Program description:

Conventional wisdom holds that faith in the God of the Bible has been a relentless opponent of the scientific approach to knowledge. Supposedly, the scientific revolution succeeded only by overcoming theological objections (e.g., the Galileo heresy case). In fact, precisely the opposite is true: the great scientific discoveries of early science were possible only because of a widespread conviction that a reasonable God had created both us and the world and had intended us to grow in our understanding. The great American philosopher of metaphysics and epistemology Alvin Plantinga has argued (in Where the Conflict Really Lies) that our empirical knowledge is possible only on a theistic foundation. In this seminar, we will examine both potential conflicts between faith and science and modes of interdependency and mutual support between them.

Our COVID response for our programs:

Our seminars are designed for the local Austin community to be enriched through in-person discussion. In keeping to this program’s purpose and the times we are in, our in-person attendance follows the City of Austin’s most current COVID guidelines. In-person attendance is offered on a first come first serve basis, and all others will be emailed a Zoom link. If for any reason you do not want to participate in person, please, let us know in advance, so that your spot could be filled by someone else. Thank you for your understanding!

About our Scholar:

Professor Robert Koons, University of Texas at Austin

Professor Robert Koons specializes in philosophical logic and in the application of logic to long-standing philosophical problems, including metaphysics, philosophy of mind and intentionality, semantics, political philosophy and metaethics, and philosophy of religion. His book Paradoxes of Belief and Strategic Rationality (Cambridge, 1992) received the Aarlt Prize from the Council of Graduate Schools in 1994. He is the author of Realism Regained (OUP, 2000) and the co-editor (with George Bealer) of The Waning of Materialism (OUP, 2010). He is at work with Tim Pickavance on a textbook on metaphysics. He is working on analytic Aristotelianism and social ontology.

About this semester's themes:

The Great Divides

Polarization is a buzz word and all one has to do is spend a few minutes on the internet or watching TV to figure out why. On issue after issue, we are divided. From constitutional law to climate change to the relationship between religion and science, the spring 2021 semester's programming at the Austin Institute is designed to convey a sense of the landscape, to map out many of the biggest disagreements separating Americans.