Teilhard Religion & Science Society
The Teilhard Religion & Science Society of Loyola Marymount University is a local society funded by the Metanexus Institute and Templeton Foundation. Established in 2006, the purpose of this organization is to study the juncture of religion and science. While this juncture can be explored in many ways and we do not limit ourselves to particular approaches, our society carries on the dialogue between science and religions by exploring the interface between religious cosmologies, physics and ecology; the scientific study of religious experience; exploring the area of the health sciences as a common ground upon which both science and religion have an impact; and by exploring the topics of quantum physics and neuroscience in relation to religion.
Membership in the Society is open to scholars, clergy, and students in the fields of science and religion or theology, those who work in campus ministries, those who work in denominational bodies, and others interested in the dialogue between science and religion. The Society meets monthly for study meetings in addition to hosting invited speakers. All meetings of the Society are open to both members and the public.
Namesake
In the early twentieth century, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., a Jesuit priest, began to understand the Ignatian dictum to “see God in all things” as literally applicable to scientific inquiry. His theological understanding of evolution became a flashpoint — to theological for scientists, to embracing of science for those in the church. Yet for many, it became instead a bridge, an important moment of rapprochement. Teilhard’s invitation was to understand reality through a new way of seeing. The Society takes seriously Teilhard de Chardin’s philosophical and theological premise of seeing God in all things. We believe by following this tenet, we will affirm the interreligious and interdisciplinary types of scholarship that we intend to pursue in our dialogues and events. The science and religion discussion is dependent upon open scholarship that is free to pursue all forms of knowledge.
Leadership
Facilitated in the Center for Religion and Spirituality under the direction of Robert Hurteau, Ph.D., the Society benefits from institutional support and participation from the Bioethics Institute, the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, the Department of Natural Science, the Department of Theological Studies, and the local Jesuit Community.
Christopher Key Chapple, Ph.D., Co-Chair, is the Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Chapple received his undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature and Religious Studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his doctorate in the History of Religions through the Theology Department at Fordham University. He served as Assistant Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions and taught Sanskrit, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism for five years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook before joining the faculty at LMU. Dr. Chapple's research interests have focused on the renouncer religious traditions of India: Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism. He has published several books, including Karma and Creativity (1986), a co-translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1991), Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions (1993), Hinduism and Ecology (co-edited, 2000), Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life (2002), and Reconciling Yogas (2003). He is the editor of Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, a journal published by Brill.
James Landry, Ph.D., Co-Chair, is Professor and Chair of Natural Science, and Associate Dean of the Seaver College of Science and Engineering at Loyola Marymount University. He holds a doctorate in Analytical, Physical Inorganic, and Environmental Chemistry. He is an expert in Infrared Spectroscopy and Technique, Environmental Chemistry, Conservation Science, the intersection Science and Religion. His area of research is currently focused on the Ballona Wetlands. The wetlands fill with runoff water from the city after it rains. Landry, along with students, measures the metal pollutant concentration collected in that water. The water is then analyzed for pollutants and metals precipitate to the bottom; ultimately, the fresh water moves out to the ocean and the Santa Monica bay.
REPORTS & PUBLICATIONS
Public Lectures and Activities
The Teilhard Society continues to research the interface between religion and science by means of grant-funded activities: lectures, workshops, seminars, etc. The combination of visiting scholars and speakers on topics ranges from history, economics and ecology to cosmology, quantum physics and neuroscience, further advanced the mission of the Society to highlight and explore the juncture of religion and science. Because of the interreligious and cross disciplinary nature of these activities, students and faculty from a broad spectrum of departments and interests often participate. As we move forward with planning for the future of the Society, we hope to organize our discoveries and build on our newly-formed community of scholars by designing new opportunities for study informed by these sponsored events, which are open to general public.
Fast Food or Farmers’ Markets? A Buddhist Approach to Sustainable Eating
Stephanie Kaza, Ph.D.
Monday, April 14, 2008; 3:00 p.m.
McIntosh Center, University Hall
In today’s globalized marketplace, food choices are seemingly endless. Sustainable food activists are pushing for increasing food ethics and reducing food miles. Buddhism offers a long tradition or moral restraint in relation to food. How would a modern Buddhist apply these principles to today’s food dilemmas? We’ll look at core ethical values of non-harming, moderation, and contentment as we consider a “diet for a cool planet.” Stephanie Kaza, Ph.D. is Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont, and co-founder of the Environmental Council, a campus-wide consortium of sustainability. She has been an active participant in Buddhist-Christian dialogue and served as president of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies.
Our Cosmic Context
Todd Duncan, Ph.D.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008; 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
University Hall, 1000
Modern science has provided a wealth of new information about the universe in which we are immersed. But it can also seem distant and overwhelming. This talk will highlight some ways to feel more connected to this immense “cosmic context” which forms the background for our daily lives, in order to invite reflection on what it means to be human within this universe. Todd Duncan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, combines a research background in physics and astronomy with experience teaching science concepts to a wide range of audiences. He holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Chicago and physics degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Illinois.
Nanotechnology and Environmental Ethics
Ronald Sandler, Ph.D.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008; 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Pereira Hall of Engineering, 140
Nanoscale science and engineering, which manipulate matter and fabricate devices at the molecular or atomic level, are being touted by many as the platform for the next revolution in industry and technology. How should those who are environmentally concerned regard this next industrial and technological “revolution”? This talk considers nanotechnology from the perspective of environmental ethics: is nanotechnology likely to reduce or exacerbate out ongoing environmental challenges? Is it likely to significantly alter the human relationship with the natural environment? How does nanotechnology intersect with familiar philosophical and value issues in environmental ethics? Ronald Sandler, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, a researcher in the Technology and Society Research Group, and a research associate in the Environmental Justice Research Collaborative at Northeastern University.
