Ep. #85 – Unlocking Divine Action w/ Fr. Dodds
Summary
How should we understand divine action? How is causality being discussed today in science and philosophy? How should we understand the relationship between science and philosophy when it comes to causality? In light of classical theism, how should we understand things like miracles and human freedom? Fr. Dodds OP joins us to discuss these questions and more.
Guest Bio
Fr. Michael Dodds is a professor of philosophy and theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. Though he has been teaching some of the same courses for almost 30 years, he finds it most exciting to present new ideas to students and see the light turn on. He’s the author of several books including: The Unchanging God of Love: Thomas Aquinas and Contemporary Theology on Divine Immutability and Unlocking Divine Action: Contemporary Science and Thomas Aquinas.
Show Outline
In the first segment, Fr. Dodds gives an update of his most recent projects. He gives an overview of his book Unlocking Divine Action.
In the next segment, we get into the details of his book. I ask him how we should understand divine action. What is God doing? Is it all an impenetrable mystery? Fr. Dodds gives intriguing answers.
In the final segment, I ask Fr. Dodds about two further topics related to God and causality. 1) What is a miracle and what is God doing to bring about miracles? 2) How does divine action work with human freedom? We close the show with information about where you can find more about Fr. Dodds’ work.
Resources Mentioned
The Unchanging God of Love: Thomas Aquinas and Contemporary Theology on Divine Immutability
Unlocking Divine Action: Contemporary Science and Thomas Aquinas
Related Episodes
Ep. #64 – Absolute Divine Simplicity w/ Dr. Dolezal
BONUS|Aquinas and the Metaphysics of Creation w/ Dr. Kerr
Ep. #68 – Divine Immutability w/ Fr. Michael Dodds
Ep. #116 – The One Creator God w/ Fr. Michael Dodds
Better Deal on Fr. Dodds’ Books
Fr. Dodds informed me that several of his books can be found at a much cheaper price on different websites. Here are some links:
The Philosophy of Nature by Fr. Michael Dodds
Philosophical Anthropology by Fr. Michael Dodds
