Science Faith Religion
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Public debate, pitting atheist against believer, typically yields a polarized picture. Might a more nuanced conversation that transcends simplistic assertions, and weaves insights from physics, biology, and psychology provide a more fruitful exchange of ideas? Bill Blakemore hosts scientists Lawrence Krauss, Ken Miller and Guy Consolmagno, and philosopher Colin McGinn to find out.
Moderator
Bill Blakemore
Participants:
Bill Blakemore has been a reporter for ABC News for more than 35 years, covering a wide variety of stories. He has spearheaded ABC's coverage of global warming, traveling from the tropics to polar regions to report on the impacts and dangers of climate change, as well as possible solutions for it. Blakemore helped create ABC's new multiplatform exploration of global warming in TV, Internet, podcast, radio and print formats.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, earned undergraduate and masters' degrees from MIT, and a Ph. D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona. He was a researcher at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps (Kenya), and taught university physics at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, before entering the Jesuits in 1989.
Internationally known theoretical physicist and best-selling author Lawrence Krauss has focused his research on the intersection on cosmology and elementary particle physics. Dr. Krauss’s work addresses questions about the origin of matter in the universe, Einstein’s theory of general relativity, astrophysics, the future of the universe and the properties and description of the dark energy that is thought to account for most of the universe’s present energy content.
Colin McGinn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami. His research interests include the philosophy of mind (particularly consciousness, intentionality and imagination), as well as metaphysics, ethics and philosophical logic. He has published numerous articles, and is the author of 20 books.
Kenneth R. Miller is Professor of Biology and Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University. A cell biologist, he serves as an advisor on life sciences to the NewsHour, a daily PBS television program on news and public affairs, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
