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Topic: "Who causes evolution? God or Creatures?"Talk Description:
When Charles Darwin, the “father of the theory of evolution,” first proposed his theory based on natural selection, it was met with criticism, specifically from Christians. How was this theory to be reconciled with a theology of creation? Aware of this concern, Darwin wrote, “To my mind, it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining both the birth and death of the individual. When I view all beings not as special creations, but as the lineal descendants of some few beings which lived long before the first bed of the Cambrian system was deposited, they seem to me to become ennobled.” For him, creatures could be real causes of change in the process of evolution. However, can Catholics agree with this? Can a creature be a real cause of change? What place does God have in this?
To answer these questions, this talk will look to Magisterial teaching on evolution, a Thomistic consideration of primary and secondary causality, and finally how a creature becomes a real cause of change in the process of evolution.
Speaker Bio:
Fr. Ceslaus Kowalkowski was raised in Manistee, MI, a small victorian town on the shore of Lake Michigan. He is the youngest of three children and the happy uncle of twelve nieces and nephews. Before being ordained to the priesthood in 2020, he graduated from the Pontifical College Josephinum, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), earning a S.T.B. “I first met the Dominicans while studying at the Josephinum and again at the Angelicum. It was the grace of the unique balance between the contemplative and active life which initially attracted me to the Order. This grace-filled life given to St. Dominic has aided many to become Saints and has helped countless others to achieve their own salvation. It is a true joy and mercy to be a part of this way of life.”
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All young adults (19-35) are invited to Theology on Tap in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, 2nd floor, every first Monday of the month. The talk begins at 7:30 pm & ends with Q&A at 8:15 pm. This event is cosponsored by The Basilica of Saint Mary and the Diocese of Arlington's Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries.
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Questions? Please contact Mariama Strycula at [email protected].
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, Old Town, 713 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314-3014, United States,Alexandria, Virginia