2008 Institute on Religion in an Age of Science Conference

Saturday, July 26 to Saturday, August 2

Website: iras.org

Theme: Emergence: Nature’s Mode of Creativity – The Human Dimension:
In 2006 we explored the concept of emergence in its non-human contexts (see iras.org/pastconf.html). This year we will consider emergence in the context of the human, ranging across our cognitive, emotional, linguistic, cultural, artistic, and religious capacities.

Emergent properties arise out of relationships, like the neuronal signaling patterns that generate mental experience or the interpersonal connections that generate communal identity. The core thesis of the conference is that human mental evolution was not just “evolution as usual.” Rather, it was a case of “emergent evolution,” traversing a causal threshold as fundamental as did the emergence of life, which in turn made biological evolution possible. Similarly, the emergence of symbolic communication made possible the subsequent co-evolution of brain, language, and culture, driving technology and generating new forms of consciousness in which vast webs of collective cognition and intersubjectivity are possible, many manifest in our religious traditions.

Questions to be explored include: How does the human conscious self differ from consciousness in other animals, and how does it arise? How does human language differ from other forms of communication, and what is its role in shaping our consciousness? In what ways might electronic communication generate emergent changes in human identity and community? Where do our aesthetic sensibilities come from? How do our symbolic capacities help us understand empathy, meaning, and purpose? Is a cosmology of emergence consistent with existing moral, spiritual, metaphysical, and theological frameworks? How might it influence, or even transform, them?

Youth Program: Professionally designed and led for ages 3 to 17.

Chairs: Terrence Deacon, Phillip Clayton, and Ursula Goodenough, Biology Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, (314) 935-6836, fax (314) 935-5125, ursula@biology.wustl.edu.

Minister: Rev. Edmund Robinson, First Church (UU), Belmont MA.

Registration: A room and board deposit of $150/person and registration fee of $125/adult ($100 before March 10 for IRAS members or non-members applying for membership by March 10) and $100/youth (3-17) [up to $500/family] are due with registration. Registration is free for children under 3; parents are responsible for them at all times. Please mail ONE CHECK, payable to “IRAS,” completed registration form, and business-sized SASE ($.63) to Bonnie Falla, IRAS Registrar, 810 1/2 North 9th St., Allentown, PA 18102, (610) 432-8711, bfall@enter.net. The registration fee (less 20%) and full room and board deposit are refundable until June 17. Scholarships: Please see Web site, www.iras.org.

Room and Board: Please see 7–night conference rates, page 13.

Boat Schedule: Depart Rye Saturday, July 29, 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. Depart Star Saturday, August 5, 8:15 and 10:15 a.m. For more on boats and parking, see page 10.

Photo © Doug Burton