Michael J. Dodds

Michael J. Dodds, OP is a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT), a member institution of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). He has been affiliated with GTU since 1985, where he serves on the Core Doctoral Faculty. His work bridges the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas with contemporary philosophy and science.

• Education: STD from University of Fribourg, Switzerland; MDiv and MA (Theology) from DSPT; MA (Philosophy) and BA from St. Albert's College.

Professor Dodds specializes in philosophical and theological anthropology, focusing on the mind-brain problem and human wholeness. His research explores Aquinas’ concepts of formal and efficient causality in the context of modern science, particularly quantum mechanics and biological evolution. He also investigates divine action, emphasizing how Aquinas’ framework of primary and secondary causality informs theological responses to scientific challenges like chance and emergence.

His publications highlight trends in integrating Aquinas’ hylomorphism to resolve dualism vs. materialism debates, applying Thomistic causality to scientific emergence, and reconciling divine providence with scientific randomness. Notably, his 2021 article in Nova et Vetera analyzes these intersections.

Dr. Dodds has taught courses such as Philosophical Anthropology and Philosophy of Nature for nearly three decades. He is affiliated with organizations including the American Catholic Philosophical Association, Catholic Theological Society of America, and the Society for Thomistic Natural Philosophy. His 2012 book Unlocking Divine Action synthesizes many of these themes.