Evolution, Religion, and Intelligent Design: Scientific Debate or Culture War?
Jeffrey Schloss, Ph.D.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007; 12:15 pm – 1:25 pm
From kids’ fascination with dinosaurs to scientific cosmology and the creation accounts of all religions, the origins issue – how and why are we here? – commands rapt and enduring attention. It has generated widespread, and unfortunately, strident dispute. Recent Intelligent Design controversy involves several debates. Is there rational evidence for divine design? If so, does this qualify as science, or is it religion masquerading as science? Does evolution involve claims that are antagonistic to religions belief? What should be taught in the public schools? In this talk we will describe the provocative history of this controversy, explain and assess a wide range of positions on the above questions and correct stereotypes and misrepresentations made by combative extremes. Jeffrey Schloss, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of Biology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, holding a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Science within Consciousness: The Future of Human Evolution
Amit Goswami, Ph.D.
Thursday, March 15, 2007; 12:15 pm - 1:25 pm
Pereira Hall of Engineering, 140
A new paradigm of science based on quantum physics and the primacy of consciousness is gradually developing in the past few decades as a timely replacement for the current materialist paradigm. This paradigm enables us to look at biological evolution as creative evolution with downward causation from consciousness as the guiding motif. Quantum physicist Amit Goswami will present the ideas of creative evolution and how they affect the current and future human development and evolution. Goswami will also present his program of "quantum activism" as an aid to human future evolution. Amit Goswami, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Physics. He is the author of the highly successful textbook, Quantum Mechanics, and is perhaps best know as one of the physicists featured in the 2004 film What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Hindu Perspectives: The Role of Consciousness in the Universe
Varadaraka V. Raman, Ph.D.
Thursday, March 1, 2007; 12:15 pm -1:25 pm
Pereira Hall of Engineering, 140
The primary difference between Science and Religion relates to the role and significance of Consciousness in the Cosmos. From the scientific perspective, consciousness is an emergent property of the complex human brain which, in turn, is an unexpected and passing byproduct of the blind laws of physics and chemistry that have been governing the physical universe ever since the big bang that gave rise to it all. From the religious perspective, consciousness is a significant factor in the apparently cold and colorless cosmos that science investigates. This talk will explore both these perspectives to show how they reveal different aspects of the world of whicjh we are a part. It will present, in particular, the Hindu vision of consciousness in this context. Varadaraka V. Raman, Ph.D., in Theoretical Physics, and is Emeritus Professor from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.
What Can Cognitive Neuroscience Learn from Contemplative Spirituality?
Peter Grossenbacher, Ph.D.
Thursday, February 15, 2007; 12:15 pm - 1:25 pm
University Hall, 1000
Subjective experience is orchestrated by vast networks of living brain cells. Empirical studies are now encountering depths and nuances of experience in religion and spirituality previously unknown to science. Meditation, the central contemplative practice of Buddhism, trains attentive skills which mediate profound observations of subtle human experience, and is receiving great scientific interest, fueled by recently developed functional brain imaging methods. The subtleties of spiritual experience are explored from a neuroscience view that delineates the pivotal roles of attention and intercellular communication within the nervous system. Peter G. Grossenbacher, Ph.D. is the Director of Naropa University’s Consciousness Laboratory. He holds a doctorate in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oregon, and directs a program of research on Meditation and Contemplative Spirituality.
Exploring the Concept of Religious Naturalism
Ursula Goodenough, Ph.D.
Thursday, December 7, 2006; 12:15 pm – 1:25 pm
Seaver Hall of Science, 100
Scientific inquiry has provisioned us with spectacular, coherent, and integrated understandings of the natural world and our place within it, inviting religious response. Religious responses include 1) the interpretive - what do these understandings suggest to me about large questions, such as the meaning and purpose of life? 2) the spiritual - in what sense do these understandings elicit such feelings as awe, gratitude, humility, and reverence? And 3) the moral/ethical - how do these understandings inform my sense of compassion, fair-mindedness, and eco-responsibility? Ursula Goodenough, Ph.D. is Professor of Biology at Washington University, St. Louis. Her book, The Sacred Depths of Nature, offers religious perspectives on our scientific understandings of Nature, particularly biology at a molecular level.
The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos
Joel Primack, Ph.D. and Nancy Ellen Abrams
Friday, November 17, 2006; 3:15 pm – 5:00 pm
Seaver Hall of Science, 100
Cosmology is going through a scientific revolution that is creating humanity’s first picture of the universe that might actually be true. This lecture explains and visualizes the evolution of the Universe placing humanity at the centre of the world and, as New Scientist writes, showing every cell in our bodies to contain the history of the universe and our very existence to be an astounding confluence of nature, from the quantum to the cosmic. Together this husband and wife team has authored the book, The View from the Center of the Universe, selected by NPR as one of ten summer reading selections for 2006. Joel Primack, Ph.D., Professor of Physics at University California Santa Cruz, is one of the world’s leading cosmologists and an originator and developer of the theory of evolution of the Universe. Nancy Ellen Abrams is a lawyer, writer, and former Fulbright scholar with a long-term interest in the history, philosophy, and politics of science.