Workshop at Providence College on metaphysics in the tradition of Aristotle

The Department of Philosophy of Providence College, in collaboration with the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies, announces the first in a new series of annual workshops dedicated to philosophy in the tradition of Aristotle. The workshops are intended to provide a venue for scholars and graduate students to present ongoing research and works-in-progress.

The first workshop, Metaphysics in the Tradition of Aristotle, will take place September 23–24, 2016 at Providence College. Invited presenters are:

Thérèse-Anne Druart (CUA)
Mary-Louise Gill (Brown)
Giorgio Pini (Fordham)
Jacob Rosen (Harvard)

The organizers welcome presentations of 25 minutes on Aristotle’s metaphysics and Aristotelian metaphysics in the Greek, Arabic, and Latin traditions. Papers on the modern reception or contemporary development of Aristotelian metaphysics are also welcome. We particularly encourage submissions from graduate students and early career scholars.

Abstracts of 500 words should be submitted to Fr. Philip Neri Reese, O.P., by April 15 at: philip.neri.reese@providence.edu.

Call for papers on causation and change in medieval philosophy

In May the Center for Medieval Philosophy at Georgetown University will be sponsoring a session at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo with the title “From Physics to Metaphysics: Causation and Change in Medieval Philosophy.” The session organizer, Robert Matava (Christendom College), sends us the following information on the session:

This session will focus on the important but generally under-investigated connections between medieval understandings of causality (especially the causation of being as such) and natural science (especially the phenomenon of change). Is there real causation in nature, and if so, can we know it? What exactly is motion, and how is it distinct from creation? What does it mean for the creator to bring about change within the contingent order?  How can personal agency be understood within the broader context of causation in nature? Medieval philosophers had interesting things to say about such questions. The specific connections between their consideration of metaphysics and change in the physical order deserve further attention, not least because such questions as the above retain their currency in contemporary philosophy, but also because of the potential such an investigation has for unlocking our understanding of the development of empirical science during the early-modern period. 

Dr. Matava is accepting proposals for papers on the above topics. The deadline for proposals is Tuesday, September 1. Dr. Matava can be contacted by email at: rmatava@christendom.edu

The International Congress on Medieval Studies will convene May 12-15, 2016.

Aquinas, metaphysics, and morals at NYU

The Thomistic Institute of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception is sponsoring a conference entitled "Aquinas on Metaphysics and Morals" at the Catholic Center of New York University on April 18. Papers will be given by Reinhard Hütter, John O'Callaghan, Eleonore Stump, and Candace Vogler. You can find more information here.

A new bibliography on Aquinas' Metaphysics

Jesús Villagrasa has informed me about the availability of a PDF file containing his complete “Bibliografia sulla metafisica di Tommaso d’Aquino.” The page on which this PDF can be found is here, and the direct link to the PDF is here (1.12 Mb).