26.01.2026, ITI News
ITI Catholic University Announces Publication of Religions Special Issue Reprint: “Aquinas and the Sciences: Exploring the Past, Present, and the Future”
The ITI is thrilled to announce the publication of a Special Issue of Religions entitled “Aquinas and the Sciences: Exploring the Past, Present, and the Future.” This Special Issue, edited by Simon Maria Kopf and Ignacio Silva, presents current work in the field of what they have called “Science-Engaged Thomism,” exploring how Thomas Aquinas and the subsequent Thomists of different eras related their theological thought to the natural and social sciences. The publication aligns with ITI’s ongoing research project, “Science-Engaged Theology in the Catholic Context,” which investigates the relationship between the sciences and the study of theology.
This Special Issue ultimately seeks to answer the question: “What can contemporary theology, philosophy, science and religion, and the history of these disciplines gain from an engagement with the thought of Thomas Aquinas and his appropriation and integration of the natural and social sciences?” The Issue consists of a compilation of excellent essays that demonstrate the mutual relation between modern science and theology and highlight the benefit of taking the approach of Thomas Aquinas himself regarding the integration of the two. The authors show that theology can benefit greatly from an honest and open engagement with the modern sciences and that, vice versa, the theological perspective can be a powerful source for scientific as well as civic and social thought in the modern world. As the Special Issue itself puts it, “This collection demonstrates that Thomism, far from being a relic of a pre-modern worldview, remains a living tradition capable of fruitful dialogue with contemporary science while staying faithful to its metaphysical depth.”
The Special Issue can be downloaded for free here.