Thomas More Foundation

photo: William Moore

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I. General Profile

Open to everyoneTHE THOMAS MORE FOUNDATION is a net-work of students, academics and stakeholders who embrace the rich and colourful Catholic tradition. Many of them have discovered that this tradition can help them specify funda-mental life issues and pressing current affairs. The foundation endeavours to promote a dis-course on these issues and affairs and is open to all.

ThemesAlthough discussions at Thomas More have, in principle, a ‘Catholic’ overtone, meaning ‘uni-versal’, a number of themes regularly come up. In meetings and dialogues, the foundation is primarily focused on issues relating to:

• Europe• humane economy• religion and society• people and technology

On offer for studentsWith regard to meetings and dialogues for students, the Thomas More Foundation organ-ises special study trips to Rome and unique ‘privatissima’: lectures held by a professor in his home or office, organised at the request of students. The Thomas More Foundation supports the content of the programmes of Catholic stu-dent associations and provides a limited num-ber of individual grants to Catholic students.

On offer for academicsThe Thomas More Foundation offers expert seminars and study trips to academics. The foundation regularly invites prominent Catho-

photo: William Moore

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lic thinkers from abroad to speak at the expert seminars. The study trips are usually to places in Europe which are important to the Catholic tradition.

On offer for the general publicThe Thomas More Foundation organises sym-posiums, summer schools, lectures and open expert seminars, all of which are accessible to the general public. The foundation also regu-larly issues publications.

Endowed professorsThe Thomas More Foundation appoints its own endowed professors at various Dutch universities They present and promote the Catholic tradition at their universities by means of courses, lectures and presentations that are freely accessible to students and at-tendees from all faculties. The endowed pro-fessors are, furthermore, frequent and popular guests - and often also speakers - at the many meetings and dialogues the foundation organ-ises or facilitates for various target audiences.

Visiting professorsThe Thomas More Foundation has a large in-ternational network, which it gladly makes available to the Dutch academic communi-ty, by, among other things, inviting Catholic professors from abroad to work at Dutch uni-versities for several years. Those foreign pro-fessors who visit a certain university in the Netherlands on a regular basis for at least two years on behalf of the foundation are desig-nated with the title visiting professors.

General Profile

photo: Roy Lazet

photo: William Moore

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II. On offer for students

The Thomas More Foundation supports the con-tents of the programmes of Catholic student associations. With regard to meetings and dialogues for students, the Thomas More Foundation organ-ises special study trips to Rome and unique ‘privatissima’: lectures held by a professor in his home or office, organised at the request of students.

Study groupsThe Thomas More Foundation enables stu-dents wishing to transcend the boundaries of their regular programmes to set up study groups with like-minded students. Students from a wide variety of fields of study generally

come together in a study group. Members of a group are completely free to select a theme they would like to explore in depth. The foundation selects an expert pro-fessor to lecture, during several privatissima, on the chosen subject.

Privatissima or private lecturesPrivate lectures, or ‘privatissima’, are tradi-tionally a form of study in which a small group of students delve deeper into a certain theme under the guidance of an expert professor. The circle of students is so small - between five and ten people - that the lecturer can, when so inclined, give the privatissimum in his study or living room.

Examples of privatissima To get an idea of the themes and professors of the privatissima, we have drawn up a long list of the private lectures the Thomas More Foundation has organised in recent years at the request of students:

