ABRAHAMIC REFLECTIONS ON RANDOMNESS & PROVIDENCE
2017-2019
Thanks to a nearly $1M grant from the John Templeton Foundation, we have gathered an impressive array of scholars—scientists and philosophers worldwide—from each of the Abrahamic faiths to address the problem of randomness and providence: how can God achieve God’s purposes if reality is random? In each of these communities, we find an ongoing debate between moderate and fundamentalist approaches to religion, one that often pits science against religion. The importance of first-rate scholarship on this topic will serve as an example to these larger communities (scientific and religious) that faith and reason need not compete. Building on the terrific work recently done, we will also be training the next generation of scholars in the field of science and religion who will bring fresh eyes, new thoughts, and novel models to the field.
Each year, we will gather together to lay the foundation for a robust Abrahamic scholarly community. Together as a group, we will think out loud and at the highest levels about issues in science and religion. Each gathering will include an introduction to one of the three religions. We aim to build bridges, learn about one another’s faith traditions, inspire new thinking, and generate new writings in science and religion. The gatherings and their related activities include:
2017- Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. Check out the full conference summary here: 2017 Conference
2018 - Ohrid, Macedonia. We will meet together to share midterm/preliminary results of our research and to continue to build bridges/relationships.
2019 - Amman, Jordan. This gathering will include, in cooperation with Phi Science, a concluding workshop for all scholarly participants as well as a concluding conference. Participants will also present their written work with comments received from our Abrahamic scholarly community. We will use the comments and criticisms to prepare our final drafts for the books.
CONFERENCE INTERVIEWS
Nidhal Guessoum
Silvia Jonas
Meghan Page