copy and paste this URL into your web browser:
www.ctns.org/enews_w2006/index.html
If you can't view this HTML newsletter in your e-mail client, click here to view through your web browser or
copy and paste this URL into your web browser:
www.ctns.org/enews_w2006/index.html
Journal News (Theology and Science)
STARS Conference Details on Newly Designed Website
“Humanity stands at the crossroads of destiny. STARS is the most exciting initiative yet on confronting the challenge of who we are and how we fit into the great cosmic scheme.”
—Paul Davies
Professor of Natural Philosophy
Australian Centre for Astrobiology
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Detailed information for applicants to the new $1.3 million grant program, STARS: Science and Transcendence Advanced Research Series is now available on the newly-designed STARS website: www.ctns.org/stars.
The goal of STARS is to sponsor research by small teams of scientists and humanities scholars on the ways science, in light of philosophical and theological reflection, points towards the nature, character and meaning of ultimate reality. STARS will award twenty-seven grants with a grand total of $1.3 million dollars to qualified research teams on a highly competitive basis.
 |
To help prepare and nurture the formation of these interdisciplinary research groups, STARS is offering three research conferences to be held in January 2007. Each of the three conferences, “Cosmology, Physics, and the Possibility of Life,” “Evolution, ET, and the Significance of Life in the Universe” and “Complexity Theory, Emergence, and the Influence of Life on Matter,” will showcase an aspect of how current scientific discoveries and theories relate to our understanding of ultimate reality. Conference speakers consist of eminent scientific and humanities scholars including: Francisco J. Ayala, John Barrow, Paul Davies, George Ellis, Don Howard, Chris McKay, Nancey Murphy, Robert John Russell, Alwyn Scott and Trinh Xuan Thuan. Biographies on the speakers and program advisors can be found at www.ctns.org/stars/aboutus. Interested scholars may apply now for acceptance at one of the three research conferences.
Both the registration fee and the number of participants in each of the conferences will be intentionally kept low to facilitate networking and interdisciplinary dialogue. Through the planned conference topics, the relaxing resort setting and the participant mix, a template for the formation of interdisciplinary teams will be presented. All on-ground costs will be covered by the STARS program.
The conference application deadline is June 15, 2006. Application criteria and forms are now available at www.ctns.org/stars/conferences/.
Current CTNS members will receive a discount for the conference registration fee. To join the center, visit: www.ctns.org/membership.html or call 510-848-8152 between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, Pacific tim.
To stay on top of STARS updates, subscribe to the STARS E-News. It will feature updated information, details on the various conference speakers, and reminders of deadlines for applications. To subscribe email ctns-stars@ctns.org with “Email Updates” in the subject line, or visit www.ctns.org/stars/contactus. For general questions, insert “General Questions” in the subject line.
The STARS program is funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
CTNS Associates to be Key Speakers at Australian Conference
Ted Peters and Bob Russell are traveling to Canberra, Australia to represent CTNS and the STARS Program at a science and religion conference on March 29-30 at St. Mark's National Theological Center.
The conference, “From Resurrection to Return: Perspectives from Theology and Science on Christian Eschatology,” is a Science and Theology Consultation hosted by St. Mark's National Theological Center, the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C) and PACT, Australia's first Center for Public and Contextual Theology, a Strategic Research Center of Charles Sturt University. The consultation is part of a network of groups furthering the dialogue between science and theology in Australia, including: the Australian Theological Forum (ATF), The Adelaide Centre for Theology, Science and Culture at Flinders University, the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST), St. Mark's, ACC&C and PACT.
Dr. Peters and Dr. Russell will join New Testament scholar, Rt. Rev. Tom Wright as the invited international speakers for the conference, which will also host various other lectures and talks.
Papers from the consultation will be published through ATF as part of the PACT series. For more information, contact Dr. Julia Pitman at jpitman@csu.edu.au.
CTNS Co-Hosts Science and Religion Conference with KIATS
A unique collaborative science and religion conference was held at the Graduate Theological Union on February 24, 2006. CTNS partnered with the Korean Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (KIATS) to put on the conference which was held at the Richard S. Dinner Board Room of the Graduate Theological Union Library in Berkeley, California.
Dr. Robert Russell, Dr. Jae Hyun Kim from KIATS in Korea, and GTU student Doo Hee Lee, served as the conference coordinators. Scholars from Korea were invited to participate in this research conference, along with local Korean scholars and the GTU Korean Student organization. We are pleased that GTU President James Donahue offered a welcome, followed by lectures by Bob Russell, Ted Peters, Jae Hyun Kim, and Yoon Koo-Dong.
