Science, Reason and Faith; a six-part lecture and debate series at VCU

By Anne Buckley

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 18, 2006) - Some of the world’s most prominent and engaging scientists, philosophers and theologians are participating in this year’s Science, Reason and Faith debate and lecture series at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The speakers will address several important questions at the nexus of science, reason and faith, including “Is Intelligent Design a genuine scientific theory?” “Is it reasonable to believe in God?” “Can science tell us whether prayer works?” and “Do our genes hold evidence for belief?”

The first debate, "Science and Design," features Del Ratzsch, professor and chair of philosophy at Calvin College, and Michael Ruse, professor of philosophy at Florida State University, and is set for Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, at 7 p.m. in the University Commons Theater, 907 Floyd Ave. All events are free and open to the public.

Most debates on Intelligent Design focus on whether and how it should be taught in public schools. The forum steps back to ask more fundamental questions, including “Is Intelligent Design a genuine scientific theory and what makes a theory scientific?” Ratzsch and Ruse are two of the leading – and competing – scholars on the question of design and science.

The other events:

•    Friday, Oct. 6, Templeton Prize laureate John Barrow of Cambridge University will speak on “Our Place in the Universe” at 7 p.m., in the School of Business Auditorium, 1015 Floyd Ave. “The Universe has revealed itself … to be far bigger, more spectacular, and more humbling than we ever imagined it to be.”  With these words, Barrow, one of the most renowned mathematicians and cosmologists of our time, accepted the 2006 Templeton Prize, and with it the largest monetary award in science. The choice of Barrow, whose appearance at VCU is his first in the United States since winning the Templeton Prize, reflects the importance of astronomy and physics in describing and explaining the universe around us, and the laws by which it exists and operates. 

•    Friday, Nov. 17, a panel discussion featuring Paul Draper, professor of philosophy at Purdue University; Nicholas Wolterstorff, professor of philosophical theology at Yale Divinity School; and Linda Zagzebski, the Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the University of Oklahoma. The three will present “Is it Reasonable to Believe in God?” at 7 p.m. in the School of Business Auditorium, 1015 Floyd Ave. The panelists, each of whom has written extensively on this topic, will explain their answers to these questions. 

•    Thursday, Dec. 7, theologian Nancey Murphy, professor of Christian philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, and John Chibnall, professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at St. Louis University, will speak on “Science and Prayer” at 7 p.m. in the School of Business Auditorium, 1015 Floyd Ave. The panelists will ponder whether science can tell us if prayer works and if faith needs evidence. Murphy and Chibnall will discuss the fundamental questions of can humanity submit matters of faith to the tests of science?  Murphy is one of the leading voices in the contemporary science and religion dialogue. Chibnall is one of the most coherent voices on the question of scientific studies of prayer.

•    Thursday, March 8, 2007, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief,” features Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health, at 7 p.m., at a location to be announced closer to the event. In his highly acclaimed book of the same title, Collins explores the tension between science and religion in general, and between faith and empiricism in particular.  Making his own case for how one can be a leading scientist and a believer at the same time, Collins draws on his life’s work in science to give a new assessment of the ways in which science and religion are compatible and incompatible.  As one of the world’s foremost genetic scientists, Collins puts his scientific credibility on the line with an honest and highly personal account of his faith and his work. 

•    Thursday, March 22, 2007, Alex Rosenberg, professor of philosophy at Duke University, and Peter van Inwagen, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, debate evolution and God at 7 p.m. in the School of Business Auditorium, 1015 Floyd Ave. As a finale for the series, the focus returns to issues at the intersection of science and faith. Van Inwagen and Rosenberg, two leading and well-respected contemporary philosophers, will take up such questions as “Are there any reasons — philosophical or theological or empirical — for questioning the theory of evolution?”

For more information, contact Brian Cassel at 628-1926 or jbcassel@vcu.edu, or visit the Web site at http://www.vcu.edu/faithscienceforum/srf-series/index.html.