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Course: "The Philosophy of God of Thomas Aquinas"
Edmund Lazzari, FOCUS Missionary at TCC/MIT
Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 18 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none
Does God exist? What can we know about God by reason alone? What kind of a thing would the creator of all reality be like? Is there any hope of knowing about such a being without anthropomorphizing it? Is there contradiction between God causing everything and the principles of the physical sciences? What does it mean to be all-powerful, all-knowing, or all good?
For anyone who wants serious answers to these questions (and not the facile non-answers of the “undergraduate atheists” Dawkins and Hitchens), the thirteenth-century philosopher Thomas Aquinas has been the go-to resource almost since he wrote his compilations of Aristotelian philosophy and Christian monotheism. This standard thinker is regularly referenced in philosophy classes, but few professors feel confident enough in his wide-ranging and holistic system of philosophy to give a good groundwork in his philosophy of God.
About the instructor: Edmund Lazzari has been studying the thought of Thomas Aquinas for 10 years and has published on the thought of Thomas Aquinas, Cappadocian Trinitarian theology, and liturgical music in journals such as the New Blackfriars Review and Sacred Music. He currently a missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students at MIT. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy from the Catholic University of America, where he focused on metaphysics, ethics, and Medieval Latin and Arabic philosophy.
Sponsor(s): Tech Catholic Community
Contact: Edmund Lazzari, W11-012, edmund.lazzari@focus.org
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Jan/22 | Mon | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
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Jan/26 | Fri | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
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Jan/29 | Mon | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
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Jan/31 | Wed | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
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Feb/02 | Fri | 10:00AM-12:00PM | PDR #3 (W20-303) |
Edmund Lazzari - FOCUS Missionary at TCC/MIT
Defense R&D and the Military-Industrial Complex: Science and National Priorities
Subrata Ghoshroy, Research Affiliate
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Jan/16 | Tue | 04:30PM-06:00PM | 2-105 |
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Jan/23 | Tue | 04:30PM-06:00PM | 2-105 |
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Jan/30 | Tue | 04:30PM-06:00PM | 2-105 |
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Feb/02 | Fri | 04:30PM-06:00PM | 2-105 |
Enrollment: Pre-registration recommended but not required. Email carlsonc@mit.edu.
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: Pre-requisites, an interest in science and defense policy
After the end of World War II, U.S. embarked upon a policy to spend large sums of money for defense. The rationale was two-fold. One was to fight the growing threat of communism and the other was to spur the post-war economy. A big part of the defense budget was for R&D in science and technology for weapons in order to have a technology-edge over the USSR. The dual Cold War rationale - prosperity at home and fighting wars abroad - to contain "communist aggression" continues 25 years after the collapse of the USSR. Today, the U.S. defense budget is about $600 billion, which includes more than $80 billion for R&D. An unfathomable $1-trillion will be spent on nuclear weapons over the next 30 years, shortchanging the research on climate change, e.g. During the second world war, academics participated in the Manhattan project to build the atom bomb, and in the development of the radar, missile guidance systems, etc. Today's subjects are artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and cyber defense, among others. The Pentagon also funds research in social sciences like political science, anthropology, and psychology. President Eisenhower's warning in his 1961 farewell address of the danger of a "military-industrial complex" (MIC) has come true.
There will be four sessions as follows:
Sponsor(s): Science, Technology, and Society
Contact: Subrata Ghoshroy, E51-296, 617 253-3846, GHOSHROY@MIT.EDU
Interfaith Field Trip to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center/Mosque
Adam Reynolds, Blue Ocean Faith Chaplain, Addir Interfaith Coordinator, Alvin Tan, Addir Graduate Community Fellow
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Feb/02 | Fri | 12:00PM-03:30PM | W11, Please see dress code |
Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 15 participants
Join the Addir Fellows* on an interfaith field trip to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center for their Jumu'ah (Friday prayers). After a brief orientation to the venue, we will be observing a Khutbah (sermon) followed by prayers. After the prayers, there will be time for questions and discusssions with our host to learn more about Islam.
12:00 pm — Meet at W11
12:30 pm — Brief orientation
1:00 pm — Prayer service
2:30 pm — Discussion
3:00 pm — Arrive back on MIT campus
Dress code: ISBCC requests that all visitors dress modestly and respect the sanctity of the prayer hall. Women are requested to wear longs sleeves, but are not required to cover their hair. If tour attendees wish to bring along a head scarf, that is completely optional.
Please sign up on this form: https://goo.gl/forms/dchIU4TObuTbR7mD3
*Addir is a word in Ancient Sumerian that means "bridge". The Addir Fellows Program aspires to build bridges of dialogue and understanding. Addir is co-sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain to the Institute in cooperation with the Board of Chaplains.
