Calvin College - Science, Philosophy, and Belief: Range of Topics

Range of Topics:*

This initiative aims to support an ongoing conversation between Chinese scholars and their western colleagues about the relation between science, philosophy and belief. The conversation will begin with a seminar in North America and a conference in China. The range of possible topics for discussion is wide, as the list below indicates.

Science & Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Environmental Stewardship
Bioethics

Biology
Sociobiology
Neurology and Culture
Evolution and Creation
Evolutionary Explanations of Religion/Morality
Evolution and Cooperation
The Cognitive Science of Religion/Morality
Evolution and Cooperation
Evolution and the Quest for Purpose

Astronomy-Cosmology
The Origin of the Universe
The Epistemology of Cosmic Models
The Fine-Tuning Argument
The Cosmic Anthropic Principle
Physics and Meaning
Physics and Meaning
Quantum Phenomena and Free Will

General Topics
Human Nature
Free Will
Philosophy of Mind (Science and Soul)
Emotion and Cognition
Science and Spirituality
Miracles
Scientific Reasoning
Origins of Modern Science
Realism/Anti-Realism

Historical Figures
Rene Descartes
Leibniz
Immanuel Kant
Thomas Reid
Robert Boyle
Michael Faraday

Comparative Philosophy
Comparing Western views on
any of the above topics with, for
example, Confucianism, Daoism or
Buddhism

*This list is not exhaustive but is merely intended to be suggestive of the wide range of topics in the field of science and belief.