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17 NOV 2024 · Christ, Science, and Reason: What We Can Know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles.
Our presenters
Christ, Science, and Reason: What We Can Know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles
Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, PhD
Father Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. is President of the Spitzer-Magis Center of Reason and Faith (www.magiscenter.com). He was President of Gonzaga University from 1998 to 2009. He is the author of fifteen books, including the award-winning New Proofs for the Existence of God, and most recently, Science, Reason, and Faith: Discovering the Bible. Father Spitzer has his own EWTN weekly television show called Father Spitzer’s Universe. He has appeared on the Larry King Show (debating Stephen Hawking), the History Channel, the Today Show, and PBS. Father Spitzer has partnered with Sophia Institute in publishing apologetics courses for middle and high school students, arming them with contemporary science-based evidence of the complementarity of faith and science.
Abstract
Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., closely examines the scientific evidence for: The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin The Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist from three recent scientifically investigated Eucharistic miracles The supernatural dimensions of the apparitions of Mary manifest in the Tilma of Guadalupe, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and many healing miracles connected with the Grotto of Lourdes. This work also presents a summary of contemporary historical and exegetical evidence for the historicity, Passion, and Resurrection of Jesus, and concludes with a consideration of the Catholic Church and science—particularly the Church’s contributions to science, the complementarity of science and the Bible, and the complementarity of physical evolution and the creation of a soul. The book makes clear that the Catholic Church is not anti-science, but quite the opposite—it is one of the most scientifically aware religious denominations in the world. It will also be clear that science is not anti-God, anti-Christ, or anti-religious. On the contrary, its tools and methods give considerable credible evidence for all of them.
The Importance of Fr. Spitzer’s Christ, Science, and Reason
Thomas P. Sheahen, PhD
Dr. Thomas P. Sheahen, director emeritus of ITEST, earned BS and PhD degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his 45-year career as a research physicist, predominantly in energy sciences, he worked for various industrial and national laboratories. In the 1990s, Sheahen wrote the textbook Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity. More recently, he wrote the book https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/everywhen/, which stands at the intersection of faith and science, and explains how mankind’s limited capabilities have led to a deficient and weak perception of God.
Abstract
Long ago it was recognized that, outside of mathematics, no one can prove a proposition. The nearest thing to a proof is to assemble evidence which is strongly convincing and then draw the most reasonable and responsible conclusion. This was termed an “informal inference” by Cardinal Newman in the 19th century. With this book, Fr. Spitzer has examined a number of miraculous events over many centuries and has provided the detailed evidence necessary to draw the reasonable and responsible conclusion that they are truly supernatural occurrences. He devotes attention to the scientific instruments and techniques used to research these miracles, and therefore, the attentive reader is much better able to counter the superficial dismissive arguments put forth by atheists and secularists. For example, in 1988 a carbon-dating measurement seemed to indicate that the Shroud of Turin was of medieval origin, which delighted the atheists. Father Spitzer looked carefully at many other kinds of experimental evidence that has been found in more recent decades, and he demonstrates why the 1988 measurement was incorrect. In reality, the shroud dates from the first century AD. Similarly, Fr. Spitzer takes on the critics of the Tilma of Juan Diego in the 16th century, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima in the 20th century, and several Eucharistic miracles in the modern age where scientific evidence shows that there is NO naturalistic explanation. In all cases, what differentiates this book from other authors is Fr. Spitzer’s commitment to following the Scientific Method to test each hypothesis and his excellent knowledge of both the capability and the limitations of science. Consequently, “Christ, Science, and Reason” is a major contribution to our understanding of miracles and gives the reader great confidence that the asserted claims of the Catholic Church are the most reasonable and responsible position to hold. Once again, Newman’s “informal inference” is that Catholicism is verified by these miracles.