Sponsor(s): Addir Fellows Interfaith Dialogue
Contact: Adam Reynolds, W11-011, adam1@mit.edu
Planners Read Plato's "Gorgias"
Ezra Glenn
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Jan/24 | Wed | 02:00PM-04:30PM | 9-217 |
Enrollment: DUSP Students Only
Sign-up by 01/10
What is the role of oratory and power in a democratic society? Is it worse to do wrong or to be wronged? What is the difference between knowledge and true belief? Why is it important for both the accused and their judges to meet naked in court? (And what do all of these questions have to do with becoming an urban planner?) Come explore these themes with us in a participatory -- possibly dramatic -- reading of Plato's "Gorgias," a Socratic dialog written in 380 BC that is as relevant today as when it was written. Books provided; Greek food included; togas optional.
Note: this is mostly an opportunity to actually read this wonderful and thought-provoking book with others, not a lecture; come prepared to read and take part, and we'll see how far we get.
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu
Reason for God - Dinner, Talk, and Discussion
Chris Swanson
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
A six-part series during IAP exploring some of the top questions and objections to belief in God and Christianity. Each session will start with a free dinner, followed by a guest speaker and then a time of Question and Answer, and discussion. Dessert and Hot Chocolate provided too!
Check out www.reasoningforgod.com for more details.
Sponsor(s): Cru
Contact: Chris Swanson, 515-451-9542, CSWANSON@MIT.EDU
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Jan/16 | Tue | 06:30PM-08:00PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge |
Human beings possess an incredible array of meaningful characteristics. We seem to exist as individual selves capable of relationships, art, language, creativity and beauty. How can we best explain these phenomena? Are we capable of self-definition? Is God needed to understand who we are and what it means to be human? Do we need God, something external to the human experience, to truly know ourselves?
| Jan/18 | Thu | 06:30PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge, Dr. Troy Van Voorhis, MIT Professor of Chemistry |
Can any thinking and science-minded person believe in the miraculous claims of religion? How can science and miracles co-exist?
| Jan/23 | Tue | 06:30PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge |
Our world is filled with complex moral challenges. What best explains our experiences of morality? Are our moral intuitions reducible to a set of evolutionary processes? Can genuine moral reasoning exist without God? Can't we be good without God, and isn't that all we need to be concerned about?
| Jan/25 | Thu | 06:30PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge, Dr. Ian Hutchinson, MIT Professor |
What is faith? Isn't blind faith the problem and critical thinking the solution? Isn't there a difference between accepting expertise and bowing to authority? Is a faith-based view a liability in science? What is the relationship between faith and science?
| Jan/30 | Tue | 06:30PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge, Dr. Tom Rudelius |
The fundamental laws of nature in our universe appear to be "fine-tuned" to allow for intelligent life. Are there clues for God's existence evident in the cosmos? In this talk, we'll explore possible explanations for this phenomenon and speculate on the possible role of a designer.
| Feb/01 | Thu | 06:30PM | W20-Mezzanine Lounge |
How could a good God, who is also all-powerful, allow evil and suffering? Does the existence of evil and suffering disprove God?
The Heretic's Club: (Re)Incarnations of Jesus (Lunch)
Adam Reynolds, Blue Ocean Faith Chaplain, Addir Interfaith Coordinator, David Schulz, Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Interfaith Intern Staff
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Jan/31 | Wed | 12:00PM-01:30PM | 2-103 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/29
Limited to 20 participants
The Heretic's Club—combining good food and good conversation on spirituality, religion and the big questions of life. As the name would imply, diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are welcome as are non-traditional and outside-the-box ways of thinking.
(Re)Incarnations of Jesus (Lunch)
Who is Jesus? And who gets to decide? What do voices outside of Christendom have to tell us about this monumental figure from first-century Palestine? Join the Heretic’s Club as we explore how Jesus is understood from a variety of extra-Christian perspectives: Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Secular. How do these voices offer fresh perspectives on Jesus’ message, divinity, and significance in world history? And how can these incarnations of Jesus shape our understanding of what it means to be human?
We hope to offer a thought-provoking conversation on Jesus that decenters the Christian perspective and adds fresh energy and insight to engagement with this (enlightened?) figure. This is an opportunity to learn, discuss, and meditate upon these perspectives with other inquirers.
Includes free lunch!
Please register here.
