Welcome to the Samurai Thomism (Ph116) Course Page!
Course Description:
Educational Consultants: This course will be co-conducted by Robert Delfino and Marvin Peláez.
Robert A. Delfino is Associate Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University in New York City. He received his Ph.D. in 2001 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he specialized in metaphysics, medieval philosophy, and Thomas Aquinas, studying under Jorge J. E. Gracia. His current research interests include metaphysics, ethics, and the relationship between science, philosophy, and religion. His book, Does God Exist?: A Socratic Dialogue on the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas (co-authored with Matt Fradd) was published in 2018, and he has edited three other books: Plato’s Cratylus: Argument, Form, and Structure (2005), Understanding Moral Weakness (2006), and What are We to Understand Gracia to Mean?: Realist Challenges to Metaphysical Neutralism (2006). He has also published articles on Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Kant, Husserl, the nature of philosophy, philosophy of science, personal identity, and human rights, in various countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, and India. He has presented papers at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid, Spain, and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, in Poland, where he delivered the Jacek Woroniecki Lectures in May of 2010. He is a fellow of the Adler-Aquinas Institute, was a member of the Board of Advisors for the International Etienne Gilson Society, and was the editor of Studies in the History of Western Philosophy (SHWP), a special series within the Value Inquiry Book Series (VIBS) from 2002-2015. From 2016-2023 he taught a summer graduate course on Aquinas' metaphysics at Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons.
Marvin B. Daniel Peláez is the Chief Operating Officer of
Wisdom Academies. He holds an MPA from the Marxe School of Public and
International Affairs, Baruch College, City University of New York and a MA in
Religious Studies from the St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. Marvin
has also done graduate coursework in philosophy at the University of Abat
Oliba, Barcelona, Spain and is currently a PhD Candidate in Philosophy at the John Paul II
Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. His dissertation research focuses on applying
timeless philosophical wisdom to the role of science advisers in public policy
making.
Marvin taught several undergraduate and graduate courses in
economics and public affairs for the City College of New York and Sacred
Scripture for the Archdiocese of New York’s Catholic Bible Studies program. He
edited several articles for Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s Seminary
Journal and was a guest editor for two special editions on economics in Studia
Gilsoniana.
As a supervisory economist for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, he leads a team of economists on establishing, leading, and maintaining data-reporting relationships with public and private sector establishments in direct data collection programs such as the Employment Cost Index program, a principal federal economic indicator, and the Occupational Requirements Survey program in collaboration with the Social Security Administration.
Throughout his career in federal government, Marvin has provided training and mentorship to economists and statisticians, ranging from recent graduates to management at both regional and national levels. He has subtly applied philosophical principles in his mentorship work, and many of his mentees have developed into strong professionals, excelling in the technical, management, and leadership aspects of their careers.
If you are interested in studying with these Educational Consultants, select the tuition link.