Graduate Student Fellowships Announced February 24
Following the Friday conference, the public was invited to a reception beginning at the Badè Museum on the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) campus nearby. The 2005-2006 CTNS Graduate Student Fellowships in science and religion were be announced during this evening reception. Details on the fellowships will be in the May CTNS E-News.
Forum: “Can Buddhism Respond to the Environmental Crisis?”
A forum hosted by the Institute for Buddhist Studies (IBS), the Theological Roundtable on Ecological Ethics and Spirituality (TREES) and the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS), affiliates of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) took place on March 8, 2006 at 7:00 pm.
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim presented a talk entitled, “Can Buddhism Respond to the Environmental Crisis?”
Location: The Richard S. Dinner Board Room of the Hewlett (GTU) Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley, CA.
For more information contact Richard Payne, Dean, Institute of Buddhist Studies by calling 650.938.7192, ext. 1, or via email: rkpayne@pop.earthlink.net ; or visit www.ctns.org/news.html
CTNS Prepares to Celebrate Twenty-Five Years
Save the dates of September 14-16, 2006 for special events honoring the twenty-fifth anniversary of CTNS. Join us in celebrating the Center's history with special lectures and events, including the 2006 J. K. Russell Research Fellowship.
Fellows, Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett will present their work on “The Case for Theistic Evolution” at a Thursday evening Forum and one-day conference. We also anticipate that God's Action in Nature's World: Essays in Honor of Robert John Russell will be presented at this silver anniversary. More information will be available in late May.
Theology and Science Volume 4, Number 1 is Currently in Production
Theology and Science, Volume 4, Number 1 is currently in production. We anticipate that Taylor and Francis will mail this issue in April. CTNS members receive both the printed and online issues.
If you'd like to join the center and receive this tri-annual journal, call CTNS at 510-848-8152 or visit: www.ctns.org/membership.html.
Below you will find a sneak preview of the contents.
Editorial
Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett, "Who Sets the Evolution Agenda?"
Articles
Niels Henrik Gregersen, "The Complexification of Nature: Supplementing the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm?"
Sarah Voss, "Mathematics and Theology: A Stroll through the Garden of Mathaphors"
Ross L. Stein, "The Action of God in the World - A Synthesis of Process Thought in Science and Theology"
Steffen Ducheyne, "Newton's Secularized Onto-theology /versus/ Descartes' and Leibniz', Or on the Importance of Unifying Tendencies in the Secularization-process"
Andrew P. Porter, "The Barbour-Smith-Gilkey Paradox: Historical Relativity in Natural Science and Historical Religion"
Book Reviews
John Hedley Brooke: Review of The Church and Galileo edited by Ernan McMullin
Chris Doran: Review of Evolution vs. Creationism by Eugenie Scott
Tom Martin: Review of Science and the Trinity by John Polkinghorne
Rosemary Radford Ruether: Review of In the Beginning...Creativity by Gordon D. Kaufman
Kirk Wegter-McNelly: Review of How to Relate Science and Religion by Mikael Stenmark
Greg Zuschlag: Review of Environmental Ethics, Ecological Theology, and Natural Selection by Lisa Sideris
Scholars wishing to submit articles for consideration to Theology and Science may contact the Managing Editor, James Haag by emailing theology-science@ctns.org or by writing to Theology and Science, CTNS, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley, CA 94709. If you are interested in writing a book review, contact Nathan Hallanger, Book Review Editor, via email: bookreviews@ctns.org or call 510-848-8152 Tuesday-Thursday, 8:00 to 2:30 PDT.
Please send editorial comments or suggestions to: theology-science@ctns.org. Information for authors or reviewers may visit www.ctns.org/theology_science.html or call the CTNS Publications office at 510-848-8152 between the hours of 9:30 am to 1:00 pm PDT, Monday-Thursday.
CTNS is pleased to reprint an article by Paul Davies from the CTNS Bulletin Vol. 12, No. 2, "Why is the Physical World So Comprehensible?" Professor Davies is both an advisor and conference speaker for the STARS program. The essay will continue in PDF format by clicking the link at the bottom.
"Why is the Physical World So Comprehensible?"
by Paul C.W. Davies
A vexing scientific mystery of longstanding concerns the peculiar conjunction of simplicity and complexity that pervades the universe. We believe that the underlying laws of physics are simple in form, yet the actual states of the world are highly complex. It is only in recent years that any sort of general understanding of the source of this complexity has emerged.
