The Lumen Christi Institute, an independent Catholic studies center founded by Catholic U of C scholars in 1997, is hosting a conference this Saturday, April 30, to explore what philosophers can learn from their western predecessors. What Can Philosophers Learn From the Tradition? will take place in Ida Noyes Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will consist of a welcoming address, three main speeches, and a panel discussion.

Alasdair MacIntyre of the University of Notre Dame, Charles Taylor of Northwestern University, and Jean-Luc Marion of the University of Chicago are the three Catholic professors who will be the main speakers at the conference. Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago will join them to lead the concluding panel discussion and Archbishop Cardinal George will give an optional 8:30 a.m. mass in Rockefeller Chapel and will make remarks during the conference.

The primary speakers will present three different perspectives on how philosophers working today might use concepts and modes of thought from their intellectual predecessors to address current issues.” While doing this, they will review the effects of using modern and traditional categories of thought and will consider the possibility and difficulty of rejecting modern philosophical assumptions, and ways to use resources of the tradition to resolve tradition’s limitations and expand its range.

The Committee on Social Thought of the University of Chicago, the University of Chicago Divinity School, and the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture will co-sponsor the event. The McCormick Tribune Foundation is funding the event.

People can get more information at info@lumenchristi.org or by calling (773) 955-5877.