*THIS SYMPOSIUM HAS MOVED TO NEXT YEAR. PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US IN THE FUTURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.*
Third Annual Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science Symposium: Chance and Indeterminacy in the Natural World
What are chance occurrences, and how has indeterminacy factored into the development of the natural world as we know it? The vocabulary of randomness and probability appear throughout the natural sciences and are particularly associated with evolutionary biology and quantum physics, but do all of the sciences understand these notions in the same way? This symposium will bring together leading scientists and philosophers to discuss what chance, randomness, and indeterminacy are, as seen through the lens of various scientific disciplines, and what philosophical implications this might have for our understanding of the physical world and our place in it.
The Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science Symposium gathers expert scientists and philosophers to discuss the potential compatibility and mutual enrichment of the study of Aquinas' philosophy of nature and various forms of modern scientific knowledge in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
The 2020 symposium will once again include a day of lectures geared towards an introduction to Thomistic philosophy and the history of science, with a focus on chance and indeterminacy. The rest of the symposium will have scientific experts discussing the understanding of chance, randomness, and indeterminacy in their own fields with one another and with philosophers.
2020 featured speakers include:
John Brungardt (Newman University), Travis Dumsday (University of Edmonton), Michael Gorman (The Catholic University of America), Sr. Stephen Patrick, O.P. (Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist), Jay Pike (Providence College), Valerie Plaus (Franciscan University of Steubenville), Steve Snyder (Christendom College), Peter Ulrickson (The Catholic University of America), Fr. Robert Verrill, O.P. (Baylor University), and Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome).
Cost, Location, and Accommodation:
All registration costs, food, lodging and activities are covered by the Thomistic Institute.
This year’s symposium will once again be held in Washington, D.C. Attendees will stay at Theological College, 401 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017, adjacent to the Dominican House of Studies. Lectures and meals will all be on site. Opportunities for Mass, Adoration, and Liturgy of the Hours will be available with the Dominican Friars.
Open to professional scientists and philosophers, as well as graduate students and advanced graduate students in philosophy and the sciences.
