Science, Religion, and Modern Physicists: New Studies

Monday, 17 February 2014: 9:45 AM-11:15 AM
Columbus AB (Hyatt Regency Chicago)
Recent work on the religious lives and beliefs of leading physicists raises interesting questions about the interaction of science and religion in the modern period. How can religious values and attitudes influence the actual practice of science? How do religious beliefs and experiences shape the ways in which scientists interpret science for non-scientific audiences? These questions are addressed in this symposium, which focuses on three influential scientists who regarded themselves as religious and who wrote about science for wider audiences: Arthur Eddington, a Quaker; Arthur Holly Compton, a Presbyterian; and Albert Einstein, a Jew.
Organizer:
Paul Arveson, AAAS Center for Science, Policy, and Society Programs
Co-Organizer:
Jennifer Wiseman, AAAS Center for Science, Policy, and Society Programs
Discussant:
Ronald Numbers, University of Wisconsin
Speakers:
Matthew Stanley, New York University
On Being a Religious Scientist: The Case of A.S. Eddington
Steve Gimbel, Gettysburg College
Einstein: The “Jewish” Physicist
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