Spring 2006 Program
Sunday April 23 at 4:30
Stem Cell Research
|
|
 |
Michael J. Werner, Esq. |
Dr. Florence Gelo |
Congressman Mike Castle with Dana Reeve |
Michael J Werner Esq., President of The Werner Group, a Washington, DC-based public policy consulting firm and former chief of policy for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) will discuss what is happening at the frontiers of stem cell research.
Dr. Florence Gelo, professor of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine, and Unitarian Universalist Minister, Thomas Paine UU Fellowship, Collegeville PA will discuss religious viewpoints and ethical issues that inform the public debate on stem cell research.
Mike Castle, Delaware's Congressman, will speak to the present state of lefislation in regards to stem cell research.
Tuesday April 25 in Brunner Chapel at 7:00PM--Follow up Program
Continuing discussion on stem cell research and the ethical implications with the help of Nova videos.
May 21 – watch for a special program
About D-DoSER
Delaware Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (D-DoSER) is one of 200 Local Societies around the world sponsored by the Metanexus Institute (www.metanexus.net) to explore issues in and between science and religion. Recently D-DoSER won a $15,000 grant (over 3 years) from non-profit Metanexus Institute of Philadelphia to sponsor lectures and dialogues on the interaction of Science, Ethics and Religion. First Unitarian took the lead. A joint team will host on-going dialogues with local speakers and also seek nationally-known speakers for periodic major public events.
For more information contact Parry Norling at 302-652-5377, Patti Emmons at First Unitarian Church 302-478-2384 or send an email message to d-doser@comcast.net
Main Program 3rd Sunday of each month, A discussion/Dialog on the following Tuesday evening
All Sunday presntations: 4:30 - 6 PM
All Tuesday discussion/dialogues 7-9 PM.
All events hosted by First Unitarian (see http://www.firstu.org/)
All presentations held at First Unitarian at 730 Halstead Road, Wilmington DE (intersection of route 202, just behind the old New Castle County library). For directions, see http://www.firstu.org/contact.php
Prior Programs
September 18 Towards a Constructive Theology of Evolution (The kickoff)
William Grassie will give a brief introduction to the theories of evolution, the variety of religious response to evolution, and in conclusion, a survey of some constructive theologies of evolution prominent among Christian thinkers today.He distinguishes between “what happened when” in natural history and the “how and why”of evolutionary theories, arguing for theoretical pluralism that moves beyond random genetic drift and natural selection as the only engine of biodiversity. It is argued that this pluralistic view of biological complexity is more in harmony with a theological understanding of a creator God, who is “compassionate and merciful”.
For an excellent NY Times Series on the Evolution vs. Intelligent Design (PDF) 8/21/05 8/22/05 8/23/05
Need Acrobat Reader? Go to Adobe website to get free copy
 William Grassie is founder and executive director of the Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science (www.metanexus.net). Metanexus currently runs some 300 projects at universities in 37 countries. Grassie also serves as executive editor of the Institute’s online magazine and discussion forum with over 140,000 monthly page views and over 7000 regular subscribers in 57 different countries.He has taught in a variety of positions at Temple University, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania. Grassie received his doctorate in religion from Temple University in 1994 and his BA from Middlebury College in 1979. Prior to graduate school, Grassie worked for ten years in religiously-based social service and advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C; Jerusalem, Israel-Palestine; Berlin, Germany; and Philadelphia, PA. He is the recipient of a number of academic awards and grants from the American Friends Service Committee, the Roothbert Fellowship, and the John Templeton Foundation. He is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).William Grassie is the son of May Hatchard and Dr. Vernon Grassie (deceased) formerly from Hockessin, DE and was active as a teenager in the First Unitarian Church in Wilmington |
October 16 Science, Religon and the Origins of Life
Ivar "Bud" Lundgaard will speak on the fascinating story of the development of scientific theories of evolution from the time of the European enlightenment to the current consensus known as neo-Darwinism and make comparisons with various contemporary nonscientific religious theories. Ivar Lundgaard is a chemical engineer, a retired DuPont executive, a past President of the Delaware Symphony and a most popular instuctor at the Academy of Life Long Learning
November 20 The Galileo Affair: It's Not Simply Science Vs. Religion
Richard "Dick"Kirk was an Episcopal priest for 46 years, having first received a degree in engineering from Princeton. He has theological degrees from three institutions and is former rector, Church of the Advent in Kennett Square. He is currently an organizational consultant and another popular instuctor at the Academy of Life Long Learning.
Sunday, January 15 in the Sanctuary at 4:30
Nanotechnology
|
|
| Krishna Doraiswamy, Research Planning Manager at DuPont |
Reverend Barbara Gadon, First Unitarian Church
|
With nanoscale science and engineering, scientists can observe, design, measure and control the structure of matter on a length scale approaching one one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. This capability has potential applications in medicine, electronics, energy production, surface coatings, and a host of other end uses. Applications that are widely discussed range from the mundane (more durable paint) to the fantastic (e.g. "space elevators" connecting the earth to orbiting space stations). The US Government alone is spending nearly $1 billion annually in nano-research, and many states, including Delaware, see this new knowledge area as an important factor in their future economic development. Some forecast that "nanotechnology" will contribute to products valued at $2.6 trillion within ten years. But are these forecasts believable? How different is "nanotechnology" really from well-established science and engineering? Do the new possibilities come with new and unfamiliar risks?
Krishna Doraiswamy, Research Planning Manager at DuPont will discuss "Nanotechnology: hope, hype and hard reality at the new scientific frontier."
Reverend Barbara Gadon will challenge us with "The Ethical and Theological implications of Nanotechnology."
Tuesday January 17 in Brunner Chapel at 7:00PM--Follow up program:
We will have a continuing discussion of nanotechnology and the emerging field of Nanoethics
February: Winter break
|
Sunday March 19 at 4:30
Is God All In Your Head?
Brain science is giving us a window into the nature of our minds—and ourselves—that no previous generation could have imagined. As researchers race to uncover the neurobiological basis of even the highest aspects of human experience, it often looks like the self, soul, consciousness, and even God are on the verge of being reduced to the mere firing of our neurons. But can neuroscience alone account for the mysteries of consciousness—for paranormal phenomena, near-death experiences, and mysticism? Or do we need a new scientific paradigm that is as true to the human heart as it is to the laboratory?
Join Craig Hamilton, consciousness researcher and former editor of What Is Enlightenment? magazine, as he searches the uncertain ground between biology and mysticism for a theory of consciousness that embraces both science and the soul.
About Craig Hamilton
For the past eight years, Craig Hamilton has served as managing editor of the award-winning magazine What Is Enlightenment? His feature articles have examined the landscape of an emerging evolutionary spirituality and have explored the work of some of the leading religious thinkers of our time. Hamilton is a founding member of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute, Integral Education colloquium, and a participant in the Synthesis Dialogues, a 35-person interdisciplinary think tank moderated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has lectured widely on topics related to the evolution of consciousness and moderated a panel discussion on the Future of Religion at the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona.
Tuesday March 21 in Brunner Chapel at 7:00PM
Ken Wilber and Consciousness : Sense and the Soul
Gene Thompson, lecturer at the Academy of Life Long Learning and coordinator of the Community for Integrative Learning will discuss Ken Wilber’s integration of science and religion. Ken Wilber is seen as one of the most important pioneers in the field of consciousness today.
|