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12 OTT 2024 · In this ITEST webinar, Dr. Rob Koons and Dr. Terrence Lagerlund deliver talks on Brain and Artificial Intelligence: A Tale of Two Computers, but Only One Made in the Image of God (October 12, 2024)
AI and Aristotle: Why No Artifact could ever be Conscious
Robert C. (“Rob”) Koons is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds an M. A. from Oxford and a Ph.D. from UCLA. He is the author or co-author of five books, including https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Reality-Comprehensive-Guide-Metaphysics/dp/1119116260/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SQPRALFACSM5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9vzJz0aak88SeNCidOfyhg.WR_J-AmhGFL8NiD-N8XIiqLEOKVxwIh0dDsQ_2DT_Lg&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Atlas+of+Reality%3A+A+Comprehensive+Guide+to+Metaphysics&qid=1720481794&s=books&sprefix=the+atlas+of+reality+a+comprehensive+guide+to+metaphysics%2Cstripbooks%2C260&sr=1-1 with Timothy H. Pickavance (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017) and https://www.amazon.com/Thomass-Aristotelian-Philosophy-Nature-Obsolete/dp/1587314320/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2POH03P516MCI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kvZDNP1mGLtT4isD6_FxSA.1mvGW06u3ZdJdTGWzewr-ZEbAOYsLPjOfe1ypgf0dpk&dib_tag=se&keywords=Is+Thomas+Aquinas%27s+Philosophy+of+Nature+Obsolete%3F&qid=1720482110&s=books&sprefix=is+thomas+aquinas%27s+philosophy+of+nature+obsolete+%2Cstripbooks%2C174&sr=1-1 (St. Augustine Press, 2022). He is the co-editor of four anthologies, including https://www.amazon.com/Waning-Materialism-Robert-C-Koons/dp/0199556199/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JB9A5ER3WRZH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.b5C1FVUVC2OyTg9aFBUb-73GLcNcFX5g5oLVmxENNPxWsodEu-1ry6sjTCfd6YCu.HL9fqPmfMEzACK_h6W61SZXtfkRnUM8V0bhFmRvhoF8&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Waning+of+Materialism&qid=1720481891&s=books&sprefix=the+waning+of+materialism%2Cstripbooks%2C224&sr=1-1 (OUP, 2010) and https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Routledge-Studies-Philosophy-Religion/dp/1032060646/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30W0ONWOQ9WII&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ue5M3S9PqoHEsxLfebh8bk-u-f8fZhtuPUDhCIlU2NiwqArlQ9lRfpd4eKdcj9nfsaxWF9PWW8LHbc7jAMfubX268FCe8HDzfCVW7HMMRS90X6bOu2YyJeCBGqNJcv2Y94LU939Q0gRbpI1aELdsQTTW5EOX8f6NfCCqMaE_2Y4.LE3JfvHZ2Y-xtWfWobiUXWE9T80PCodo6Qb5Ytqq4SQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=Classical+Theism+%28Routledge%29&qid=1720482199&s=books&sprefix=classical+theism+routledge+%2Cstripbooks%2C135&sr=1-1 (Routledge 2023). He has been working recently on an Aristotelian interpretation of quantum theory, and on defending and articulating hylomorphism in contemporary terms.
Abstract
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle developed a comprehensive philosophy of nature that laid the foundations for all subsequent scientific inquiry. A central notion of Aristotle’s notion is that of a substance (ousia in Greek)—an essentially independent entity that has the highest possible degree of unity (what Thomas Aquinas called ‘per se unity’). Living organisms have this kind of unity, which explains their possession of essentially unified causal powers, like nutrition, growth, and sensation. Simple, homogeneous inorganic substances also exist, like drops of water or quartz crystals. However, all human artifacts, including all robots and computers, are mere “heaps” of inorganic components, lacking the sort of unity required for life, sensation, and consciousness. AI programs can emulate the behavior of conscious organisms, but there is an irreducible gap between appearance and reality.
Terrence Lagerlund, MD, PhD
Brain, Soul, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Mystery
Dr. Terrence Lagerlund has been a neurologist in the Division of Epilepsy at Mayo Clinic for 35 years, treating patients with epilepsy and interpreting their electroencephalograms. He also lectures to residents and fellows on electroencephalography including basic principles of electricity and neurophysiology. He has published papers and authored book chapters on electroencephalography and epilepsy, particularly regarding quantitative analysis of electroencephalograms. Prior to becoming a neurologist, he obtained a Ph.D. in physics and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science (doing research at Brookhaven National Laboratory and CERN) and as a term physicist at Fermilab.