The most striking feature of many complex systems is their non-random nature. The universe is populated by distinct classes of recognizable things : galaxies, stars, crystals, bacteria, people. Given the limitless variety of ways in which matter and energy can arrange themselves, almost all of which would be “random,” the fact that the physical world is a coherent collection of mutually tolerant, quasi-stable entities is surely a key scientific fact in need of explanation.
The non-random nature of cosmic complexity is captured by the concept of organization, or, to use a more fashionable word, depth. According to the best cosmological theories, the universe began in an exceedingly simple state. Indeed the initial state might well have been essentially smooth empty space. It is hard to think of anything more “shallow.” All the depth that has arisen in the universe is the result of a sequence of self-organizing and self-complexifying processes that have occurred since the initial bang. The epithet “creation” in connection with the big bang seems a serious misnomer, since almost all the creative activity that has generated the richness and variety of the present state occurred after the big bang. The seemingly unidirectional advance of complex organization, or depth, imposes on the universe an arrow of time, which is related to, but distinct from, that due to the second law of thermodynamics. Some people have perceived an element of paradox in the growth of organization in a universe in which entropy always rises. True, the former arrow does challenge the spirit of the second law, which predicts continual degeneration. But there is no conflict with the letter of the law. Self-organization costs entropy. But whereas entropy is a measure of information loss, organization (or depth) refers instead to the quality of information. Entropy and depth are not each other's negatives.
Among the more interesting complex organized systems to have arisen thus is the human brain. Containing as it does an internal representation of the physical world, the brain stands in an unusual relationship with the world. And here the conjunction of simplicity and complexity is inverted: the brain is incredibly complex, but the mental states that it supports make the world seem deceptively simple. We are able to function as human beings because our mental model of the world bestows upon it a coherent unity. When we talk about “understanding” some aspect of nature, we mean slotting the phenomena associated therewith into our existing mental model of “how things are out there.”
Is this process of understanding a surprise? Does it tell us anything significant about the structure of the brain or the world, or both? Many people have puzzled about such issues. Why is the universe knowable? After all, given the enormous complexity and interconnectedness of the physical world, how can we know anything without knowing everything? Indeed, how can we know anything at all?
This essay continues in PDF form at www.ctns.org/enews_w2006/Davies.pdf.
(You need the Adobe Reader to view this file. Download for free at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
 |
With the June 15 STARS conference application deadline approaching, support has been called in to assist the staff this winter and spring. New to CTNS-STARS are Laurin Beckhusen, Braden Molhoek and Soam Paripon. As an independent contractor, Laurin, (center) a recent U.C. Berkeley computer science graduate, is doing data base development, updating the web site and providing overall IT support. Braden (pictured on the left) is a new doctoral student studying theology and science at the Graduate Theological Union. With his science and technical background, Braden offers support as a research assistant. Soam (on the right), whose husband is a student at one of the GTU seminaries, is supporting the program with both office and accounting clerk assistance. We are pleased to have them join our STARS office staff during this busy period. |
CTNS Sponsored Courses at the Graduate Theological Union, Spring 2006
Spring 2006
STHS 5112, History of Theology: 1965-Today
Tuesdays 2:10 to 5:00 pm
Prof. Robert John Russell (CTNS) and Prof. Ted Peters (PLTS/ CTNS)
An intensive reading course with lecture and discussion on Roman Catholic and Protestant Theologians from Vatican II to the present, with special attention to the task, method, and context of theology. Required of Systematic Theology and Philosophical Theology doctoral students and recommended for advanced master's level students.
STSP 4600, Christian Theology and Natural Science
Thursdays 12:40-3:30pm Prof. Robert Russell (CTNS) and R. Daren Erisman (CTNS/GTU)
Robert Russell and Daren Erisman and are co-teaching a course designed for middle to upper level MDiv/MA students that have some background in theology and who are seeking to familiarize themselves with the issues between the natural sciences and theology. A major goal of this course is for theological students to garner a greater comfort with and appreciation for the sciences and for the scientific community, particularly as scientists are involved in the life of the church.
These courses are available for registered graduate students through the Graduate Theological Union and its member seminaries.
As a courtesy, CTNS is reproducing notices sent by organizations in the science and religion dialogue. Below are announcements for your perusal.
Offer from Science & Theology News:
Subscribe for 2-years and receive free book, Species of Origin.
Discover the premier monthly newspaper reporting the latest research findings, dialogue, and opportunities in the rapidly-evolving fields of science & religion, and spirituality & health. Enjoy discussion from religious leaders, medical doctors, scientists, policy makers, and more. You would have to read dozens of periodicals and journals to come close to the depth and breadth of coverage found in Science & Theology News.