Prof Dr.Ciano Aydin: Identity, ideals and techniqueDr. Marcel Becker: The cardinal virtues of Thomas Aquinas Dr. Inigo Bocken: Paths of Light - About the mystical traditionProf. Dr. Erik Borgman: Believing and thinkingProf. Dr. Edith Brugmans: Is man condemned to freedom? Prof. Dr. Patrick Chatelion Counet, LLM: The New Testament against the backdrop of Dutch cultureProf. Dr. Paul Cobben: Can marriage be reasonably grounded? Prof. Dr. Bas de Gaay-Fortmann: Questions about the humane economyProf Dr. Hans Joas: Human rightsMsgr. Dr. Everard de Jong: Eros, Filia, AgapeProf. Dr. Ernst Hirsch Ballin: A closer look at reason and justiceProf. Dr. James Kennedy: How relevant is Christianity in this day and age?Prof. Dr. Wim Kremer & Dr. Frank Meijboom: How can we justify the use of animals? Prof. Dr. Theo van de Klundert: Economy, ideology and religionNico Koning, MA: Religious extremism - Past and presentProf. Dr. O. Lie: Happiness in the Middle AgesProf. Dr. Donald Loose: Can you choose who you want to be?Dr. Magda Misset - Van de Weg: The position of women in the church and ChristianityProf. Dr. René Munnik: Science and religionDr. Joost van der Net: Thomas More’s UtopiaDr. Anke Oerlemans: Medicine and EthicsProf. Dr. Jan van Ophuijsen: Happiness in AntiquityProf. Dr. Marcel Poorthuis: Religion: a prime topic in the mediaDr. Thomas Quartier OSB: Social counterpointsProf. Dr. Peter Rietbergen: The idea of a European nationDr. Marin Terpstra: Political theologyProf. Dr. Paul Schnabel: Acting morally in modern societyProf. Dr. Paul van Tongeren: McIntyre’s ‘After Virtue’Prof. Dr. Rudi te Velde: Pascal as a religious thinkerProf. Dr. Ruud Welten: Individualism in a technological ageDr. Herman Westerink: William James’ ‘The Varieties of Religious Experience’Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Wils: How do we relate to death? Prof. Dr. Jozef Wissink: The Catholic spiritual traditionJoep van Zijl, MA: The refugee problem and Christian identity

photo: William Moore

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Study trips to RomeThe Thomas More Foundation organises study trips to Rome for students in its study groups. At the heart of the world church, students not only meet with members of their study groups but also with members of other, similar groups, during informal and academic get-to-gethers. The subject of study and dialogue in Rome is the topicality of the Catholic tradi-tion. In Rome, this topicality is apparent from numerous monuments, movements and uni-versities, of which several are visited. New movements such as Focolare and Sant’Egidio give presentations on the contemporary im-age of the Catholic community, while age-old orders, such as the Jesuits and Domini-cans, show how the issues and challenges of these times may arise in the light of the rich Catholic history. An important component of the Rome trip is the discourse students hold on their walks and during their meals with speakers and members of the supporting staff, carefully recruited by the Thomas More Foun-dation from its network.

On offer for students

photo: William Moore photo: William Moore

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Examples of lectures in RomeBelow is an overview of lectures and presentations held during Rome study trips by the Thomas More Foundation in the past few years:

Friedrich Bechina FSO: A catholic take on higher educationDr Claudio Betti / Sophie Janssens: Sant’Egidio: living the Gospel in the streets of RomeGerald Blaszczak SJ: Higher Education in contemporary RomeJaime de Bourbon de Parma, MA: The work of the Dutch ambassador at the

Holy SeeMr Michel Bronzwaer, MA: Focolare - a personal testamentProf. Dr. Luigino Bruni: Towards a ‘civil economy’ Dr. Sander Evers: A short history of the early churchProf. Dr. Benedetto Gui: Relational Goods: a Catholic take on the

economyBernd Hagenkord SJ: Modern media and the VaticanChristian van der Heijden, MA: The papal palace at Castelgandolfo Tjeerd Jansen SJ: A brief overview of the church of RomeDr. Marc Lindeijer SJ: The process of beatification and canonizationProf. Dr Donald Loose: The relevance of church and pope in today’s worldMsgr Ad van Luyn SDB, MA: The path of dialogueMark Rotsaert SJ: The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of LoyolaDr. Marko Rupnik SJ / Dr. Natasa Govekar: A visible theology of love: the Redemptoris

Mater ChapelProf. Dr. John Milbank: Sacrifice and GiftProf. Dr. Walter Senner OP: St. Thomas Aquinas on politics

Photo: Hannah Andringa

On offer for students

photo: William Moore

photo’s: Roy Lazet

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III. On offer for academics

photo: Roy Lazet

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The Thomas More Foundation organises various activities for academics. For example, they can, on invitation, participate in expert sem-inars and study trips.