Abstract
Some computer scientists claim that artificial general intelligence systems will soon be created which can duplicate and eventually far exceed the intellectual abilities of humans. In this presentation we will compare the architecture and learning ability of artificial neural networks implemented on an electronic digital machine and the neural networks of the human brain (of which Professor Marvin Minsky of MIT once pronounced that “the brain is merely a meat machine”). We will demonstrate by philosophical arguments and a mathematical theorem involving Turing machines that understanding abstract concepts, abstract reasoning to ascertain truth, and making free decisions are powers of the human mind that exceed the capabilities of any physical system whether made of electronic circuits or of biological neurons; rather, these capabilities require a nonphysical soul that tightly integrates with the human brain, because of which we can truly say that humans are made in the image and likeness of God. We will also discuss a new theory of how the soul may interact with the brain by influencing the outcome of quantum processes involving passage of ions through neuronal ion channels within the brain’s neural networks synchronized by the 40-70 Hz oscillation, and thereby continually influence retrieval of memories and behavioral choices occurring in these networks so as to allow the soul’s choice based on rational deliberation to cause a neuronal network undergoing chaotic behavior to converge upon a different final state (attractor), thereby allowing the soul’s choice to be implemented in the brain and body.
https://faithscience.org/tale-of-two-computers/
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17 AGO 2024 · In this ITEST webinar entitled "A New Understanding of Quantum Mechanics: Back to Aristotle and Aquinas" Dr. Robert Kurland, Kenneth Francis, and Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, discuss metaphysics, epistemology, and quantum physics. (August 17, 2024)
In the order of appearance,
Sebastian Mahfood, OP, PhD, "Introduction to Aristotelian-Thomistic Metaphysics"
Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Director of ITEST, is a Lay Dominican of the Province of Saint Albert the Great. He has served as a professor of intercultural and interdisciplinary studies in theological education for over two decades. In 2021, he transitioned full-time to developing his publishing house, https://www.enroutebooksandmedia.com/, and his radio station, https://www.wcatradio.com/, the missions of which are to promote the Catholic spiritual journey in the provision of resources that assist in the formation of priests and laity. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Mahfood, and children, Alexander and Eva Ruth.
Abstract
“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses” – so begins Aristotle’s Metaphysics, less a metaphysical statement than an epistemological one, but it sets the tone for everything that follows in terms of the third level of abstraction, being qua being, since it indicates the hylomorphic nature of man as both spiritual and material. The immaterial mind learns when the body, formed by the soul, perceives through its senses an ambient reality, generating a phantasm which no longer relies on the sensory impression. One need only touch fire once, for example, to get the idea of “hot.” Are there ways in which metaphysics can help us understand quantum mechanics? Certainly! And that is the subject of this talk.
Kenneth Francis, "God and Quantum Theory "
Kenneth Francis is a freelance journalist and Contributing Editor at New English Review. For the past 30 years, he has worked as an editor in various publications and print media, as well as a university professor in journalism. He also holds an MA in Theology and is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Mind-Cosmos-Truth-ebook/dp/B0785KF89D (St Pauls Publishing); https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Existence-Ecclesiastes-Theatre-Absurd/dp/194300322X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VPYW3RRREMCH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mvJ4Q9Bh1j-jC1_cZT9qfbzSf43pTZKCvnuuK-gF5s7GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.pRBfQteHlgLlYvXrlNXnSflBSep1_i9h7pqV1qFJcHM&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Terror+of+Existence%3A+From+Ecclesiastes+to+Theatre+of+the+Absurd&qid=1715370234&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+terror+of+existence+from+ecclesiastes+to+theatre+of+the+absurd%2Cdigital-text%2C124&sr=1-1-catcorr (with Theodore Dalrymple); and https://www.amazon.com/Neither-Trumpets-Violins-Theodore-Dalrymple/dp/1943003572/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AGB42X0RKTZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kvMkYKzw-BzA0U_YttdqRMVAOvUuPg8pUM-ixw-K80DUVh4IfxZP1qqgZ0twEmZaSyiJzn9ZL0wk-UOUdWgHtL2T1z1AKHKhaTz_niMocvSjyJ-erNNb3Thw-ZHErw8ux9xkYa0l6gbtmS5uXV0MVhdbw-K3VYOVN_dDklJGnUTNFsHMt2QfobfUEbTZZodUWiZXka4oaETbSfMokh8w0EAyQCelJLsA-4AqpAuf3wM.ZleA_IaTDhl1W-vEaKASOWWd-oRP-CIaruJod_hlu6w&dib_tag=se&keywords=Neither+Trumpets+Nor+Violins&qid=1715370305&s=digital-text&sprefix=neither+trumpets+nor+violins%2Cdigital-text%2C288&sr=1-1-catcorr (with Theodore Dalrymple and Samuel Hux).
