Teaching Documents by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
This paper places a classical and medieval defense for the immaterial nature of cognition, viz., ... more This paper places a classical and medieval defense for the immaterial nature of cognition, viz., Aristotelian-Thomist hylomorphism, in dialogue with the Churchland eliminativist material account of cognition.
God is perceived in the things He has made through the intellect seeking God, but falls short of ... more God is perceived in the things He has made through the intellect seeking God, but falls short of the “vision of the Father”. But, God made known to us His relationship of love for man: in His philanthropy, being made visible in Christ and through Christ; His words and actions, and finally His death and resurrection.
Papers by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
This paper places an Aristotelian-Thomist defense of the immaterial nature of cognition in dialog... more This paper places an Aristotelian-Thomist defense of the immaterial nature of cognition in dialogue with Churland's eliminative materialist account of neural structures, activities, and mental states.
Contemporary theologians and scientists have taken their cues for divine action theories from nat... more Contemporary theologians and scientists have taken their cues for divine action theories from naturalistic paradigms of causality. This paper will consider the hierarchies between natural and divine agency and conclude with a Thomistic account of prayer's efficacy.
The Christian paradox of the splendor and beauty of the Son and Christ's deformity or ugliness on... more The Christian paradox of the splendor and beauty of the Son and Christ's deformity or ugliness on the cross will be considered through Augustine's triad of modus-species-ordo and St. Thomas Aquinas's trinitarian appropriation of this triad to beauty and consider a theological aesthetic of the cross by the question: How is the ugliness of the cross and ontic door to the beauty of God?
Paper: Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, 2022
Styles of churches through the centuries reflect that particular culture’s artistic skill... more Styles of churches through the centuries reflect that particular culture’s artistic skills, available materials, and its theological expression of Christ manifesting himself in the world. Roman, Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles of architecture all express the ecclesiastical piety of Christians from that time and place. A particularly “Catholic architecture” does not exist per se since the Church as its transcendent reality is not confined to any particular time and place.
Church architecture’s departure in the last several decades from providing witness to the sacred is rooted in a post-Enlightenment materialist, reductionist, socialistic anthropology. This philosophical spirit was marked by a general turn toward the subjective–toward a focus on the “inner man” and the respective interpretations of his place within the cosmic order through a hermeneutic that apodictically repudiated the Gospel’s supernatural elements. This embrace of nihilism can be overcome by an architectural return to a consciousness of what Heidegger called a sense of dwelling.
Justified True Belief (JTB) is the classical foundation of knowledge. Gettier challenged this cri... more Justified True Belief (JTB) is the classical foundation of knowledge. Gettier challenged this criterion in the early 1960s. I attempt to show that while his main argument is precise, the substance of his conclusion is vacuous. Ultimately JTB rests on a foundation of things known that do not need to be justified. These things known are immanantly secured.
Talks by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
Chastity as a virtue is presented as a source of power and self-mastery that elevates the person ... more Chastity as a virtue is presented as a source of power and self-mastery that elevates the person in a relationship of the perfecting of oneself and others through love.
The focus on children during Christmas universally draws all people together by emphasizing the i... more The focus on children during Christmas universally draws all people together by emphasizing the innocence, purity, and boundless joy that embody the essence of Christ's birth. We have formed a beautiful tradition in the West around Christmas of having the focus be on children. It is a tradition whose appeal spans many cultures because we all see purity, innocence, and hope in children. The love for children bridges that gap of suspicion and otherness we all face among people. An ancient tradition from which Santa comes includes giving gifts in secret, which cultivates a sense of wonder in children. The hidden nature of Santa's gift-giving, apart from all crass commercialism, shifts the focus from the giver to the act of generosity itself, teaching that true giving seeks no recognition.
This passage is an encounter with the mysterious already-but-not-yet nuptial reality of God's ult... more This passage is an encounter with the mysterious already-but-not-yet nuptial reality of God's ultimate plan of our union with Him.
Many saints were formed through their contemplation of time. The saintly experience of time is n... more Many saints were formed through their contemplation of time. The saintly experience of time is not as the linear chronos– that is the sequential and relentless ticking of a dying clock but as kairos, that is time in the sense of being the medium through which we will to align ourselves with God’s eternal will for our communion with Him.
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Teaching Documents by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
Papers by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
Church architecture’s departure in the last several decades from providing witness to the sacred is rooted in a post-Enlightenment materialist, reductionist, socialistic anthropology. This philosophical spirit was marked by a general turn toward the subjective–toward a focus on the “inner man” and the respective interpretations of his place within the cosmic order through a hermeneutic that apodictically repudiated the Gospel’s supernatural elements. This embrace of nihilism can be overcome by an architectural return to a consciousness of what Heidegger called a sense of dwelling.
Talks by Mr. Mark R . Peters, O.P., M.A., M.S
Church architecture’s departure in the last several decades from providing witness to the sacred is rooted in a post-Enlightenment materialist, reductionist, socialistic anthropology. This philosophical spirit was marked by a general turn toward the subjective–toward a focus on the “inner man” and the respective interpretations of his place within the cosmic order through a hermeneutic that apodictically repudiated the Gospel’s supernatural elements. This embrace of nihilism can be overcome by an architectural return to a consciousness of what Heidegger called a sense of dwelling.