July 26-August 1, 2026
Princeton, New Jersey
The Thomistic Seminar is a specialized graduate student seminar studying Thomas Aquinas, exploring his thought in dialogue with both classical and contemporary philosophers.
The topic of the 2026 seminar is “Happiness and Well-Being.” In the Aristotelian tradition, happiness is understood as successfully living a good life rather than mere subjective contentment. While Aquinas initially appears to adopt this Aristotelian framework in his treatment of happiness, the substance of happiness ends up being identified with the beatific vision rather than anything in our earthly lives. Can we nevertheless learn something about well-being, understood as this-worldly happiness, from St. Thomas’s conception of happiness? What is the metaphysical structure of happiness? What is the role of pleasure or enjoyment in a theory of well-being? How are we to make sense of the intellectual or rational character of human happiness? This seminar will explore these questions through a study of Aristotle, Aquinas, and neo-Aristotelian theorists of happiness and well-being.
Faculty
Dhananjay Jagannathan, Columbia University
Joseph Stenberg, Colgate University
Jennifer Frey, University of Tulsa
TBD
Eligibility
This seminar is open to graduate students in philosophy and related fields.
Application Information
The following documents are required of applicants: a cover letter explaining your interest in the seminar, your resume or curriculum vitae, and two academic letters of recommendation. You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript, as well as an academic writing sample, if it would add substantially to your application package. All application materials must be submitted online 11:59 PM EST before Monday, February 16, 2026; applications received by email will not be considered.
Click on the button below to apply:
Admissions Information
Admitted students will be notified of their status in mid-March. A non-refundable $350 registration fee is required of all admitted students to offset the costs of tuition, room, and board to attend this program.
Questions?
Email us at summer@winst.org.
