The CSH Science & Religion Forum aims to bring scientists, philosophers and theologians together, once a year, to have constructive, interdisciplinary discussions on a broad range of topics. It is led by CSH Postdoc Dr. Jessica Lampe, who is jointly appointed with the Faculty of Theology at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
Science and religion have often been perceived as contradictory. Supporting a more harmonious picture of their relationship, some authors have argued that scientific inquiry has principled limitations and thus leaves territory to religion and theology, for instance regarding the meaning of existence and human values.
But does this division lead to a stable situation in which science and religion fulfill different tasks, thus complementing each other? Or does the proposed partitioning fail? Where exactly are the limits of scientific inquiry? And to what extent is religion or theology in a position to step in and to deal with concerns not addressed by the sciences? And where is there common ground?
The 2019 conference aims to address such questions, focusing on four areas: cosmology; values; the meaning of life and the first-personal standpoint; and applied social science research confronted with religion. Scholars from various natural and social sciences, theology and philosophy are gathering to engage in truly cross-disciplinary exchange. Our aspiration is to identify themes of common interest and re-negotiate the borderlines between science and religion.