Subscribe now for 2-years to Science & Theology News for just $21, and receive a free copy of editor and physics professor Karl Giberson's highly-acclaimed book Species of Origin: America's Search for a Creation Story, described as "superb and highly readable accounts of modern American debates over creation." (The book alone retails for $24.95.)
Or if you prefer, try Science & Theology News' free 4-issue subscription and owe nothing. Sign up for the free subscription at www.stnews.org, or call 1-866-363-2306 and mention code V50803 to get free book with 2-year paid subscriptions. Makes a great gift!
CTNS Associates to Speak at University of California Series in April
The University of California at Berkeley's "Current Issues in Biological Science" series presents Gaymon Bennett on “The Stem Cell Controversy: Who's Fighting Whom About What?” on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 and Ted Peters on “The Evolution Controversy: Who's Fighting Whom About What?” on Thursday, April 20, 2006.
Both presentations will be in Moffitt Hall 101, 1:00-2:00 pm on the University of California at Berkeley campus.
Vatican Observatory Cosmologist to Speak at the University of California at Davis in May
The Newman Club at U.C. Davis will sponsor its first Science and Religion lecture/discussion on Wednesday, May 24, 2006. Featured Speaker: William R. Stoeger, S.J., Ph.D. Stoeger is a staff scientist for the Vatican Observatory Research Group (VORG) specializing in theoretical cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and interdisciplinary studies relating to science, philosophy and theology.
Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: Social Sciences Building, Room 1100, University of California at Davis, Davis, California. (street level, across from Memorial Union Bldg. and Freeborn Hall, located near A Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets, on east side of campus—nearest town) Light refreshments will be served.
Parking Options: 1. North Entry Parking Structure [Directions: Interstate 80 to Hwy 113 north toward Woodland. Take Russell Boulevard exit and turn right onto Russell Boulevard. Right on Howard Way. Left into North Entry Parking Structure. Visitor Parking passes cost $6.00 per day and rates are subject to change. Visitor parking is available on posted levels.] 2. Employee Health Parking Lot [Directions: Interstate 80 to Hwy 113 north toward Woodland. Take Russell Boulevard exit and turn right on Russell Boulevard. Turn left on Oak Avenue. Left into parking lot.] 3. Visitor Parking Lot 15 [Directions: Interstate 80 to Hwy 113 north toward Woodland. Take Russell Boulevard exit and turn right on Russell Boulevard. Turn right on California Ave. Turn left into Visitor Parking Lot 15. Parking permits cost $6.00 per day.]
Online Maps: http://facts.ucdavis.edu/map.lasso
www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/map/map_detail.cfm?centerTile=12_3#map
For more information, contact Father J. F. Izzo, SJ via email: jizzo@calprov.org or by phone at 916.482.6060 ext. 261.
Call for Papers: Religion, Science, Ethics, Ecology and Public Discourse
A Conference on Religion, Science and Public Concern: Discourses on Ethics, Ecology, and Genomics will be held on October 26 – 27, 2006 in The Netherlands, at the University of Leiden. The aim of the conference, organized by the Faculty of Theology at Leiden University, is to bring together researchers interested in interactions between religion, ethics, and science in public discourses. In reflecting upon the social and moral jobs that speakers expect religious, ethical, and scientific notions to do, we may acquire a better understanding of debates on controversial issues of public policy and on the understanding of the role of and the relation between religion, ethics, science, politics, and technology.
The Research Group on Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the Department of Theology at Leiden University, under the direction of Professor Willem B. Drees, is currently engaged in research in these areas, concentrating on the interaction of religion and science, particularly in relation to perceptions of nature and modern technology.
Scholars are invited to submit proposals for papers, which focus on any of the interactive dimensions of religion, ethics, science, and public discourses. Priority will be given to Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers.
A variety of perspectives is encouraged (e.g. anthropological, ethical, historical, linguistic, philosophical, political, theological, sociological).The deadline for the abstracts is April 1, 2006. Complete details on the paper requirements are found on the website listed below.
Before June 1, 2006 applicants will receive notice of whether their paper proposal is accepted. The conference language is English. More information about the papers, conference, program and registration is available on the conference web site: www.rspc-conference.nl.
Interested individuals may also write to:
University of Leiden
Faculty of Theology
Prof. Dr. W. B. Drees
Postbus 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands
Feedback
We'd like to hear from You. We would appreciate your comments about this E-News via email or via written letter.
Bonnie Johnston, Editor
Melissa Moritz, Copy Editor
CTNS
2400 Ridge Rd.
Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
Email: bonniej@ctns.org
510-848-8152
fax. 510-848-2535
www.ctns.org
