This will be followed at 3:30pm by a Lecture and Reception in the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Hall.

The speaker will be Prof. Nicholas Yii Wye Teh of the Philosophy Department of the University of Notre Dame.

The title of the talk will be “Three Catholic Philosophers on Science and its Objects.”

Abstract of talk: It is common in the philosophy of science to ask questions such as “Do the objects (e.g. electrons, spacetime,  etc.) described in scientific theories really exist, or are they merely helpful ways of calculating and making predictions?”, and “If they do exist, then does this mean that science has some special authority or hold on reality?”. In this talk, I will develop an answer to these questions by drawing on the writings of three giants of philosophy who were also committed Catholics: Elizabeth Anscombe, Pierre Duhem, and the late Alasdair MacIntyre. The resulting view defies any easy categorization and should be of special interest to Catholics and those who follow in the footsteps of Aristotle and Aquinas.

This event is sponsored by the Michigan Chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists.

Contact: Daniel Brandt  daabrand@mtu.edu