PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Varadaraja V. Raman, Ph.D.,
professor emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, has been named as 2004-
2005 Metanexus Senior Fellow. In this capacity, Dr. Raman will give a series
of six talks at the Hillel Center on the campus of the University of
Pennsylvania. The series "Indic Religions in an Age of Science" will be
composed of three lectures this fall and three more in the spring.
The Metanexus Board of Directors made the appointment at the
organization's June 2004 board meeting in Philadelphia. Dr. Raman will follow
Rev. Dr. Philip Hefner, who served as the first Senior Fellow in 2003-2004.
The Senior Fellow position was created to honor those who have made
significant intellectual contributions to the growing encounter between
science and religion.
In his talks, Dr. Raman will focus on Hinduism, but also draw on Buddhist
and Jaina insights, in conversation with modern science. He will discuss and
interpret traditional Indic visions and worldviews with references to modern
scientific theories, even as he explores Indic contributions of civilization,
for instance in theories of mind and consciousness, cosmology, medicine, and
epistemology.
As in the West, many contemporary Indian thinkers see both conflict and
concordance between science and religion. Many secularist Indian
intellectuals and scientists regard some of the traditional belief systems
like astrology and vastushastra as unscientific, and reject the claims that
the insights of modern science are derived from ancient Indian scriptures.
Others see in Indic civilization significant achievements in science, such as
yoga and Ayurvedic medicine that have been expropriated or ignored by the
West. Many have also attempted to integrate science and religion in the Indic
context. The vast majority of Hindus practice their religion in its
multifaceted modes, while little about it is taught formally in schools and
universities. Some of these issues will also be discussed in the lectures.
In his first lecture, October 18, 2004, "Science-Religion Perspectives:
Traditional, Modern, and Post-modern," Dr. Raman will present the framework of
Indic culture and discuss aspects of classical Hindu scientific visions with
references to modern and postmodern perspectives on Hindu science, some
aspects of which are both popular and controversial.
The second lecture, "Cosmology and Forces in the Physical World," is
scheduled for November 8, 2004. Questions pertaining to the origin and purpose
of the universe are of perennial interest to the inquiring mind. This lecture
will discuss some Indic answers to these questions, and consider their
relevance in the modern context.
The mysteries of the human mind have intrigued thinkers and scientists all
through the ages. In his third lecture "Theories of the Mind and
Consciousness" on December 6, 2004, Dr. Raman will examine some of the
theories of the mind that have been presented by Indic inquirers, and show how
these theories served in the formulation of philosophical systems and
spiritual disciplines.
In the remaining three lectures of the series, which will take place in
the winter/spring of 2005, Dr. Raman will continue his exploration of Indic
religions with talks on the nature of consciousness, levels of reality, and
theories of knowledge and future visions.
Dr. Raman is a physicist, philosopher, and scholar. He holds a Master's
Degree in applied mathematics from the University of Calcutta, and a Ph.D. in
theoretical physics from the University of Paris. He served as professor of
physics and humanities at Rochester Institute of Technology. He has authored
numerous papers, articles, and books on science, on Hindu culture, and on
science-religion issues. Currently, he serves on the executive council of IRAS
(Institute on Religion in an Age of Science) as well as on the board of the
Metanexus Institute.
All talks will take place from 5:00-6:00 PM in the auditorium of the
Hillel Center, 215 South 39th Street, Philadelphia. There is on-street parking
or in the lot on the East side of 38th Street between Walnut and Chestnut
streets. The series is free of charge. For further information, please contact
us at 215.789.2200 or info@metanexus.net.
The Metanexus Institute is a membership organization that advances
research, education, and outreach on the constructive engagement of science
and religion. We seek to create an enduring intellectual and social movement
by collaborating with persons and communities from diverse religious
traditions and scientific disciplines. In a spirit of humility and with deep
concern for intellectual rigor, the Metanexus Institute promotes a balanced
and exploratory dialogue between science and religion. While mindful of the
complexities of this endeavor, we work to develop integrative approaches that
enrich the domains of both science and religion. Some of the projects of the
Metanexus Institute are the Local Societies Initiative, the Templeton Research
Lectures, the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program, and the
Spiritual Capital Research Program.
For further information about the Institute and its programs, please go to
http://www.metanexus.net for contact Julia Loving at loving@metanexus.net or
215.789.2207.
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