Pontifical Gregorian University

Background and History

The Gregorian is the oldest of the pontifical universities. In 1551 St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), built the first Jesuit school in Rome called the Collegio Romano (Roman College) . In 1584, at the Piazza Collegio Romano, Pope Gregory XIII blessed the new building which is still in use today. The University was named after its founder and protector, Pope Gregory XIII.

From the very beginning the Roman College has played a key role in scientific issues. An early example is the reform of the calendar, which became known as the Gregorian Calendar. Among its famed scientists was Christopher Clavius, one of the most influential 17 th century mathematicians and friend of Galileo, who also was indebted to the Roman College for his own scientific formation.

In 1873, after the unification of Italy , the University was forced to relocate. In that same year, after “La Sapienza” became the Roman university of the Italian state, Pope Pius IX bestowed upon the Roman College the name of “Pontifical University of the Roman College”. It grew so much that in 1919 Pope Benedict XIV bought a parcel of land at Piazza della Pilotta in the heart of Rome on the edge of the Quirinale near the Trevi Fountain. The new building constructed there was inaugurated in 1930.

Today the Gregorian University has 6 faculties (Theology, Philosophy, Canon Law, History and the Cultural Patrimony of the Church, Missiology, Social Sciences), 4 institutes (Spirituality, Psychology, Religious Sciences, Religion and Culture), various centers, schools, and special programs of study. It numbers approximately 3000 students who represent 122 countries, 800 dioceses and 90 religious congregations from every continent. About 20% of the bishops and 40% of the cardinals in the Church studied at the Gregorian and 17 popes studied there as well. There are 380 professors – 140 Jesuits, 95 lay and 125 priests or members of religious communities – who make up the faculty.

Courses for the Specialization in Science and Philosophy 

At the Gregorian, studies are organized within the framework of the specialization in “Science and Philosophy” which includes Licenciate (2 years) and the Doctorate. The Licenciate consists of 8 optional courses and 2 seminars each year. Each of these consists of 24 hours of coursework. Each year is dedicated to one of its 2 main scientific areas - Physics and Biology, alternatively. The philosophical portion of the specialization proceeds along 3 strands: (1) a philosophy of science in the traditional sense, (2) inquiry into knowledge and particularly scientific knowledge with special attention given to new mechanisms of scientific explanation, (3) a philosophy of nature that aims at a correct integration of present-day scientific issues with those of traditional philosophies.

The Specialization is part of the Faculty of Theology and is inserted into the curriculum for the License in Philosophy. It consists of 4 seminars, 8 optional courses and 6 core courses.

The outline of courses and seminars is as follows:

1 st Year	2 nd Year
Basic Sciences
Introduction to Mathematics (Michael Heller)	Introduction to Biology (Gigliola Seca)
Introduction to Physics (Peter Hodgson)	Introduction to Neuroscience (Marc Jeannerod
Philosophical/Scientific Courses
Cosmology (Marc Leclerc)	Evolution (Ludovico Galleni)
Quantum Mechanics (Gennaro Auletta)	Mind and Body (Vincenzo Fano)
History of Science (Arcangelo Rossi)	Thermodynamics (Giovanni Gallavotti)
Philosophy of Nature (Gennaro Auletta)	Foundations of Science (Marc Leclerc)
Courses in Fundamental Theology
Methods in Theology and Natural Science (Pawel Kapusta)	The Impact of Science on Theology (William Shea)
The Dialogue between Science and Religion (Robert Russell)	The Dialogue between Science and Religion (Robert Russell)
Seminars
Epistemology (Dario Antiseri)	Status of the Laws of Nature (Michel Ghins)
Types of Inferences (Gennaro Auletta)	Causality (Gennaro Auletta)

Research

The second area of activity is research. At the Gregorian, research centers on trying to construct a Philosophy of Nature. Topics in this field are:

• Modes of scientific explanation in the light of actual research
• The issue of finalism in theoretical and practical sciences
• The question of evolution beyond the neo-Darwinian argument
• Mind and body: beyond direct action, one upon the other, toward a type of shared information
• Complexity of Web Theory
• Quantum Information and Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
• The Ontological Type and the Natural Being

The specialization also involves other workshops on the Philosophy of Nature.

 

Bulletin 

Information regarding the Specialization also appears in a Bulletin, both printed and appearing on the Web.

Directors  

Marc Leclerc, SJ

Academic Director. Born in Etterbeek, Brussels (Belgium), February 18, 1950. PhD in Science (Molecular Biology) from The Free University of Brussels. Entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) on October 2, 1977. PhD in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, 1990.

Gennaro Auletta

PhD. Scientific Director

Contact

Nicola Riva, Secretary
Piazza della Pilotta, 4
I – 00187 Rome
Tel. +39-06-6701-5357
Email sciephil@unigre.it
Web http://www.unigre.it/cssf/home.htm