10:00 am - 12:00 pm:

Introduction

Chapters 1-3 of Science, Truth and Democracy by Philip Kitcher

"Striving to boldly redirect the philosophy of science, this book by renowned philosopher

Philip Kitcher examines the heated debate surrounding the role of science in shaping our lives."

--Oxford University Press

Chapter 6 of The Missing Moment by Robert Pollack: "The Fear of Death"

"[Robert Pollack] reports that within the past few years scientists have discovered how a 40-cycle-per-second wave, arising from deep inside the thalamus, sweeps through the entire brain, constantly binding together sensory information and memories. Synthesizing these findings, Pollack contends that our minds function only via continual reference to the past. The whole scientific enterprise, he argues, is just as prone to unconscious fears and fantasies as is any person. The collective myth of science and of biomedicine, in Pollack's diagnosis, involves misplaced beliefs in the omnipotence of rational thought,

absolute control over nature and triumph over death."

-- Publishers Weekly

 

2:00pm - 4:00 pm

 

Introduction, continued: How did the Universe Begin?

 

Chapter 1 of The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

 

"Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia Universities,

makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all."

--Publisher's Weekly

 

Chapter 5 of God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow

 

"Dr. Jastrow places the facts before us so lucidly that the Cosmos becomes a living thing."
-- John Barkham Reviews

 

"If every effect in science has a cause, what caused the birth of the Universe? Have scientists brought themselves face to face with the possibility of God? In God and the Astronomers , Dr. Robert Jastrow, world-renowned astrophysicist, describes the astronomical discoveries of recent years and the theological implications of the new insights afforded by science into mankind's place in the cosmos."

--Book Description from the Publisher, W. W. Norton & Company

 

 

Optional Event, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m

 

Spirituality, Religious Wisdom, and the Care of the Patient
A Jewish/Protestant Dialogue

 

Speakers:

Rabbi Mychal Springer, M.A.
Associate Dean of the Rabbinical School and Director of Field Education,

The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York , NY

 

Rev. Dr. Leroy Gilbert, Ph.D., Senior Pastor,

Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, Washington, DC

 

Event Flyer (PDF)

 

Please note: To access PDF documents, your computer must have Adobe Reader.

 

"Spirituality, Religious Wisdom and the Care of the Patient" is hosted by

the Columbia University Center for Bioethics and co-sponsored by

the Bioethics Institute of New York, Columbia Medical College,

St. Vincent's Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center