Abstract
In understanding the universe, it seems that quantum theory, according to most physicists, is the final mysterious frontier of cosmic science. If so, I believe that this boundary can only be understood fully by a Mind possessing omniscience: God. The serpent in the Garden of Eden successfully conned Adam and Eve into believing they could achieve omniscience, and we all know what happened after that mother-of-all conceited errors. I often wonder did the serpent also tempt the ‘Adam and Eve’ scientists in Switzerland’s ‘Garden of CERN’, with its Large Hadron Collider in search of the so-called ‘God particle’. Even Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein was written by the shores of Lake Geneva, next door to CERN, with its potential for creating another Frankenstein’s monster.
Robert Kurland, PhD, "A ‘New’ Understanding of Quantum Mechanics: Back to Aristotle and Aquinas"
Dr. Robert Kurland (a convert to Catholicism in 1995) is a retired physicist who has applied magnetic resonance to problems of biological interest in his research (web search: “Kurland-McGarvey Equation”). He began to learn about quantum mechanics at Caltech (BS, “with honor,” 1951) and Harvard (MS,1953; Ph.D.,1956) from courses taught by Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger. In teaching quantum mechanics to students at Carnegie-Mellon University and SUNY/AB he found that mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics was an obstacle to understanding. So, in his talk he will try to explain what quantum mechanics is about using a minimum of mathematics, as he did in his book https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/mysteries/.
Abstract
In this talk, I’ll give a brief, qualitative, pictorial explanation of quantum mechanics, from a historical perspective. Two mysteries of quantum mechanics (behavior not in accord with our everyday intuition), the wavelike nature of particles, and entanglement, will be illustrated in simple examples. I’ll examine how philosophers of science have recently used two concepts, actus (actus essendi) and potentia, to explain these mysteries and put them into a context of Aristotelian/Thomistic metaphysics.
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8 GIU 2024 · ABORTION PILL REVERSAL – TRUTH OR FICTION?
https://faithscience.org/abortion-pill-reversal/
OUR PRESENTERS
STEPHEN SAMMUT, PHD
ABORTION-PILL REVERSAL: PRECLINICAL EVIDENCE
Dr. Stephen Sammut received a B.Pharm from Monash University (Victoria, Australia) and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Malta (Malta, Europe). His research utilizes preclinical models to investigate psychopathological behavior. He has authored and co-authored papers in leading scientific journals, including his groundbreaking studies relating to abortion and abortion-pill reversal. His research efforts currently focus on investigating: 1) the neurological, biological and behavioral consequences of drug-induced abortion, 2) the abortion-pill-reversal, 3) the development of an animal model for relocating the embryo in ectopic pregnancy and 4) mental health and related behaviors in the university student population.
ABSTRACT
Abortion-pill reversal (APR) is the process where a woman, regretting her abortion shortly after taking mifepristone (RU486), is administered progesterone in an effort to stop and reverse the abortion process. APR is treated as medically/scientifically unsound and dangerous to women. However, what does the reality tell us? Does objective reality support the narrative fed to the public? This presentation will seek to address the objective scientific reality underlying APR, including recent findings from my laboratory. The presentation will also address briefly the previous preclinical findings pertaining to the negative consequences of abortion and aspects relating to the abuses and manipulation of objective scientific truth in the current mode of operation of the scientific and medical fields that are driving the attack on APR.
