Thomistic Institute
Shield of the Dominican Order
Motto"It Matters What You Think"
Parent institutionDominican House of Studies
Established2009; 17 years ago (2009)
DirectorFr. Ambrose Little, O.P.
Address487 Michigan Avenue NE
Location
Washington, D.C.
,
United States
Coordinates38°55′54″N 76°59′57″W / 38.9317°N 76.9993°W / 38.9317; -76.9993
Map
Interactive map of Thomistic Institute
Websitethomisticinstitute.org

The Thomistic Institute (TI) is an academic institute of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, a Catholic pontifical faculty run by the Dominican Order located in Washington, D.C.[1]

Founded in 2009,[2] its name derives from the order's heritage of Thomas Aquinas,[3] as the institute is influenced by the Thomistic tradition.[4] The institute was founded as an academic research institute of the Pontifical Faculty, and, starting in 2016, began to support a network of campus chapters at universities throughout the United States, England, and Ireland that sponsors lectures on theology, philosophy, ethics, and science.[3]

As of 2025, the institute had chapters at over 100 universities.[5] Counted among its past speakers are Scottish philosophers Alasdair MacIntyre and John Haldane,[6] French philosopher Remi Brague,[7] American philosopher Robert Sokolowski,[8] English philosopher Sir Roger Scruton,[9] Australian philosopher Mark Johnston,[10] and the Theologian of the Pontifical Household Wojciech Giertych.[11]

In addition to individual lectures, the Institute has co-sponsored academic conferences with Harvard Law School,[12] Yale University,[13][14] New York University, Georgetown University,[15] and Notre Dame University,[16] among others. It also organizes an annual conference on Thomistic philosophy[17] and an annual Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science conference for faculty and graduate students in the experimental sciences and in philosophy, held in Washington, D.C.[18]

Directors

List of directors of the institute in chronological order:[4]

  • Rev. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. (2009–2018)
  • Rev. Dominic Legge, O.P. (2018–2025)
  • Rev. Ambrose Little, O.P. (2025–present)

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Thomistic Institute". Thomistic Institute. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Thomistic Institute's 7th annual Conference for Priests - in Providence". Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Thomistic Institute quietly bringing Catholic perspective to secular universities". Aleteia. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Campus Chapters Program". Thomistic Institute. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "Thomistic Institute Campus Chapters". thomisticinstitute.org.
  6. ^ "12:00 pm Reasonable Disagreement and Civic Friendship in an Age of Conflict". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "Lecture Texts". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Msgr. Sokolowski Lecture Audio Now Available". Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph. February 18, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  9. ^ "Events 2014 - Sir Roger Scruton". www.roger-scruton.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "4:30 PM | Cognitive Science versus the Soul". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "Therapy of the Soul: Living the Virtues in a Culture of Addiction". Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph. November 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Mirror of Justice: Liberalism and Christianity at Harvard Law". mirrorofjustice.blogs.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Christianity and Freedom: A Conference". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "4:00 pm Aquinas and the Problem of Pagan Virtue". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Events Roundup—8.9.18 | Editors". First Things. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "The Catholic Intellectual and the Challenge of the Contemporary University". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Philosophy Workshop". www.msmc.edu. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science Symposium". The Thomistic Institute. Retrieved April 10, 2019.