Expert seminarsThe Thomas More Foundation regularly invites stimulating thinkers for an in-depth exchange of views during expert seminars. Such thinkers are ground-breaking scientists or intellectuals from the Netherlands or abroad.He or she does not have to be parti-cularly well-known in the Netherlands but must be engaging and must also have done, if possible, ground-breaking work.

An expert seminar is open to 20 participants, including the main guest. The Thomas More

Foundation generally organises each expert seminar together with a faculty or institute of a Dutch university, or with an active order, congregation or new movement from the Catholic community.

Examples of expert seminarsThe following expert seminars have been or-ganised by the Thomas More Foundation in recent years:

Helen Alford on corporate ethicsProf. Dr. Helen Alford OP, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the St. Thomas University in Rome (the so-called Angelicum) held a sem-inar in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on corporate social responsibility.

Luigino Bruni on civil economyItalian Prof. Dr Luigino Bruni discussed the civil economy at the site of the Focolare movement in Nieuwkuyk.

Eamon Duffy on Thomas MoreIn Utrecht, Irish historian Prof. Dr. Eamon Duffy, in response to the image of history pre-sented by ‘Wolf Hall,’ explained how and why Sir Thomas More persecuted the English Prot-estants of his time so vigorously.

Hans Joas on’demystification’In a two-day seminar in Nijmegen, Prof. Dr. Hans Joas demolished the idea, introduced by Max Weber, of a so-called ’desacralization’ of the world.

Study tripsWith academics from its network, the Thomas More Foundation seeks inspiration at various locations within the international Catholic community. For practical reasons, upcom-ing study trips during the next few years will mainly take place in Europe. Study trips are usually open to 15 to 30 people. Participation in a study trip is possible at the invitation of the Thomas More Foundation.

Examples of study tripsThe following expert seminars have been or-ganised by the Thomas More Foundation in recent years:

Berlin, on The future of Europe A select group of academics and students were invited to the Katholische Akademie in Berlin. Opinions on the future of Europe were exchanged. Prof. Dr. Ernst Hirsch Ballin held a

presentation on behalf of the Dutch delega-tion. The German contributions came from the then Bundestag president, Dr. Nobert Lammert, the distinguished former judge at the Bundesverfassungsgericht Prof. Dr Dieter Grimm, and historians Prof. Dr. Matthias Weber and Prof. Dr. Etienne François. The overarching theme of all presentations and dialogues was that social justice in Europe has fallen short and should receive more attention.

Paris, on The lasting relevance of French philosophyA select group of academics, led by Prof. Dr. Ruud Welten, visited Paris for a long week-end to share thoughts on the lasting rele-vance of French philosophy. Participants re-flected on French thinkers, including Pascal, Lacan and Claude Lefort in the context of the participants’ presentations. Current events also formed part of the programme: the participants explored the multicultural aspect of Parisian society, commemorated the blood-bath in Bataclan and visited the ‘Nuit Debout’ manifestation. The highlight of the trip was a discussion with Jean-Yves Lacoste, the French philosopher who propopes a form of phenom-enology inspired by theology.

Rome, on Laudato Si’During a hot summer, a select group of aca-demics stayed at the Loyola University Chicago Rome Center for two weeks. In joint and indi-vidual study sessions, participants reflected on elements from the Catholic tradition, selected by the participants themselves. The central theme of the many joint discussions was the discourse on the papal encyclical Laudato Si’.

On offer for academics

photo: Roy Lazet

photo: Roy Lazet

A new format: the open expert seminar

During an open expert seminar, six to eight experts exchange thoughts on each

other’s short presentations. The experts form an ‘inner circle’ and their exchanges are attended by

the general public, who sit around the experts in an ‘outer circle.’ There is room for 25 to 50 attendees in the outer circle. The inner and outer circles are clearly

visible in the accompanying photograph.

