The Origins of Life: Philosophy, Theology, and Biology
Dr. William E. Carroll is Research Fellow at Blackfrairs, Oxford and a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion of the University of Oxford. His teaching, research, and writing concern first of all the reception of Aristotelian science and philosophy in mediaeval Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and the development of the doctrine of creation, He also works extensively on the ways in which mediaeval discussions of the relationship among the natural sciences, philosophy, and theology can be used to enlighten contemporary discussions concerning philosophical and theological implications of evolutionary biology and cosmology. Dr. Carroll has an international reputation for his work on the relationship between the doctrine of creation and developments in contemporary science.
In Chile, he will work closely with Dr. Rafael Vicuña (biologist) and Dr. Jorge Mittelmann (ancient philosopher). In particular, Drs. Carroll and Vicuña will work together to prepare an essay on the foundational issues concerning how to understand life and its origins, with the goal of having it published in a major journal such as “Scientific American,” “Nature,” or “Science.” With Dr. Mittelmann he will discuss issues of historical reception of traditional natural philosophy. At both the Pontifical Catholic University and the University of Los Andes, he will give lectures and seminars on the theme: “The Origins of Life: Philosophy, Theology, and Biology.”. He will give three lectures at each university over the course of four weeks, spending two weeks in residence at each university. The title for the lecture series is “Creation, the Sciences of Nature, and the Origins of Life.”. He will give a public lecture in Santiago sponsored by both universities, the title of which is: “What is Life; or Does a Biologist Need a Soul?”
Host Universities
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Universidad de Los Andes, Chile
Host Scholars
Rafael Vicuña
Jorge Mittelmann