Seminar Announcement: "Biology and Purpose: Altruism, Morality, and
Human Nature in Evolutionary Theory," led by Dr. Philip Clayton,
Professor of Philosophy, Sonoma State University and Dr. Jeffrey
Schloss, Professor of Biology, Westmont College. July 2-27. Funded by
the John Templeton Foundation.
This seminar addresses one of the most urgent and controversial areas
of contemporary religion/science engagement: can the disteleology and
genetic reductionism that are central to neo-Darwinian theory be
compatible with Judeo-Christian notions of providential purpose and
divine action? More specifically, what is the relationship between
theological conceptions of human nature as reflecting the image of God
and the most recent and divergent attempts to explain consciousness and
social behavior in light of selection theory? If human thought,
feeling, morality, and even spirituality are products of natural
selection for enhancing reproductive success, what implications does
this have for rationality, moral responsibility, and religious belief?
If all social behavior is mediated by genetic self-interest, how does
this relate to a biblical anthropology that views self-giving love as
the ultimate purpose of human existence? The goals of this seminar are
to provide a rigorous, even-handed, and highly interdisciplinary
assessment of the current "evolution and human nature" debates in light
of theological and philosophical concerns and new theories in population
genetics, sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, and emerging,
alternative approaches. Applications from all disciplines are
encouraged, in order to stimulate publishable, integrative scholarship
that is both scientifically sound and theologically astute.
Seminar faculty (confirmed or invited) include Richard Alexander,
Professor at the University of Michigan and author of Darwinism and
Human Affairs; psychologist Malcolm Jeeves, University of St. Andrews,
Scotland, former President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; theologian
Niels Gregersen, Aarhus University, Denmark, publications coordinator
for ESSSAT; and evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson, State
University of New York, co-author of the influential Unto Others: The
Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior.
Program Description:
Participants in each seminar discuss common readings during a summer
residency and work on individual research projects with the director,
visiting faculty, and fellow participants. They are expected to present
their projects at a conference the following spring and publish them in
a collection or in appropriate venues. Participants are encouraged to
bring their families for the duration.
Applications:
Faculty at liberal arts colleges and research universities are eligible
to participate. Applicants must hold an earned Ph.D. or other terminal
degree. Those with scholarly training in either the biological sciences
or philosophy, theology, anthropology, psychology, social and political
sciences, and other appropriate non-biological disciplines are
encouraged to apply. See the program web site for details and to
download the application form included there
(www.calvin.edu/fss/temple01.htm).
Stipends:
Participants will receive a stipend of $2500 and free lodging during
the seminar. Weekday lunches are provided for seminar members and funds
are available (up to $500) to help defray travel expenses. It is hoped
that participants' home institutions will also contribute toward travel
costs.
Facilities and Services:
The seminar staff will make all logistical arrangements for
participants and their families. Lodging is provided free for seminar
participants in campus housing. Spouses and children can also be housed
at no extra cost in air-conditioned two-bedroom apartments. All college
facilities-including the college library (the most extensive research
collection in West Michigan), networked computers, email, and sports
facilities-are available for participants and their families.
Deadline for all applications is February 9, 2001.
Calvin College Seminars in Christian Scholarship
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids MI 49546-4388
Email: seminars@calvin.edu
FAX: 616-957-6682
Phone: 616-957-8558
www.calvin.edu/fss
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