Catherine Peters

Biography

Catherine Peters is a tenured associate professor at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California). She specializes in medieval philosophy, with a particular focus on the thought of Thomas Aquinas and Avicenna. She earned her doctorate from the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of St. Thomas (Houston, Texas) under the supervision of Jon McGinnis in 2019. Peters' research centers on the intersections of natural philosophy, metaphysics, and natural theology.

An overarching theme in her work is the consideration of how medieval thought might inform and advance our attempts to answer fundamental questions such as “who am I?”, “what do we know?”, “what should we do?” and “is there a God?” She is passionate about translating medieval philosophy into modern terms and applying its insight to perennial problems and concerns. To this end, she is now engaged in developing a "Thomistic" account of disability.

Education (1)

The University of St. Thomas: PhD, Philosophy 2019

Dissertation: “The Causality of Nature in Avicenna’s Physics of the Healing.”

Social

Areas of Expertise (9)

Philosophy of Disability

Aristotle

Metaphysics

Thomas Aquinas

Medieval Philosophy

Avicenna

Arabic Philosophy

Natural Philosophy

Natural Theology

Accomplishments (1)

American Catholic Philosophical Association "Young Scholar" (professional)

2018-11-10

2018 ACPA Young Scholar,” best paper submitted by a scholar under the age of 36: “The Objective Relativity of Goodness.”

Links (1)

• Academia.edu/CatherinePeters

Courses (7)

FFYS 1000: Sense & Synderesis

This seminar explores the central characters and themes of the novels of Jane Austen. The seminar will consist of a careful reading of her works and class discussions reflecting on the “cardinal virtues” within her novels. Austen is noted for her ironic observations of English society in the 18th century, her keen insights into human character, and her portrayals of virtue and vice. Consequently, we will read her novels with an aim towards appreciating her depiction and assessment of human character, especially her view of virtue. Our reading of Austen will be guided by a systematic consideration of the four “cardinal” virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude. Austen is often regarded as one of the most popular and beloved novelists of the English language. In this seminar, we intend to realize not only why her novels have exerted literary influence and sparked extensive popular appreciation, but also to appreciate what insights her works offer us today.

PHIL 1800: Philosophical Inquiry

Philosophical Inquiry is an introductory exploration of central questions and interpretations of human existence, with special emphasis on theories of knowledge and theories of reality, carried on in light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. While there are many ways to go about pursuing this inquiry, this course will investigate knowledge and reality in relation to the human being. This course intends to foster understanding of how philosophical claims influence our self-perception, our understanding of the world we live in, and our responsibilities towards others.

PHIL 3520: Medieval Philosophy

This course is an introduction to the development of philosophical thought between the 4th and 14th century. We will consider varying answers to fundamental philosophical questions. Figures and questions that we will investigate include: Augustine (Theory of Illumination & Argument for God), Anselm (Ontological Argument), Avicenna, Averroes, Moses Maimonides (Faith & Reason, Divine Knowledge), Thomas Aquinas (Philosophical Anthropology, Epistemology, Natural Theology, Analogy), Scotus (Voluntarism), Ockham (Nominalism). The purpose of this course is to familiarize you with the method, terminology, and teachings of this period in order to advance and enrich our own philosophical endeavors. Course fulfills LMU “Faith & Reason” integration requirement.

PHIL 3998: The Philosophy of Disability

The heart of this course will be training students to critically examine arguments and to formulate their own cogent accounts of “disability” and “human dignity,” with an aim toward practical applications of theory to lived experience. This course aims at providing students with knowledge and understanding of foundational and contemporary work in this field. Students will, at the end of this course, have a grounding in the philosophical foundation of these issues and have the resources needed to propose solutions to these challenges to equity. We intend to read and discuss the current status of disability studies, consider the philosophical assumptions that often influence questions of ability equity, and investigate the distinctive resources that the Catholic and Jesuit traditions offer in pursuing a cura personalis of people with diverse needs. While we will devote considerable time to the underlying theory of disability, our aim is ultimately practical: how can our understanding of “disability” be concretely lived and practiced? How can we, through studying the philosophy of disability, become “people for others” in a way that respects and honors human dignity?

PHIL 4720: Aquinas

An exploration of major themes in the thought of the 13th-century Dominican Thomas Aquinas through seminal works such as the Summa Theologiae and the Summa contra Gentiles. Our study will be guided by Thomas’ own order of study. The first third of this course will consider his work on Logic and Natural Philosophy. The second third of this course will consider his Moral Philosophy (i.e. Ethics). The last third of this course will consider his metaphysics and natural theology. Topics and themes to be considered include “science” and “nature,” potency & act, the four causes, natural teleology, human nature, epistemology, good & evil, habits, virtue, vice, definition of law, natural law, being & essence, substance, first causes, the nature of theology, arguments for God, Divine Attributes, and analogy. At the end of the course, students should have a systematic understanding of Thomas Aquinas’ intellectual work.

PHIL 6998: Medieval Science

This course surveys philosophical “science” as it was understood and practiced in the Medieval Period, focusing on the work of Ibn Sīnā (980-1037) and Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). We will begin with an ancient source of “science” (Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics) by considering the meaning of “demonstration,” “epistēmē,” and “induction” before seeing how a science is composed of a subject, principles, and conclusions. We will then investigate how physics, metaphysics, and theology were “sciences” and the relation between these disparate areas of study. The course will end with a brief treatment of how medieval scientific practice led to and informed the scientific revolution.

PHIL 6001: Graduate Pro-Seminar (Disability)

The central goal of the pro-seminar is to offer incoming MA students the opportunity to acquire or develop the necessary habits of graduate studies in philosophy: reading, writing, and presentation. This seminar will offer concrete help in thinking about how to approach graduate studies here and, should it be a further goal, future doctoral work. The occasion of developing these skills is centered on the investigation of a particular philosophical issue or theme. This seminar’s focus lies at the intersections of a number of areas of philosophical specialization: “disability.” Some areas that concern disability include philosophical anthropology, ethics, politics, epistemology, and metaphysics. Disability is also something that, implicitly or explicitly, may be considered throughout the history of philosophy and by many different philosophical approaches. As such, every student should be able to find a foothold, regardless of background, training, or interest. Approximately the first 2/3 of this course will consist of assigned readings and seminar discussions. These are aimed at exposing you to some of the ‘basics’ of disability while offering opportunities to practice the skills of graduate-level reading, preparation, and writing.Approximately the last 1/3 of the course will then allow discussions of issues of your choosing related to disability, conducted via student presentations of research projects. This will allow students to delve more deeply into material discussed in the first part of the course and to connect their own areas of interest to the concept of “disability.”