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Previous courses > Summer Course no. 3 - From the Big Bang to the Brain

Summer Course no. 3 - From the Big Bang to the Brain: Current Issues in Science and Religion

St Edmund’s College, Cambridge: July 20-26, 2008

Aim of Course

In this one week course a wide range of topics at the science/religion interface will be addressed by internationally renowned speakers. The topics to be covered include historical and philosophical perspectives, and the relationships between cosmology, biology and the neurosciences with theological concerns.

Speakers (listed in alphabetical order, topics in brackets)

Click on a Speaker's name to obtain brief biographical details.

Venue

The course will be held at St Edmund’s College, Mount Pleasant, Cambridge, CB3 0BN

Application Form

Course Fees for Faraday Summer Course No. 3

Fees shown are an all-inclusive package that includes: all meals, including a gala dinner (with wine); accommodation; the course itself; and incidentals such as refreshments during breaks. The package fee is discounted according to circumstances:

  • Category A = £240 (full-time students, graduate or undergraduate)
  • Category B = £320 (University Post Docs within 5 years of PhD)
  • Category C = £480 (standard)

All rooms have en suite facilities.

Applicants living in Cambridge who do not need accommodation are advised to contact the Course Director who will advise on fees.

Course Schedule

Sunday July 20
6.00 pmArrival
7.00 pmDinner
8.30 pmDrinks Reception - Getting to Know You
Monday July 21: Theme - 'Historical Issues in Science and Religion'
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amProf. Peter Harrison: 'Religion and the Rise of Science'
10.00 amQuestions and Discussion
10.30 amCoffee Break
11.00 amProf. Peter Harrison: 'The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science'
12.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
1.00 pmLunch
2.00 pmProf. Ernan McMullin: 'The Galileo Affair: Two Debates'
3.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
3.30 pmTea Break
4.00 pmCambridge History of Science Tour
5.30 pmProf. Edward Larson: 'The Reception of Darwinism'
6.30 pmQuestions and Discussion
7.00 pmDinner
8.30 pmPanel Discussion with 3 Speakers – Questions and Discussion
10.00 pmBar and more Discussion
Tuesday July 22: Theme - 'Philosophical Issues in Science and Religion'
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amProf. Edward Larson: 'Darwinism, Eugenics and Religion'
10.00 amQuestions and Discussion
10.30 amCoffee Break
11.00 amRevd Dr John Polkinghorne: 'Critical Realism in Science and Religion'
12.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
1.00 pmLunch
2.00 pmDr Denis Alexander: 'God and Memetics'
3.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
3.30 pmTea Break
4.00 pmProf. Dean Zimmerman: 'Material and Immaterial Persons'
5.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
5.30 pmFree time
7.00 pmDinner
8.30 pmPanel Discussion with 3 Speakers – Questions and Discussion
10.00 pmBar and more Discussion
Wednesday July 23: Theme - 'The Big Bang and Cosmology'
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amDr Katherine Blundell: 'God and the Big Bang'
10.00 amQuestions and Discussion
10.30 amCoffee Break
11.00 amProf. Paul Shellard: 'The Anthropic Principle'
12.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
1.00 pmLunch
2.00 pmRevd Dr John Polkinghorne: 'Meta-Stories of Fine-Tuning'
3.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
3.30 pmTea Break
4.00 pmProf. Dean Zimmerman: 'God and Time'
5.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
5.30 pmFree time
7.00 pmDinner
8.30 pmPanel Discussion with 3 Speakers – Questions and Discussion
10.00 pmBar and more Discussion
Thursday July 24: Theme - 'Biology and Evolution'
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amProf. Simon Conway Morris: 'Evolution and Fine-Tuning in Biology'
10.00 amQuestions and Discussion
10.30 amCoffee Break
11.00 amProf. Darrel Falk: 'Human Evolution'
12.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
1.00 pmLunch
2.00 pmProf. Darrel Falk: 'Creationism and Intelligent Design'
3.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
3.30 pmTea Break
4.00 pmRevd Dr Ernest Lucas: 'God and Origins: Interpreting the Early Chapters of Genesis'
5.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
5.30 pmFree time
7.00 pmDinner
8.30 pmPanel Discussion with 3 Speakers – Questions and Discussion
10.00 pmBar and more Discussion
Friday July 25: Theme - 'The Brain'
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amProf. Peter Clarke: 'Brains and Machines'
10.00 amQuestions and Discussion
10.30 amCoffee Break
11.00 amProf. Peter Clarke: 'Genetics, Brain Plasticity and Personhood'
12.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
1.00 pmLunch
2.00 pmDr Pete Moore: 'A Better Brain? Enhancement Examinded'
3.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
3.30 pmTea Break
4.00 pmProf. Alan Torrance: 'Developments in Neuroscience and Human Freedom: Some Theological and Philosophical Perspectives'
5.00 pmQuestions and Discussion
5.30 pmPanel Discussion with 3 Speakers – Questions and Discussion
7.00 pmGala Dinner
10.00 pmBar and more Discussion
Saturday July 26
8.00 amBreakfast
9.00 amDepart