Other Heretic's Club Sessions:
Sponsor(s): Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Fellows Interfaith Dialogue
Contact: Adam Reynolds, W11-011, ADAM1@MIT.EDU
The Heretic's Club: Somewhere between Faith and Atheism (Dinner)
Adam Reynolds, Blue Ocean Faith Chaplain, Addir Interfaith Coordinator, David Schulz, Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Interfaith Intern
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Jan/17 | Wed | 07:00PM-08:30PM | 2-103 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/15
Limited to 20 participants
The Heretic's Club—combining good food and good conversation on spirituality, religion and the big questions of life. As the name would imply, diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are welcome as are non-traditional and outside-the-box ways of thinking.
Somewhere between Faith and Atheism (Dinner)
These days many people find themselves somewhere in the gray area between having faith in a divine being and being convinced that there is no God. The religious side of things may feel too rigid, dogmatic, intolerant and exclusive while the secular side may feel too closed-off to wonder and spiritual experience and/or perhaps too isolated from positive and supportive community. Not fitting into either category can leave some people feeling “spiritually homeless”—especially those who appreciate active spiritual engagement and community. This lack of clear spiritual identity can pose challenges of isolation. Yet, perhaps there are also opportunities and possibilities are there for those of us who live in this kind of ambiguity and yet still crave spiritual engagement?
This Heretic’s Club session will provide no definitive answers! Yet we think there will be a lot of value in exploring this topic together and sharing our own stories of embarking on an unscripted spiritual journey.
Includes free dinner!
Please register here.
Other Heretic's Club Sessions:
Sponsor(s): Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Fellows Interfaith Dialogue
Contact: Adam Reynolds, W11-011, ADAM1@MIT.EDU
The Heretic's Club: Why Am I Alive? (Lunch)
Adam Reynolds, Blue Ocean Faith Chaplain, Addir Interfaith Coordinator, David Schulz, Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Interfaith Intern
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Jan/24 | Wed | 12:00PM-01:30PM | 2-103 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants
The Heretic's Club—combining good food and good conversation on spirituality, religion and the big questions of life. As the name would imply, diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are welcome as are non-traditional and outside-the-box ways of thinking.
Why Am I Alive? (Lunch)
Why am I here? Does my life have any overarching purpose? Or can it? Does my life have meaning? Does my life matter? Does anything matter? How do I know what matters?
We’ve all wrestled with questions like these and for some people they are a persistent itch which increasingly demands to be scratched. For some, life just doesn’t feel settled unless we’re connected to a bone-deep, passionate sense of purpose.
We often may find ourselves engaging with these questions on our own, but what would it look like to tackle them in an environment that’s friendly, supportive, diverse, non-judgmental and creative? Find out at this Heretic’s Club Session! Join us for a fun and inspiring conversation on purpose-finding where we’ll explore different approaches to cultivating a sense of purpose and offer various practical tools for doing so.
Includes free lunch!
Please register here.
Other Heretic's Club Sessions:
Sponsor(s): Blue Ocean Faith, Addir Fellows Interfaith Dialogue
Contact: Adam Reynolds, W11-011, ADAM1@MIT.EDU
The Holy Land: A Christian and Israeli Perspective
Stephen Steadman, Research Affiliate, Senior Research Scientist (ret.), Shalev Gilad, Principal Research Scientist
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Jan/19 | Fri | 03:00PM-04:00PM | 26-414 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Both of the presenters are senior research staff within the Lab for Nuclear Science. One of us (Steve Steadman), who has visited Israel several times over 40 years, recently returned from a two-week pilgrimage to Christian churches and holy sites in Israel and the West Bank as part of a group sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and led by its suffragan bishop the Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris. The other (Shalev Gilad) grew up in Israel, came to MIT, but has continued a long relationship with Israel through strong family and scientific ties. Steve Steadman will share some highlights of his pilgrimage, and each will share their perspective of what they have learned and how they see the future of these two peoples in this contested land. This will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
Sponsor(s): Lab for Nuclear Science
Contact: Stephen Steadman, 26-443, 617 258-8678, STEADMAN@MIT.EDU
Understanding Islam
Hoda Elsharkawi / Nada El-Alami, Muslim Chaplain at MIT
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Jan/09 | Tue | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 1-371 |
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Jan/16 | Tue | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 1-371 |
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Jan/23 | Tue | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 1-371 |
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Jan/30 | Tue | 04:00PM-05:30PM | 1-371 |
Enrollment: Please email me when you sign up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: NA
What is the Muslim's concept of God? The afterlife? Who was prophet Muhammed? What do Muslims say about Moses, Jesus? What are the core beliefs and practices of Islam? Come for an opportunity to see beyond common misconceptions, and learn from Muslims about their fourteen century old faith, professed by 1.8 billion people worldwide. A Q&A session is included.
Sponsor(s): Muslim Chaplaincy
Contact: Nada El-Alami, W11 - 11, 617-258-9285, mchnada@mit.edu
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