描述

The Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion(IRC) conducts research into religious beliefs and theologicalconcepts in relation to the sciences. Research into beliefs focuseson the application of scientific tools to religious phenomena, suchas in the Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR). Research intotheological concepts focuses principally on those metaphysicalprinciples, such as persons, that are important to theology and arebeing seen from new perspectives by current developments inscience. Members of the Centre also carry out extensive work on thehistory of science and religion, often challenging simplisticaccounts of what has been a complex and varied interaction.

Besides research, the Centre also runs a series of publicseminars, generally once every two weeks during term time,attracting up to a hundred people. Recent speakers have includedErnan McMullin, O’Hara Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at NotreDame, on Darwin and the other Christian Tradition, Sarah Coakley,Norris-Hulse Professor in Divinity at Cambridge, on Evolution andthe Problem of Divine Providence and Roger Scruton, VisitingProfessor of Philosophy at Oxford, on Neuroscience and the Soul.Speakers over the next twelve months include Iain McGilchrist onneuroscience, religion and the divided brain and Dame Jocelyn BellBurnell, famous for her work on the discovery of radio pulsars.

Due to the extremely high level of public interest in mattersconnected with science and religion, members of the Centre are alsofrequently asked to give public presentations, provide comments tothe media and give talks at schools. Such appearances contribute tothe many ways in which the Theology Faculty has an impact in thewider community. In the last twelve months, members of the Centrehave contributed to programmes and articles for the BBC, Channel 4,the Times Higher Education Supplement, the Church Times and theCatholic Times. In the international media, the Centre has alsobeen consulted recently by Avvenire in Italy and NHK Japan PublicBroadcasting.