Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 7:30 PM in the Falcon Lounge

“The Virtual Inevitability Of A Singularity in Inflationary Model Universes:
Implications for the Creation of the Universe”

Rev. Robert J. Spitzer S.J.
President, Gonzaga University
Our beloved friend Fr. Robert Spitzer puts on his physicist hat to speak to us about recent developments in cosmology. Classical Big Bang theory was altered significantly by the prospect of universal inflation and a “pre-big-bang quantum cosmological or string condition.” Recent work by Borde, Vilenkin, and Guth shows that mathematical modeling of such universes requires an initial singularity, which in turn implies a creation of the universe by a causative power transcending space-time asymmetry. Fr. Spitzer will discuss the history of this remarkable development and its theological implications.

Fr. Spitzer has been involved in teaching about the intersection of physics, metaphysics, and faith for many years. He is co-founder and director of the Institute for Christian Philosophy and the Natural Sciences at Gonzaga University, and co-organizes an annual lecture series entitled Physics and the God of Abraham. Fr. Spitzer is also founder of the Philosophical Foundations of Physics institute at Georgetown university: a group of physicists, chemists, philosophers and theologians engaged in ongoing discussion of underlying conditions of space, time and energy from physical and philosophical perspectives.

Here is the background paper for Fr. Spitzer's lecture (pdf).
Here is an audio recording of Fr. Spitzer's lecture (mp3).

Thursday, November 29, 2007, at 7:30 PM in the Falcon Lounge

“Pope John Paul II's Historic Pilgrimage to Poland, June 1979”

Dr. James R. Felak
Department of History, University of Washington
Pope John Paul II's nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June 1979 was one of the most significant and remarkable events of the twentieth century, instrumental in leading to the collapse of Communism in Poland and elsewhere in Europe. Based on a reading of the Polish-language texts of John Paul’s speeches and homilies during those fateful days, Professor James Felak will analyze for us the Pope’s messages to the people, the Church, and the government in Poland, with special emphasis upon the Pope’s use of Scripture, Polish and Church history, and Polish culture to convey his thoughts, concerns, and hopes.

James Ramon Felak, associate professor of history at the University of Washington, is a specialist in the history of East Central Europe and the history of Christianity. His publications include works on nationalism, Communism, and the Catholic Church in twentieth century Eastern Europe. He is currently researching the eight visits made by John Paul to his native land during his papacy.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, at 7:30 PM in the Falcon Lounge

“Big Green Families”

Dr. Catherine Jack Deavel
Department of Philosophy, University of Saint Thomas (St. Paul)

Does having “too many” children pose a threat to ecological well-being? Are Christians (and especially Catholics) environmentally irresponsible for understanding children and large families as a blessing, rather than as a disturbing ecological strain and the reckless perpetuation of a crisis in overpopulation? Against such claims (frequently made by population-control advocates) philosopher Catherine Jack Deavel will make the case for BIG GREEN FAMILIES, arguing that large families are in fact admirably suited for teaching and for living out “green” practices and virtues.

Catherine Jack Deavel is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, and has published a number of articles on topics as various as art, Aristotle, and Harry Potter.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008, at 7:30 PM in the Falcon Lounge

“Paradoxy: One Hundred Years of Chesterton's Orthodoxy”

Dale Ahlquist
President of The American Chesterton Society
To deny human sin is to close one’s eyes to reality; to refuse to accept the finitude of human reason is to go mad. “Man can understand everything by the help of what he does not understand,” wrote Chesterton. Paradox is one of Chesterton’s most important themes and the key to his classic Orthodoxy, published a century ago in 1908 and never out of print since that time. Dale Ahlquist returns to Seattle to explore with us the contemporary implications of Chesterton’s great work, perhaps the most famous extended apologetic for Christianity and one of the great literary masterpieces of the twentieth century.

President of the American Chesterton Society, Mr. Ahlquist is also author of G. K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense (Ignatius Press), and host of a continuing television series of the same name.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 7:30 PM in the Falcon Lounge

“Thomas More and the Meaning of Conscience”

Rev. Joseph W. Koterski S.J.
Department of Philosophy, Fordham University
What is "conscience", and what does it have to do with the reasons for which Thomas More accepted death by beheading? Many people are familiar with the stunning portrayal of More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, in which faithfulness to one's conscience is depicted as a form of trueness to one's self. What was the real Thomas More's understanding of "conscience", and how can this understanding shed light upon contemporary discussions of conscience? To what extent is trueness to one's self opposed to, or part of, a Christian understanding of conscience such as that of Thomas More?

Thursday, May 15, 2008, at 7:30 PM in Conference Room 109, Otto Miller Hall

“The Girl Who Was Thirsty: How G. K. Chesterton Led Me to Faith”

Dawn Eden
Author, editor and columnist
How did an agnostic, Jewish rock historian, who battled depression while living a dissipated lifestyle among New York's bohemia, become a cheerful Catholic chastity crusader? Dawn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste and winner of the American Chesterton Society's 2007 Outline of Sanity Award, tells how an unexpected encounter with the work of Chesterton introduced her to the thrilling romance of orthodoxy.

A listing of those who have spoken at the Society's meetings over the years may be found here.