Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology Hosts Day of Study for 800th Jubilee Celebration

On October 5, 2016, the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (DSPT) hosted a day of study as part of the 800th anniversary jubilee year celebrations entitled, “Imagination and Cooperation in the Care for our Common Home.”

The event, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation through the “Science for Seminaries” program at John Carrol University, was designed by Christopher Renz, O.P. to explore the role that science can play in the discussion inspired by Pope Francis in his recent encyclical, Laudato Sí. Participants were invited to read the encyclical before the meeting and to bring research questions from their own disciplines of science, philosophy, and theology to the day. The keynote speaker, Agustín Fuentes, Ph.D., anthropologist from Notre Dame University, invited participants to engage recent theories of human evolution with the encyclical, noting that humans are unique social creatures with particular skill for imagination that allow for the creation of unique and evolutionary advantageous niche environments. His ideas were explored further by DSPT faculty Margarita Vega, Ph.D. and Sr. Marianne Farina, C.S.C., from the philosophical and theological perspectives. The afternoon session brought students and faculty from across the GTU and UC Berkeley into small groups to engage these ideas more thoroughly in light of Laudato Sí. The talks will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Listening.