CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific leaders from the
Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions as well as Eastern traditions are
set to gather in a public forum at the Memorial Church of Harvard University,
October 21 - 23, to explore the relation between their religious traditions
and the common ground they share as scientists. The "Science and the
Spiritual Quest Boston Conference" will feature over 16 leading scientists and
technology leaders of varied faith traditions-also including Buddhism, and
Hinduism - speaking and answering questions from an audience of over 500
people.
This will be the first international and interfaith meeting of scientists
since September 11th. It is aimed specifically at the complex relationship
between the sciences and the religions in the highly charged context of
today's world. The goal is to demonstrate to the public the variety of ways
that the world's religious traditions are responding to what many observers
call "the age of science and technology."
"Science is a symbol of contemporary cultural and intellectual life with
worldwide influence," said W. Mark Richardson, co-investigator of the Science
and the Spiritual Quest. "Yet science still stands in uneasy tension with
some of the religious movements which are shaping our world. This conference,
using science as a meeting place, not only seeks an open dialogue on our
religious differences, but also offers an opportunity to explore ways in which
the many faiths can peacefully coexist."
Offered by the Science and the Spiritual Quest Program (SSQ) of the Center
for Theology and the Natural Sciences, this Boston Conference is co-sponsored
by the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science and the Center for the Study of World Religions
at Harvard University.
Speakers include:
* primatologist Jane Goodall of the Jane Goodall Institute
* physicist and Nobel Laureate William Phillips of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology
* astrophysicist Bruno Guiderdoni, director of the Islamic Institute for
Advanced Studies in Paris
* biologist and psychotherapist Robert Pollack, director of the Center for
the Study of Science and Religion at Columbia University in New York
City
* biochemist and Anglican priest Arthur Peacocke of Oxford University,
winner of the Templeton Prize
* physicist and theologian Ian Barbour of Carleton College, winner of the
Templeton Prize
* robotics expert Manuela Veloso of Carnegie Mellon University
The Science and the Spiritual Quest conference will be held the Memorial
Church of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The media and the
public are highly encouraged to attend the public conference. For conference
information and registration, visit http://www.ssq.net or call 415-682-2455.
Science and the Spiritual Quest II (SSQ II) is a four-year international
program conducted by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS)
in Berkeley, California. SSQ's mission is to promote open dialogue among
leading scientists on the connections between their scientific pursuits and
their spiritual practices, and to offer the results of this dialogue to the
public through conferences, publications, and multimedia. Over the next two
years, SSQ will offer major public events at Harvard and in Paris, Israel,
Japan, and India. For more information on SSQ, http://www.ssq.net .
SOURCE Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.ssq.net
CONTACT:
Silas Deane of PR Source, +1-615-301-8313,
for Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
|
