Many ideas and beliefs from the Catholic tradition have had an undeniable impact on the development of the human sciences. With the rise of secular thought, this impact is often overlooked. The aims of the conference are twofold. We seek to provide a general survey of the Catholic tradition as a hermeneutic horizon within which research in the human sciences is carried out, both from a historical and contemporary viewpoint. We also want to explore the relations between the Catholic tradition and the practice of the human sciences in three specific fields: literature, psychology, and politicl science.

This conference, co-sponsored by the Catholic University of Leuven (Louvain)and the Erasmus Institute of Notre Dame, aims not only to make a contribution to the expansion of research but also to provide an opportunity to reflect on the identity of Catholic universities in the contemporary world.