin Martyr
May 12
Christianity as True Philosophy: The Theology of St. Justin Martyr

UCLA-UCSB

A lecture by Prof. Matthew J. Thomas (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology)

Zoom

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C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: Faith and Reason, Imagination and Fellowship in a World under Siege
Feb 24
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: Faith and Reason, Imagination and Fellowship in a World under Siege

UCLA & UC Santa Barbara

A lecture by Prof. Carol Zaleski (Smith College)

Zoom

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Does Free Will Exist?
Feb 18
Does Free Will Exist?

A lecture by Fr. Anselm Ramelow, OP of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.

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The Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology of Happiness
Nov 18
The Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology of Happiness

A lecture by Prof. Christopher Kaczor of Loyola Marymount University.

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OTHER EVENTS

Featured
The Future of Personhood and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | The Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship
Jun 8
The Future of Personhood and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | The Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship

Dominican House of Studies & The Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C.

Sunday, June 8 - Friday, June 13, 2025

A fellowship featuring Fr. James Brent, O.P. (Dominican House of Studies), Prof. Jordan Wales (Hillsdale College), and Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P. (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology)

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Oxford Thomistic Metaphysics Seminar
Jun 9
Oxford Thomistic Metaphysics Seminar

University of Oxford | Oxford, United Kingdom

Monday, June 9 - Tuesday, June 10, 2025

A seminar featuring Daniel De Haan, Gaven Kerr, Joshua Hochschild, Dominic LaMantia, Michael Gorman, Turner Nevitt, Fr. Philip-Neri Reese, O.P., Thomas Osborne, Domenic D’Ettore, Brian Carl, and Francesco Banfi.

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Visions of Heaven and Earth in Three National Gallery Paintings: Botticelli’s 'Mystic Nativity', ‘The Wilton Diptych’, and Bermejo’s 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil'
Jun 9
Visions of Heaven and Earth in Three National Gallery Paintings: Botticelli’s 'Mystic Nativity', ‘The Wilton Diptych’, and Bermejo’s 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil'

Oxford University

A lecture by Dr. Gabriele Finaldi (Director of National Gallery, London)

Blackfriars (OX1 3LY)

This lecture is free and open to the public.

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