Podcast / Pints With Aquinas

Following

Pints with Aquinas is a podcast (including an associated YouTube channel) run by Matt Fradd, formerly of the apostolate Catholic Answers. The show initially discussed Christian apologetics concerning Catholic teaching with a particular focus on the expositions of St. Thomas Aquinas laid out in the Summa Theologiae, alongside additional schools of thought in theology and philosophy at large. Over time, it has shifted to being a talk show that examines the intersection of faith and culture from a Catholic perspective.

Episodes can be browsed here. The YouTube channel can be found here.

Examples:

• Ad Hominem: Discussed in his interview with Trent Horn, another Catholic apologist and speaker and the host of The Counsel of Trent, another Catholic podcast. At one point, Trent talks about how statements like "Fred is an obnoxious jerk who cheats on his wife" is not an ad hominem fallacy, even though it may be true or calumnious. However, it becomes a fallacy when used in an argument like "Fred is an obnoxious jerk who cheats on his wife. Therefore, he's wrong about the ethics of affirmative action", because it is a type of non sequitur. In this case, being right or wrong on the ethics of affirmative action does not hinge on the moral integrity (or lack thereof) on the person making the argument.
• Appeal to Authority: As a show devoted to apologetics on Catholic moral stances and doctrines, Matt Fradd will often quote verbatim from the Summa Theologiae including references to St. Augustine of Hippo, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis alongside a spectrum of contemporary and classical philosophical traditions.
• Appeal to Flattery: Discussed with reference to the "ad hominem" fallacy with Trent Horn, though he and Matt call it the "reverse ad hominem". In this one, Trent talks about how people are more inclined to believe something because the person who holds this belief is a wonderful chap, but as with the ad hominem, it does not necessarily mean that something is true, especially with regards to moral issues. He provides the example of young Catholics who grew up believing that those who hold false beliefs are morally deficient in some way, which can then lead to stereotyping. In that case, the young Catholic's faith risks being shattered in the event he encounters someone who bucks this stereotype, like another Catholic who is a terrible person and/or an atheist who is much more morally sound and respectable.
• As the Good Book Says...: Allusions to the Bible and quotations of Scripture are made as much to elaborate on a message therein and relate to a topic as to relate to Matt Fradd's own experiences in life.
• God Is Good: Naturally, this is a central theme of discussion on the show.
• Genre Shift: The podcast initially started as a way of making the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas easier to understand, with the episodes being based on questions like: "Do we need faith to know God exists?", "What makes an act good or evil?", or "Why didn't you accept the Immaculate Conception?" (the Immaculate Conception, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin, was a question that was up for debate in St. Thomas's time) and Matt providing commentary on St. Thomas's answers. Over time, the podcast shifted into becoming a talk show about the intersection of faith and culture from a Catholic perspective.
• OOC Is Serious Business: In the episode which asked "Was Mary a virgin her entire life", Matt points out that St. Thomas normally answered with a very dry, precise tone, but with this question, specifically Part III, Q. 28, Art. 3, the reply is extremely polemical, as if to suggest that St. Thomas found the idea of the Blessed Virgin Mary having carnal relations to bear other children after Jesus to be not only wrong, but also blasphemous.
• To Be Lawful or Good: References to the fact that solely acting out of a sense of obligation is draining whereas solely following one's passions will ultimately cause one to fall short of perfect happiness.