Inside the Core: Scholars’ Forum in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Inside the Core we are holding our first Scholars’ Forum in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Tuesday, March 18 at 4 p.m. on Teams. Despite the slightly delayed start this spring, our first talk begins this semester’s forum in an exciting way. Timothy Fortin, Ph.D., is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophical Theology in Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He will be presenting on his book, The Nature of Human Sexuality: A Symposium (Springer 2025). 

Fortin looks at this interesting and controversial subject through a variety of lenses, beginning with Plato, whose Symposium is the inspiration for the title and in many ways for the book itself. Delving into evolutionists, feminists and the work of Thomas Aquinas, he allows the various voices to speak to the topic. Students in the Core read Plato’s Symposium as an optional text in Core I, and its multi-faceted exploration of the nature of love is reflected in the way Fortin’s book explores human sexuality. Aquinas is perhaps the most innovative addition to the conversation, though his is one of the older texts in the group.

According to the Springer website, the book does the following:

• Provides metaphysical foundation to sexual difference
• Draws upon Thomistic philosophy and findings of contemporary science
• Offers a non-reductive view of sexual difference that speaks to the depth of human experience

Fortin’s book is part of the Historical-Analytical Studies on Nature, Mind and Action (HSNA, volume 15), published by Springer.

Fortin holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, Italy and an M.S. in clinical psychology from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Virginia. He began teaching at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology in 2009 and is currently Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophical Theology. He is the ideal person to discuss this topic and to engage with an interested audience in the question and answer period following the presentation.

 If you wish to read more about his book, here it is through Springer Press’s website.

Join us here.

The Scholars' Forum is co-sponsored by the University Core, the CAST Center, the CAST program and Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. 

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