STACY TRASANCOS, PHD
FROM BLUE JEANS TO VACCINES: THE CONSCIENCE OF AN ABORTIFACIENT WORLD
Stacy Trasancos has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State University and worked as a senior research chemist for DuPont before converting to Catholicism. She left her career to stay home with her children. In those years, she earned a M.A. in dogmatic theology and published five books on the integration of science and theology. Dr. Trasancos teaches online science and theology courses for Seton Hall University, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and Belmont Abbey College and is a Fellow of the Word on Fire Institute. She is, at last, pursuing a second M.A. in systematic philosophy.
ABSTRACT
An abortion is characterized by pro-choice advocates as a concern of personal autonomy, expressed most succinctly in Planned Parenthood v Casey (1992): “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.” The abortion industry naturally exploits this narrative by politicizing in the name of human rights a procedure that denies those very rights. At the heart of these politics is an anti-personhood agenda that counts on the complicity of pro-life advocates. Such a shaky moral landscape became apparent during COVID when prominent Catholic leaders were promoting, under the principle of double-effect, immorally created vaccines as morally licit. This presentation will engage the moral dimension of an issue that pervades even those areas of our lives where we least expect it to surface.
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13 APR 2024 · In this webinar of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology, Sr. Marysia Weber, RSM, and Dr. Kevin Powell, discuss the effects of social media on children. (April 13, 2024)
Is the increasing number of hours that children are spending using smartphones having any effects on their brains and psychosocial well-being? Research is telling us that the answer to this question is a resounding yes! This presentation will address how excessive use of digital devices is impacting psychosocial maturation and is altering brain development in ways similar to the alterations noted in substance use disorders. Practical means of addressing these detrimental effects will also be highlighted.
Technology changes communication and social lifestyles. This has been true since the invention of the printing press and the telephone. Technological progress will have both positive and negative effects on society. It is not enough to measure harms and act like outraged Luddites. Ethical societies measure and balance the positive impacts. It is not enough to weigh pros and cons. Communities should regulate technology so that positives are appropriately rewarded, negatives are mitigated, and just remediation is provided for economic externalities that generate profit for some while harming other people, society, and the environment. Laws are not enough. Moral formation needs to be updated and augmented to enable beneficial development and adoption of technology. Children, who have never known anything different, are the most strongly impacted by the harms, the least able to resist trends, and the most in need of the moral formation.
https://faithscience.org/children-and-social-media/
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25 FEB 2024 · WILLIAM BADKE - ENGAGING FACULTY IN TEACHING RESEARCH PROCESSES
William Badke grew up in Kelowna, BC, Canada. After completing a B.A. at the University of British Columbia in 1971 and a Master of Divinity (1975) and Master of Theology (1977) he taught at a college in Nigeria, West Africa for two years before returning to teach at Northwest Baptist Theological College in Vancouver, BC. In 1985 he earned a Master of Library Science degree at the University of British Columbia and currently serves as Associate Librarian for Associated Canadian Theological Schools and Information Literacy at Trinity Western University, in Langley, BC. He has published extensively in the area of information literacy as well as fiction and spirituality. His column on information literacy (Infolit Land) appears every two months in Online Searcher and, as of 2023, in Computers in Libraries.
MR. BADKE’S ABSTRACT
Today’s information landscape, whether popular or scholarly, has been radically transformed by the World Wide Web. This has provided significant benefits to human freedoms, education, and development. Yet our knowledge base overall is uneven in quality and possesses a significant power to mislead us. Yet academia has failed to understand that today’s education must include a strong program that will increase the ability of students to handle information and do research. This is not a remedial task but a detailed one that is akin to learning a new language. To achieve these student skills, faculty members in concert with librarians, must rethink the way they educate their students. This is an urgent matter in the theological setting where searching for and knowing the truth is paramount.