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IV. On offer for the general public

The Thomas More Foundation organises sym-posiums, summer schools and lectures acces-sible to the general public. The foundation also regularly issues publications ensuing from these occasions.

Examples of eventsThe following themes have been discussed during symposiums, summer schools, lectures and publications in the past few years:• Gratuity and the market; • Human rights; • Law, Justice and the Individual; • Five hundred years of Utopia; • A new impetus for Europe; • Frugality; • The future of classical institutions; • The economic crisis and our morals; • Nanotechnology; • Art and spirituality; • Growing inequality; • Human enhancement; • Thomas Aquinas; • Friendship; • Neuroscience and free will; • The discovery of man’s inner world; • God, man and technology; • Eros in Western culture; • The soul in literature; • Religion in the public domain.

A new format: the open expert seminarA relatively new format at the Thomas More Foundation is the open expert seminar. It en-ables participants to attend an in-depth dis-course among experts.

photo: Sandra Peerenboom

photo: William Moore

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V. Endowed professors and visiting professors

The Thomas More Foundation endowes special chairs at several universities in the Netherlands. The endowed professors act as ambassadors of catholic thought, each in their own discipline. The professors’ courses and lectures are gener-ally open to students of all faculties.

The Thomas More Foundation has a large inter-national network, which it gladly makes avail-able to the Dutch academic community, by, among other things, inviting Catholic profes-sors from abroad to work at Dutch universities. Those foreign professors who visit a specific university in the Netherlands on a regular basis for at least two years on behalf of the founda-tion are given the title of visiting professor.

PresenceEndowed professors and visiting professors are not only present at their universities, but also promote Catholic discourse at events through-out the Netherlands.

Prof. Dr. Rudi te Veldeendowed professor Tilburg School of Catholic Theology

The Dutch philosopher Rudi te Velde (b. 1957) lectures on Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy in re-lation to contemporary thinking. Te Velde cur-

rently holds a chair established by the Thom-as More Foundation at the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology. Te Velde is an internationally valued expert in Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. He has written the often quoted book is Aquinas on God (Ash-gate, 2006; second edition Routledge, 2016).

Te Velde expertly teaches Thomas’ philosophy, clarifying its contemporary relevance. He does this in collaboration with colleagues from the Tilburg Thomas Institute. His expertise is in high demand all over the world, even in China.

photo: Rogier Chang

Overview of professors

A complete overview of endowed pro-fessors and visiting professors of the Thomas More Foundation, past and present, is available on the founda-tion’s website. Here, the foundation would like to introduce one endowed professor and two visiting professors.

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Endowed professors and visiting professors

photo: Roy Lazet

Prof Dr. Luigino Brunivisiting professorTilburg University

The Italian economist Luigino Bruni (b. 1966) is professor of Micro-Economy and History of Economic Philosophy at LUMSA University in Rome. Bruni is also the international coordi-nator of the project ‘Communal Economy,’ an initiative of the Focolare movement. In 2014 Bruni and the young economist Ales-sandra Smerilli (1974) published the book L’altra metà dell’economia, of which a Dutch

translation was published in 2015. In this book, Bruni introduces another principle, in addition to the market, which he believes should be considered in all economies: that of charity, or gratuity. Bruni believes that, if this principles is recognised, the economy will be civilised, becoming a real civil economy. Bruni is currently exploring these thoughts for his students, Ph.D. candidates and fellow-aca-demics at Tilburg University. Luigino Bruni’s visiting professorship at Tilburg University is sponsored by the Goldschmeding Foundation.

photo: Roy Lazet

Hans Joasvisiting professor Radboud University Nijmegen

German sociologist Hans Joas (b. 1948) is equally at home in social philosophy and reli-gious sociology. Joas holds the Ernst Troeltsch chair at Humboldt University in Berlin and in addition teaches a semester at the University of Chicago every year. At the Radboud Uni-versity Nijmegen, Hans Joas has proposed an alternative to the Weberian ’desacralization’ of the world. According to Joas the ‘power of the

sacred’ has, and continues to be, relevant for believers and non-believers alike. Joas has now made his insights on the continued power of the sacred accessible to the german-speaking world through his book Die Macht des Heili-gen, Eine Alternative zur Geschichte von der Entzauberung (Suhrkamp, 2017).

