Led by R.J. Snell 

Select Fridays, 1:00pm-2:20pm

Sep 13, Sep 20, Oct 4, Nov 1, Nov 15

According to Thomas Aquinas, some truths about God surpass the capacity of unaided human reason and require revelation, while other truths are knowable by unaided, natural reason. This seminar explores some puzzles of classical theism through reason alone, without appeal to revelation or any particular religious tradition or authority. What’s the existence of God? How does God’s existence relate to God’s attributes—and does this work intelligibly? How does divine knowledge allow for human freedom? What about evil?

Reading a variety of texts and exploring a variety of questions, the seminar explores whether or not classical theism, as understood philosophically, is coherent.

Reading prior to seminar is not required. Neither is religious belief. Open to all Princeton students, whatever their commitments.

Lunch is provided, as are all reading materials.

All Princeton undergraduate or graduate students are warmly invited.

For more information about this seminar, email R.J. at rsnell@winst.org.

Led by R. J. Snell 

Select Fridays, 1:00-2:20pm 

Sep 27, Oct 25, Nov 8, Nov 22 

We tend to be familiar with the moral virtues—wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, say—and many will know Aristotle’s articulation of the intellectual virtues, but Aristotle’s intellectual virtues seem abstract and not especially relevant to our lives. Since we’re intellectual beings, the intellectual virtues oughtn’t be alien to our well-being, however. In this seminar, we examine more contemporary texts, including Hannah Arendt, Simone Weil, and Iris Murdoch, on intellectual habits such as attention, reading, understanding, and judging. Thinking, it turns out, is not merely a technical, neutral matter of analytic capacity, but a commitment to being in the world in a certain mode and way, and we can have habits of thought contributing to, or taking away from, our flourishing.

Reading prior to seminar is not required. Lunch is provided, as are all reading materials.

All Princeton undergraduate or graduate students are warmly invited.

For more information about this seminar, email R.J. at rsnell@winst.org.

Led by Sebastian Hayden 

Tuesdays, 8:15am-9:15am

Sep 17, Sep 24, Oct 1, Oct 22, Oct 29, Nov 12, Nov 19

A line-by-line reading of selected sections of the Nicomachean Ethics. No previous study of Aristotle needed, and reading prior to the seminar is not required. 

A light breakfast is provided, as are all reading materials. 

All Princeton undergraduate or graduate students are warmly invited. 

For more information about this seminar, email Sebastian at shayden@winst.org.

Led by Brandon Van Dyck

Mondays, 6:30-8:00pm

From Sep 23 to Nov 25

How will the outcome of the upcoming presidential election affect the U.S. and U.S. policy? This is a positive question, not a normative one; our political preferences are irrelevant. In this semester’s graduate discussion group, we’ll consider the effects of a Trump or Harris victory on the economy, health care, immigration, and the Supreme Court, among other topics.

Reading prior to the seminar is not required. Dinner is provided, as are all reading materials.

All Princeton graduate students are warmly invited.

For more information about this seminar, email Brandon at bvandyck@princetoncatholic.org.