Theology and Historical Reality

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The disorientation that we are experiencing, in what Pope Francis defines "the change of epoch," urges answers that only a theological view of the historical reality may offer. By providing an introduction to the anthropology of Saint Thomas Aquinas, this course presents the main challenges that our contemporary world is facing, namely transhumanism and artificial intelligence, and proposes a practical way to build a "civilization of love," as asked by Saint Pope Paul VI since 1970. In this course we will aim to develop a consciousness of the necessity of the theological approach for the interpretation of the historical reality; Understand the "functioning" of the human being according to the anthropology of St. Thomas Aquinas; consider the challenges posed by the transhumanist movement and the development of artificial intelligence; introduce to the "civilization of love" and discern possible ways to foster it.