What should the relationship between science and religion be like? Recent scholarship proposes four models for the relationship between science and religion: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. In this colloquium, we will use this four-fold typology and the Catholic conviction that faith and reason work together to address the big questions raised by both science and religion. As proposed by Professor Keith Ward, these questions include the following: How did the universe begin? How will the universe end? Is evolution compatible with creation? Do the laws of nature exclude miracles? What is the nature of space and time? Is it still possible to speak of the soul? Is science the only sure path to truth? Can science provide an explanation for morals and religious beliefs? Has science made belief in God obsolete? Does science allow for revelation and divine action? We will respond to these questions through an intellectual engagement with the popular bestseller, The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins.
Submissions from 2015
Syllabus: Faith and Science, Nicanor Austriaco
A Catholic Understanding of Miracles in a Secular World, Meaghan Boyd
“In Pursuit Of Purified Persuasions”: Making (Some) Sense of the Modern Mind, John Emmet Clarke
Prudence and Executive Control: An Analysis of the Decision-Making Processes of the Christian and the Modern Man, Ryan Frazier
The Physical Death of Jesus Christ: The “Swoon Theory” and the Medical Response, Kate Hill
Evaluating the Authenticity of the Gospels, James O'Brien
Investigating the Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony in the Case of the Resurrection, Stephen Rogers
