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Posted on 09/16/2008 2:00:59 PM PDT by NYer
.- Two universities from different sides of the Atlantic announced plans today to hold an international conference to discuss Charles Darwin’s work “The Origin of the Species.” The conference will approach Darwin’s theory of evolution from a scientific standpoint, rather than an ideological one, an organizer explained.
"Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A Critical Appraisal 150 years after 'The Origin of Species'" is scheduled for March 3-7, 2009 in Rome and is being sponsored by the University of Notre Dame (USA) and the Pontifical Gregorian University.
The congress, while being sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture, is “an academic congress, organized by two Catholic universities, the Gregorian University in Rome and Notre Dame in the United States, and as such is not an ecclesial event. Yet the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture serves to underline the Church's interest in such questions," Fr. Marc Leclerc S.J. explained.
Professor Gennaro Aluetta, a philosophy professor at Gregorian University, also added that the invitees include “Nobel laureate Werner Arber, the Templeton Prize winner Michael Heller, Prof.John Barrow di Cambridge, il grande neurologo Marc Jeannerod e moltissimi altri. John Barrow of Cambridge, the great neurologist Marc Jeannerod and many others.”
Fr. Leclerc explained the reason that the congress is being held, saying, "Debates on the theory of evolution are becoming ever more heated, both among Christians and in specifically evolutionist circles. In particular, with the approach of the ... 150th anniversary of the publication of 'The Origin of Species,’ Charles Darwin's work is still too often discussed more in ideological terms than in the scientific ones which were his true intention.”
"In such circumstances - as Christian scientists, philosophers and theologians directly involved in the debate alongside colleagues from other confessions or of no confession at all - we felt it incumbent upon us to bring some clarification. The aim is to generate wide-ranging rational discussion in order to favor fruitful dialogue among scholars from various fields and areas of expertise. The Church has profound interest in such dialogue, while fully respecting the competencies of each and all,” Fr. Leclerc said.
The congress is also part of the larger initiative led by the Pontifical Council for Culture called the Science, Technology, and the Ontological Quest or STOQ. The initiative seeks to pursue the connections between science, philosophy and theology.
I don’t know...Al Gore’s existence makes a pretty good argument for evolutionary theory.
“I don’t know...Al Gore’s existence makes a pretty good argument for evolutionary theory.”
Devolutionary theory, yes! not evolutionary theory...
God created and guides evolution.
Notre Dame press release
Notre Dame joins Vatican initiative on evolutionary theory and faith
By: William G. Gilroy
Date: September 16, 2008
The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, six pontifical universities and the University of Notre Dame’s John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values announced Tuesday (Sept. 16) during a Vatican press conference that they will sponsor “Project Evolution,” a groundbreaking series of conferences and workshops in 2009.
The events will encourage a dialogue on evolutionary theory and faith between scientists, philosophers and theologians and take place during the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s “Origin of the Species.”
An international conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University from March 3 to 7 will focus on the known facts of evolution, evolutionary mechanisms, the origin of man, anthropological questions about evolution and its philosophical and theological aspects.
A Notre Dame workshop in November 2009 will focus on the impact of evolutionary theory on other disciplines.
A final workshop in October 2010 will concentrate on the philosophical lessons of evolution theory.
The Reilly Center has been working in collaboration with the Vatican Council for Culture’s Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest (STOQ) Project to organize “Project Evolution.” The STOQ Project began in 2000 as a means of building a philosophical bridge between science and theology in such as way as to make a meaningful contribution to confronting the urgent concerns of our day.
The Reilly Center was established in 1985 and is named for the father of an alumnus whose gift created the initial endowment for the center. Through conferences and publications emphasizing the complementary roles of scientific, technological, ethical and humanistic perspectives, the center seeks to highlight scholarship reflecting the interplay of these viewpoints and to stimulate broad public discussion of critical issues.
Gerald McKenny, associate professor of Christian ethics, is director of the center, and a group of elected faculty fellows is responsible for operational insight of the center’s programs.
Thank you so much for posting that press release from Notre Dame. This topic is growing and, not surprisingly, the Vatican is right there to track trends and provide intelligent responses. I look forward to following this Conference and its findings.
Good news. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this event.
Ping
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Note: this topic is from September 16, 2008. |
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