STACY A. TRASANCOS, PH.D. - HOW TO RESEARCH SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE IN THE LIGHT OF FAITH
Stacy Trasancos has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State University and worked as a senior research chemist for DuPont before converting to Catholicism. She left her career to stay home with her children. In those years, she earned a M.A. in dogmatic theology and published five books on the integration of science and theology. Dr. Trasancos teaches online science and theology courses for Seton Hall University, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and Belmont Abbey College and is a Fellow of the Word on Fire Institute. She is, at last, pursuing a second M.A. in systematic philosophy.
DR. TRASANCOS’ ABSTRACT
This brief presentation will show you how to navigate scientific literature that is published in global scientific journals by scientists in various fields so that you can determine for yourself the research methods and conclusions. Often in the faith and science dialogue, secondary sources in popular magazines or news outlets present a biased version of the scientific literature. A Catholic scholar can more accurately assess scientific claims by reading the scientific literature him- or herself. The reports are much easier to navigate once you understand their structure. If you can read Aristotle and Aquinas, you can read modern scientific papers.
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ITEST Webinar "Bridging the Chasm: Quantum Mechanics and Christian Spirituality" (December 16, 2023)
17 DIC 2023 · In this ITEST Webinar "Bridging the Chasm: Quantum Mechanics and Christian Spirituality," Dr. Bob Kurland and Dr. Terrence Lagerlund (December 16, 2023)
BRIDGING THE CHASM: HOW QUANTUM MECHANICS BRINGS TOGETHER THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLDS BY TERRENCE D. LAGERLUND, MD, PHD
Dr. Terrence Lagerlund has been a neurologist in the Division of Epilepsy at Mayo Clinic for 35 years, treating patients with epilepsy and interpreting their electroencephalograms. He also lectures to residents and fellows on electroencephalography including basic principles of electricity and neurophysiology. He has published papers and authored book chapters on electroencephalography and epilepsy, particularly regarding quantitative analysis of electroencephalograms. Prior to becoming a neurologist, he obtained a Ph.D. in physics and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science (doing research at Brookhaven National Laboratory and CERN) and as a term physicist at Fermilab.
ABSTRACT
The God of Judeo-Christian tradition is the Lord of the universe, and scriptures affirm God’s sovereignty over the course of events. However, the discoveries by Newton and others that the universe is governed by rigid laws of cause and effect that are expressed as mathematical formulas engendered the belief that the universe is a complete, closed system of cause and effect (the principle of “causal closure”), and therefore that God cannot possibly influence or change what happens in the physical universe. In this worldview, God, even if he exists, is irrelevant to our lives, and our souls, even if they exist, are irrelevant to what we believe, say, or do. However, quantum mechanics may provide an opening for the spiritual world to influence the physical. Quantum mechanics (QM) describes physical systems by a state vector (SV), a collection of superimposed possible states. During the quantum to classical transition, possible states reduce to one actual state (SV collapse). QM predicts the probability of each possible outcome. SV collapse seems to be an uncaused process with a random result, breaking the deterministic chain of physical causes and effects. Wolfgang Smith hypothesized that God causes SV collapse and chooses the outcome.
TOURING THE WONDERLAND OF QUANTUM MECHANICS BY ROBERT KURLAND, PHD
Dr. Robert Kurland (a convert to Catholicism in 1995) is a retired physicist who has applied magnetic resonance to problems of biological interest in his research (web search: “Kurland-McGarvey Equation”). He began to learn about quantum mechanics at Caltech (BS, “with honor,” 1951) and Harvard (MS,1953; Ph.D.,1956) from courses taught by Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger. In teaching quantum mechanics to students at Carnegie-Mellon University and SUNY/AB he found that mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics was an obstacle to understanding. So, in his talk he will try to explain what quantum mechanics is about using a minimum of mathematics, as he did in his book https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/mysteries/.
ABSTRACT
The talk will give a brief, qualitative, pictorial explanation of quantum mechanics, from a historical perspective. I’ll illustrate two mysteries of quantum mechanics—superposition of states (the Schrödinger Cat paradox) and entanglement—by use of simple examples. Also, I’ll discuss some of the many interpretations of quantum theory, focusing on how they might be related to Catholic teaching.
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3 DIC 2023 · ITEST Webinar entitled "Science, Reason, and Faith: Discovering the Bible" with Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, and Dr. Tom Sheahen (December 2, 2023)
Built into our very nature is a desire to know about the world around us. The big questions of human existence are inescapable: Who am I? Why am I here, and where am I going? Why is there evil in the world? What is the meaning of life?This yearning for truth ultimately leads us to our Creator. God knows the longings of the human heart, and he reveals himself to us through creation, through Scripture, and ultimately through the Incarnation. Because God the Son became man, we have a person to look to in our pursuit of truth: Jesus Christ himself, who is Truth. Christ helps us see that truth is not just the object of science and reason, but what animates the mysterious and loving power of faith.In https://osvcatholicbookstore.com/product/science-reason-and-faith-discovering-the-bible, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, explores in depth the Bible and the intersection of three realms that the secular world tells us are separate and incompatible. Fr. Spitzer draws the modern reader’s attention to the many seeming conflicts between science, reason, and Catholic teaching. By tackling these difficult questions, he shows that it is precisely through the integration of science, reason, and faith that we can truly discover ourselves, our world, and our God.
Fr. Spitzer’s new book Science, Reason and Faith is subtitled Discovering the Bible because it displays the unity between science, the Biblical texts, and the presentation of the Christian faith contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For the scientific reader, it is a reassuring surprise to discover how the elements of faith and science fit together so well.Matters such as finding compatibility between modern physics and cosmology and the text of Genesis 1, or the significance of Old Testament miracles, are explained carefully in a way that a reader without expertise in Biblical scholarship or science can understand. New Testament questions range from the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ miracles, through the full understanding of the real presence of the Eucharist, to the need for there to be an organized religion.Structured in question-and-answer form, multiple topics containing a scientific component are explored across both Old and New Testament. This format enables the reader to quickly locate a particular topic of interest; and thus, the book serves as a handbook or reference guidebook. Several hundred citations guide the reader pursuing greater depth.In my supplement to Fr. Spitzer’s presentation at this Webinar, I will develop some of these topics further, relating them to the principle of God’s omnipresence, which includes God’s supremacy over time, enunciated in my own book Everywhen: God, Symmetry and Time. Our independent approaches converge, which further shows the compatibility of faith and science.
https://faithscience.org/science-reason-faith/
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19 NOV 2023 · In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know This, Too, the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology presents Greg Miller and Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, in a webinar entitled Education and Evangelization in the Age of AI: Promise and Perils (November 18, 2023)
his session will be led by a former Catholic principal and theology teacher, Greg Miller. Dive deep into the intersections of faith and technology, understanding how Artificial Intelligence can be harnessed for the greater glory of God while being vigilant of its challenges. Discover the potential of AI in enhancing Catholic education and evangelization and engage in meaningful discussions of its risks to the people of God.
In a mediated world filled with dystopic science fiction that problematizes a transformative technology like AI, our culture is embracing its promise, perhaps forgetting Marshall McLuhan’s salient point that our technologies first ape us, then shape us. Our Christian faith is already a counter-cultural phenomenon, so authentic and integral human and spiritual formation has never been more important than it is today for the restoration of our human identity created as it was in the image and likeness of God.
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5 NOV 2023 · In this webinar, D. Kristina Olsen, OCDS, talks about Principles of Change: Teresa of Avila’s Carmelite Reform and Insights from Change Management (November 4, 2023)
Dr. Olsen's book draws from organizational change management principles to examine Teresa of Avila’s 16th-century reform of the Carmelite Order. During the last twenty years of her life, Teresa addressed the problems she saw in the Carmelite monasteries of her day, including ineffective administration, overcrowding, and laxity in spiritual practices. By returning to the original purpose and written Rule of the Carmelite founders, Teresa launched a reform of the Carmelite Order using principles similar to those used in change management and information technology (IT) adoption today. This book examines her reform in light of change management theory and practice, in order to shed light on what made her reform successful and how we might apply her approach to the management of change in spiritual and secular organizations today.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/principlesofchange/
A show featuring very interesting people who have a message for you.
Informazioni
| Autore | WCAT Radio |
| Organizzazione | WCAT Radio |
| Categorie | Cultura e società |
| Sito | - |
| - |
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