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VI. A brief history of the foundation

For over a century, the Thomas More Foundation was known in the Netherlands under the name ‘Radboud Foundation.’ In 2005, the Radboud Foundation celebrated its hundredth anniversary. Shortly after, the foundation decided on a radical change of course, which also entailed a name change.

Radboud FoundationIn 1905, partly due to pressure from laymen to promote the intel-lectual emancipation of Catholics, the Dutch bishops established the Radboud Foundation. The foundation was named after the patron of Catholic academics in the Netherlands: the Dutch bishop St. Radboud (ca. 850-917). For proper academic training of the Catholic population, a catholic university was needed. The Radboud Foundation successfully lobbied for the establishment of such an educational institute.

Catholic University NijmegenIn 1923, the Catholic University Nijmegen opened its doors. The Radboud Foundation for decades managed and financed the uni-versity. In the early 1960s, the University of Nijmegen was given its own Board of Directors. From then on, the Radboud Foundation continued a tradition of endowing catholic chairs at public univer-sities in the Netherlands. At the end of the 20th century, the foun-dation introduced a special programme for students seeking more in-depth knowledge.

The vision of Thomas MoreIn the early 21st century, the Radboud Foundation decided to con-tinue as an independent network organisation. For that reason, in 2010, it changed its name to the Thomas More Foundation. Since then, the vision developed by Sir Thomas More and his friend Eras-mus of a ‘Christian republic of letters’ has served as the founda-tion’s main source of inspiration. The foundation endeavours to give shape, in a contemporary way, to the republic as envisioned by those great humanists: as a network of academics inspired by the Christian tradition.

photo: William Moore

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VII. The foundation’s patron saint: Sir Thomas More

Thomas More (1478-1535) was an influential humanist with a focus on religious and in-tellectual training. Not only did More ensure that his son was educated in the best possible way, but he also educated his daughters, an exceptional thing to do in his time. His friend Erasmus referred to More’s house as a combi-nation of the Platonic Academy and a Chris-tian convent. More did not pursue his passion for knowledge and learning in an ivory tower, but in the heart of society, which he wanted to serve in several roles and positions.More worked as a lawyer, parliamentarian, judge, under-sheriff of London, diplomat, royal consultant and, finally, Lord Chancellor of England, the highest office in the state. It was in that position that he had an alter-cation with Henry VIII when the king, in or-der to divorce his wife, forced a break with the Catholic church. Because of his fundamental attitude in this matter, More was imprisoned in the Tower, pronounced guilty of high treason, and decapitated.

Sir Thomas More, Erasmus and many other like- minded intellectuals in the early 16th century gave shape to a true Christian Republic of Let-ters. More had this dream of what we would now call a network of Christian academics or, better yet: a network of Christian, highly ed-ucated people. The Thomas More Foundation endeavours to establish such a network in the present day, inspired by the vision of its pa-tron saint.

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Editors : Inge Merks & Joost van der NetEnglish translation : LiveWordsDesign : Studio ClaesProduction : Multi Media Concepts

Thomas More Foundationformerly known as: Radboud Foundation

Walpoort 10NL – 5211 DK ‘s-Hertogenbosch

T : + 31 (0)73 – 657 90 17I : www.thomasmore.nlE : info@thomasmore.nl

Bank : 22 51 80 634IBAN : NL18FVLB0225180634BIC (Swiftcode) : FVLBNL22

Colophon

photo: Roy Lazet

Thomas More Foundation