Program description: What is the nature and meaning of human sexual difference? Is it a stable reality given to us by nature and nature's God for fixed and discernable purposes that pertain to not only body and biology, but also soul and spirit? Is it an evolved (and evolving) trait best explained in terms of its capacity to prolong the survival of megalomaniacal genes? Or is it rather a kind of illusion whose appearance is held in place by social and political forces that seek to maintain their privilege and power? This talk explores the fundamental presuppositions and positions of three rival theories of human sexual difference: The Thomistic, Evolutionary, and Post-structuralist. Having summarized the conclusions and foundations of each school of thought, it reflects on how often unheeded foundational differences account for much of why we too often talk past each other, seeming to inhabit different worlds, when speaking of sexual difference. Our COVID response for our lectures Our in-person attendance is limited in accordance with the City of Austin’s most current Covid guidelines. In-person attendance is offered on a first come first serve basis. All other participants will be emailed a Zoom link. About our scholar Professor Timothy Fortin Assistant Professor and Chair of Philosophical Theology, Seton Hall University Timothy P. Fortin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Chair of Philosophical Theology, earned an M.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Arlington, VA. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy. His doctoral dissertation is titled, Fatherhood and Perfection of Masculine Identity: A Thomistic Account in Light of Contemporary Science. Dr. Fortin’s areas of specialization include the philosophy of psychology and the philosophy of fatherhood. Among his classes are History of Philosophy I, Philosophy of Being and Philosophy of Nature. About this semester's themes: The Great Divides Polarization is a buzz word and all one has to do is spend a few minutes on the internet or watching TV to figure out why. On issue after issue, we are divided. From constitutional law to climate change to the relationship between religion and science, the spring 2021 semester's programming at the Austin Institute is designed to convey a sense of the landscape, to map out many of the biggest disagreements separating Americans.

Is it still possible to talk about the law and about lawyers as men and women whose desire and vocation is justice, whose interests go beyond honoraria and clients’ immediate “victories?" If not, was this ever the case. If it was, what happened? Dr. Orlandi will explore these questions with the eyes of a foreign-trained lawyer and by focusing on the role that the virtue of prudence might play in answering some, if not all of them. About Our Scholar Marianna Orland, Avv. Ph.D. Associate Director of Academic Programs Marianna Orlandi received her Ph.D. in Law from the University of Padua, Italy, and from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Prior to moving to Texas, she was a 2019-2020 James Madison Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer in the Department of Politics at Princeton University. She was admitted to the Italian bar in 2015 after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Padua. She practiced as a criminal lawyer in Milan and worked in the United States as a policy research analyst. Her interests and research focus on issues of life, and on its legal and international protection, in particular through the lens of criminal law. About this year's theme for our programs: Prudence: a Word, a Virtue, a Theme This year, following the requests of our students, the Austin Institute has developed its academic programming around a common theme that will unify the activities of the semester. The focus of our fall programming is on the most underestimated and yet most needed virtue of prudence. Prudence will also guide our practical choices for our programs. All in-person and/or online programming conform to current health guidelines. We want to keep everyone safe while providing program opportunities during this pandemic.

Catholic social teaching is about the dignity of the human person. As such, it provides guidance for the design and implementation of economic and public policy. In practice, however, political and ideological divisions often result in a clouded debate in which the dignity of the human person is lost in favor of interest and ideas favored by their proponents. In a world of infinite needs and scarce resources, this reality stands in the way of promoting the dignity of the human person as the main value of interest. How should we address this problem? In this talk, Dr. Luco will discuss how elements of economic analysis may better inform this debate by allowing policies and ideas to be discussed and evaluated on a common ground with a common objective: the dignity of the human person. Finally, he will also discuss the limits of economic analysis and what these limits mean for the policy debate in a divided world. Our COVID response for our programs: This event will be online only. Rest assured, this will nonetheless be a most lively and interactive lecture, with plenty of time for questions and comments with our stellar guest speaker. About our scholar: Dr. Fernando Luco Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Economics. Dr. Luco's research focuses Empirical Industrial Organization and Applied Microeconomics. In his latest work he has studied how information disclosure affects competition, how mergers may affect strategic sophistication, and how coexisting sources of switching costs affect pricing decisions and consumer choices.