If science bears witness to the timeless human desire to understand the universe and our place within it, the enduring power of religion testifies to the insufficiency of science alone to fully satisfy this longing. While this situation calls for thoughtful consideration of the respective roles of both science and religion in the human search for meaning and understanding, it has too often produced the kinds of uncomprehending antagonism between the two that mark the intellectual, social and political landscape of the contemporary United States.
Against this background, the McDevitt Chair in Physics (George V. Coyne, S.J., Ph.D.) and the McDevitt Center for Creativity and Innovation at Le Moyne College are pleased to announce the continuation of a major initiative devoted to “Science and Religion in Modern America.” This initiative brings eminent scholars from the sciences and the humanities to Le Moyne College to share their reflections on relationships between science and religion with the campus community, members of other regional academic and religious institutions, and the public. By embodying Le Moyne’s Catholic and Jesuit belief in the unity of all knowledge, “Science and Religion in Modern America” provides a compelling example of informed and respectful conversation about these vital issues.
Speakers in the Series:
2012-13
Evolution, Creation and Intelligent Design
A talk by Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D., University Professor, Donald Bren Professor of Political Science and Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine
The Three Domains of Science and Religion
A talk by Wesley J. Wildman, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, Boston University School of Theology
Christian Spirituality for Seekers
A talk by Dr. Roger Haight, S.J., Scholar-in-residence at Union Theological Seminary
Evolution and the Problem of Evil
A talk by Thomas F. Tracy, Ph.D., Philips Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine
Jesuit Spirituality and Academic Theology: Karl Rahner and Ignacio Ellacuria
A talk by J. Matthew Ashley, Chair, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame
Scientific Cosmology, Philosophy and Creation Theology: Creative Mutual Interactions
A talk by Robert John Russell, Ph.D., Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science and founding director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
2013-14
Emergence: Systems, Organisms, Persons?
A talk by Nancey Murphy, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California Panasci Family Chapel
Does Evolution Have a Purpose??
A talk by Michael Ruse, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Seeking a Theology Earth Can Live With
A talk by Anne M. Clifford, C.S.J., Ph.D., Msgr. James A. Supple Chair of Catholic Studies, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Christ and the Pelican Chick
A talk by Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., C.S.J., Distinguished Professor of Theology, Fordham University
Multiverse Cosmologies at the Limits of Modern Science
A talk by Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University
Buddhism and Science: Past, Present, and Future
A talk by Donald Lopez, Ph.D., A.E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist Studies, University of Michigan
2014-15
How to be a Christian Darwinist
A talk by Paul Allen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theology, Concordia University
Faith: Science and Religion
A talk by Terrence Tilley, Ph.D., Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology, Fordham University
Bringing Peace to the Tangled Bank – Evolution, God, and Science in America Today
A talk by Kenneth R. Miller, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Brown University
What Does the Earth Ask of Us?
A talk by Robin Kimmerer, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Facts and Values: Environmental Science and Ethics in the Catholic Church
A talk by Christiana Z. Peppard, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, Science, and Ethics, Fordham University