Scientific research is moving decisively into the area of the “inner self”—including emotions, morality, love, sociality, and the workings of the mind. This domain has traditionally been at the heart of religion, spirituality, and psychological counseling. Now the sciences enter as collaborators in exploring the inner self—cognitive science, neuroscience, genetics, and others. What are we to make of this new partnership? The seminar will examine this development and its significance, particularly for religion and theology, from the following perspectives:
- Representative examples of scientific research
- Assessment of the scope of this scientific work and its prospects in the future
- Theological and philosophical significance of this research
- Examples of theological thinking that take the scientific research into account
Offered by the Zygon Center for Religion and Science (ZCRS), the Advanced Seminar in Religion and Science is designed as a research seminar for faculty and graduate students. Course credit is available via registration through the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) or cross-registration through member schools of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS); the course number is LSTC T-672. All participants, whether taking the seminar for credit or not, are asked to pre-register with the seminar chairs by contacting ZCRS at [email protected] or 773-256-0670. For more information about ZCRS, please visit www.zygoncenter.org. For more information about Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, visit www.zygonjournal.org.
Advanced Seminar Schedule - Spring 2010
| Date | Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Issues and Questions in the Exploration of the Inner Self | Philip Hefner and Lea F. Schweitz, Theology, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago |
| February 8, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection | John Cacioppo, cognitive neuroscience, University of Chicago |
| February 15, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | What We Can Learn from Infants: Perspectives from Developmental Psychology | Susan Hespos, developmental psychology, Northwestern University |
| February 22, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | A Role for Genetics in Behavior? | Gayle Woloschak, molecular biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine |
| March 1, 2010 | No Seminar (Reading Week at LSTC) | ||
| March 8, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Moral Inwardness Reconsidered | William Schweiker, theology/ethics, University of Chicago |
| March 15, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Causes in a World of Reasons: Or, What Can fMRI Scans Tell Us About How to Live? | Benjamin Callard, philosophy, University of Chicago |
| March 22, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Embedded Religiosity: The Extended Mind and Religious Behaviors | Mladen Turk, theology, Elmhurst College |
| March 29, 2010 | No Seminar (Holy Week at LSTC) | ||
| April 5, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Donna Haraway: When Species Meet, Self is Re-defined | Ann Pederson, theology, Augustana College, Sioux Falls |
| April 12, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Emotions, Ethics, and Transcendent Values | Gregory Peterson, theology/philosophy, South Dakota State University |
| April 19, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Neurophenomenology Considers Religious Ways of Knowing | Anne Benvenuti, theology/psychology, University of Chicago/Georgetown University Medical School Barbara Stafford, art history/neuroesthetics, University of Chicago |
| April 26, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Religion, the New Moral Psychology, and the Inner Self | Don Browning, religious studies/psychology, University of Chicago |
| May 3, 2010 | 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Conclusions and Reflections | Philip Hefner and Lea F. Schweitz, theology, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago |