Podcasts about Stephen Barr

This lecture is entitled Is the Universe Made for Life? Anthropic Coincidences and Multiverse Ideas. It was presented by Stephen Barr of the University of Delaware on February 7, 2022, at the University of Chicago's Kersten Hall.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comRoss is a writer and a dear old colleague, back when we were both bloggers at The Atlantic. Since then he's been a columnist at the New York Times — and, in my mind, he's the best columnist in the country. The author of many books, including Grand New Party and The Decadent Society, his new one is Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious (which you can pre-order now). So in this podcast, I play — literally — Devil's advocate. Forgive me for getting stuck on the meaning of the universe in the first 20 minutes or so. It picks up after that.For two clips of our convo — on the difference between proselytizing and evangelizing, and the “hallucinations of the sane” — see our YouTube page.Other topics: Creation; the improbable parameters of the Big Bang; the “fine-tuning” argument I cannot understand; extraterrestrial life; Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Hitch; the atheist/materialist view; the multiverse; quantum physics; consciousness; John von Neumann; Isaac Newton; human evolution; tribal survival; the exponential unity of global knowledge; Stephen Barr's Modern Physics and Ancient Faith; the substack Bentham's Bulldog; why humans wonder; miracles; Sebastian Junger and near-death experiences; the scientific method; William James; religious individualists; cults; Vatican II; Pope Francis; the sex-abuse crisis in the Church; suffering and theodicy; Lyme Disease; the AIDS crisis; Jesus and the Resurrection; Peter J Williams' Can We Trust the Gospels?; and the natural selection of religions.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Jon Rauch on the tribalism of white evangelicals; Evan Wolfson on the history of marriage equality, Yoni Appelbaum on how America stopped building things, Chris Caldwell on the political shifts in Europe, Nick Denton on the evolution of new media, Francis Collins on faith and science, and Mike White of White Lotus fame. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Corey Quinn sits down with Stephen Barr, Chief Evangelist of CloudFix. With his extensive history in the cloud, the pair delve into Stephen's journey with AWS, relatable anecdotes on optimizing cloud costs, and the complex role of tech evangelists in fostering better communication between engineering and finance teams. Corey and Stephen also weigh the pitfalls of early AI adoption, how to come up with effective content creation strategies, and even postulate a hopeful vision of a tech-driven future (from a Trekkie's point of view at least).Show Highlights(0:00) Intro(0:40) Gitpod sponsor read(1:52) How Stephen defines his role(4:26) Breaking down recent shakeups at AWS and the ever-growing promotion of AI(9:36) How will AI impact how we teach younger people about coding?(13:45) AI marketing, crypto, and other professional grifts(16:56) Stephen's history with AWS and the cloud ecosystem(20:42) Wiz sponsor read(21:30)Oversights that can easily inflate a cloud bill(25:32) Acting as a marriage counselor between engineering and finance(30:09 Stephen's creative process as a Chief Evangelist(33:54) Stephen's thoughts on the future of technology(35:28) Where you can find more from StephenAbout Stephen BarrStephen Barr, Principal Architect and Technical Evangelist at CloudFix, is known throughout the technology industry for his joyful frame of mind and deep expertise in data engineering, machine learning, LLMs, systems architecture, and all things AWS.Even as a teenager, Stephen's digital curiosity and drive landed him at an email hosting startup working on network administration. He also worked at Microsoft while still a high school student.After graduating from the University of Washington, he continued graduate studies at the University of Rochester and Washington. Stephen has also worked as a data scientist, software developer, technical consultant and more.When he's not researching or communicating about the power of AWS, Stephen enjoys spending time with his family at home in Seattle. His interests outside of work include science fiction, 3D printing, and the outdoors., Stephen Barr, Principal Architect and Technical Evangelist at CloudFix, is known throughout the technology industry for his joyful frame of mind and deep expertise in data engineering, machine learning, LLMs, systems architecture, and all things AWS.Even as a teenager, Stephen's digital curiosity and drive landed him at an email hosting startup working on network administration. He also worked at Microsoft while still a high school student.After graduating from the University of Washington, he continued graduate studies at the University of Rochester and Washington. Stephen has also worked as a data scientist, software developer, technical consultant and more.When he's not researching or communicating about the power of AWS, Stephen enjoys spending time with his family at home in Seattle. His interests outside of work include science fiction, 3D printing, and the outdoors., Stephen Barr, Principal Architect and Technical Evangelist at CloudFix, is known throughout the technology industry for his joyful frame of mind and deep expertise in data engineering, machine learning, LLMs, systems architecture, and all things AWS.Even as a teenager, Stephen's digital curiosity and drive landed him at an email hosting startup working on network administration. He also worked at Microsoft while still a high school student.After graduating from the University of Washington, he continued graduate studies at the University of Rochester and Washington. Stephen has also worked as a data scientist, software developer, technical consultant and more.When he's not researching or communicating about the power of AWS, Stephen enjoys spending time with his family at home in Seattle. His interests outside of work include science fiction, 3D printing, and the outdoors.Links ReferencedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjbarr/AWS Made Easy: https://awsmadeeasy.com/SponsorsGitpod: gitpod.ioWiz: wiz.io

The intersection of science in faith is often thought to be contentious, however, for Catholic scientists it's actually considered a fertile ground for discussion and support. Joining us this week is the president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, Stephen Barr, Ph.D. The professor emeritus of physics at the University of Delaware is a founding member of the society that now boasts more than 2,000 members. Dr. Barr discusses with our hosts Jen Mauro and Mike Walsh why the society was formed, its benefits for members in academia, and its relevance to the greater Catholic world – their website is a treasure trove of information, such as an exhaustive list of famous Catholic scientists past and present, articles on Catholic/scientific issues, and an FAQ that includes well-researched answers to questions like – “Doesn't evolution show that a creator isn't needed?” and “Would the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials be consistent with Catholic belief?” The Society of Catholic Scientists is having its annual conference June 7-9 at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, IL. To learn more about the society, its upcoming Gold Masses, university chapters, and membership for those in scientific or academic work, checkout their excellent website at https://catholicscientists.org. Listen to Talking Catholic everywhere podcasts can be found, at https://talking.catholicstarherald.org/talking-catholic, or catch us on Domestic Church Media radio (https://domesticchurchmedia.org) Sundays at 11 AM or Mondays at 4 PM.   Follow us on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingCatholic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingcatholic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkingcatholic X: https://twitter.com/talkingcatholic

In this episode, Madeline chats with Mike Gamba, a civil engineer with his own firm. During their conversation, they discuss the perks of living in mountains, his faith life growing up, what lead to his borderline atheist phase, the class the changed his mind, the influence of the Sandy Hook shooting in coming home, exploring honestly, his degree in geological engineering from Colorado School of Mines, who has the final authority on what is true, the Great Commission, childish vs. child-like, diaconate training, docility to God's will, and so much more!During the course of their conversation, they make many references which you can explore. Some of these references include episodes 42 and 45, The Power of Silence by Robert Cardinal Sarah, and Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen Barr.Feel free to like, subscribe, and share the episode! Follow us on Instagram! @sbltfpodcastDon't forget to go out there, and be a light to this world!-link: Sofia and Grace's episodes

Dean John Czarnetzky of Ave Maria School of Law weighs in on the Supreme Court's ruling that keeps Donald Trump on the primary ballot, and Stephen Barr looks at the history of Science and the Catholic tradition.

Dean John Czarnetzky of Ave Maria School of Law weighs in on the Supreme Court's ruling that keeps Donald Trump on the primary ballot, and Stephen Barr looks at the history of Science and the Catholic tradition.

If you can please consider supporting the channel Paypal: www.paypal.me/TomJump Patreon: www.pateron.com/TJump Church of the BPW: churchofthebestpossibleworld.org Start your own church today!

Questions Covered: 16:26 – Does psychology clash with Catholicism or is there a continuity like Catholicism and the other sciences? 21:17 – What single scientific fact is most persuasive to you that God exists? 31:33 – I read your book. Could you review the foundational points on the elegant creation of earth? 36:21 – I'm protestant and have always been taught young earth. Why does young earth seem to be dismissed in the Catholic world? 44:04 – What is the Catholic view of evolution by natural selection? …

In the latest Purposeful Lab episode, Dan and Catherine unravel the mysteries of the universe with Dr. Stephen Barr. As a renowned researcher in theoretical particle physics and Professor Emeritus of the Univerity of Delaware, Dr. Barr shared valuable insights on quantum physics, multiverse theories, and the intersection of science and theology.Have your call in questions be featured on the podcast: Leave a voicemail at 949-257-2436 Learn more and read articles: https://www.magiscenter.com/purposeful-lab

Are science and faith mutually exclusive, or can they harmoniously coexist? This is the question we focus on in our latest podcast episode. Dan and Catherine reflect on Purposeful Lab Season 1 and share what's to come in Season 2. Throughout both seasons, the relationship between faith and science is an undercurrent to many of the topics covered. In this episode, we explore this concept specifically in conversations with Dr. Stephen Barr, Dr. Chris Baglow, and Sophia Carozza.Have your call in questions be featured on the podcast: Leave a voicemail at 949-257-2436 Learn more and read articles: https://www.magiscenter.com/purposeful-lab

For Episode 57 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka DJ $mall ¢hange rolls the red carpet out to Queens and rapps with Stephen Barr aka DJ HUGGY BEAR. Stephen is a native NYer who grew up in South Ozone Park, when NYC was a slightly different place then it is today. Besides music of course we talk about his collection of vintage toys from cartoons he grew up on in the '80s, working as a bouncer for a decade before DJing at hot spots like Marquee, the organization aspect of being a DJ, handling requests, playing to your audience in pro gigs, dealing with very fickle / short attention span crowds, going to see other DJs, clubs and parties like APT and Mobile Mondaze, how the current rents in NYC are changing the crowds and the vibe, throwing your own parties, and how to keep from getting burnt out on DJing. Stephen is top ppls, one of the nicest dudes in the biz. To hear DJ Huggy Bear's exclusive Stark Reality masterfully mixed playlist of disco, edits and classics to accompany the interview, go to Episode 58 of Stark Reality. To check out more of Huggy Bear's dynamite mixes, check out his Soundcloud page and follow him @djhuggybear on Instagram Subscribe to STARK REALITY and STARK REALITY PLAYLISTS on Apple Podcasts, Mixcloud or live & direct on jasoncharles.net Podcast Network Music Chanel's STARK REALITY Series PageSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Episode 58 of STARK REALITY PLAYLISTS with Host James Dier aka $mall Change, NYC DJ HUGGY BEAR gives us a nice masterful mix of disco, edits and classics, featuring tracks from Talk Talk, Simply Red, Coke Escovedo, Durand Jones & The Indications, Billy Ocean, Shannon, The Jackson 5 and much more. Stephen Barr aka DJ Huggy Bear is a native NYer who grew up in South Ozone Park, when NYC was a slightly different place then it is today. Along with being one of the nicest dudes in the biz, he is also one of the finest and busiest working DJs in the city. To check out more of Huggy Bear's dynamite mixes, check out his Soundcloud Page and follow him @djhuggybear on Instagram To hear Host James Dier aka $mall Change's in-depth Stark Reality interview with DJ Huggy Bear, go to Episode 57 of Stark Reality wherever you get your podcasts or live & direct on jasoncharles.net Podcast Network Music Channel's STARK REALITY Series PageSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Take a deep dive into the fascinating world of consciousness with our esteemed guest, Dr. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware. What if our conscious awareness is a paradox that the physical world cannot decipher? Together with Dr. Barr, we unpack the mystery of consciousness, examining its three main ingredients: free will, rationality, and our subjective perception of our surroundings.Have your call in questions be featured on the podcast: Leave a voicemail at 949-257-2436 Learn more and read articles: https://www.magiscenter.com/purposeful-lab

Guest Host Marcus Peter and David Sherwood discuss how Aristotle can help us understand the Eucharist. Can Physics Explain Consciousness? We talk about it with Dr. Stephen Barr, and we look at the Ecumenical Councils with Paul Senz.

Get ready for another exciting episode with Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr. In this episode, we explore the Paul Alan Computer Museum and the Air Field Museum, reminiscing about the old days and discussing topics like wiring networking cables and the possibility of owning a yacht. Stay tuned as we dive into a fascinating conversation and uncover more intriguing stories. Oh, and did we mention that Amazon Luna pays us a visit during the podcast? Don't miss it!

Join us for an insightful episode where Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr dives into topics like AWS cost allocation tagging with emojis and the interesting story of Jeff's driver's licenses. We also explore converting chicken scratch to text and encounter Jeff on the streets of San Francisco. Delve into the world of IT as we discuss foundational skill sets and explain data centers to the uninitiated. Plus, discover what happened to the early EC2 instances. This episode is a goldmine of knowledge and engaging conversation.

Join us for an intriguing episode featuring Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr, dive into their discussion about podcast setups, AWS DeepRacer, and Jeff's role as Trackboss. Delve into the logistics of AWS re:Invent and uncover the secrets behind Jeff's writing process and office color choice. We also explore Corey's knowledge of AWS services and naming conventions. Find out how Jeff arranges his posts and discover the fascinating world of patents. This episode is packed with insights and behind-the-scenes stories.

Join us for an intriguing episode featuring Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr, dive into their discussion about podcast setups, AWS DeepRacer, and Jeff's role as Trackboss. Delve into the logistics of AWS re:Invent and uncover the secrets behind Jeff's writing process and office color choice. We also explore Corey's knowledge of AWS services and naming conventions. Find out how Jeff arranges his posts and discover the fascinating world of patents. This episode is packed with insights and behind-the-scenes stories.

Join us for an insightful episode where Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr dives into topics like AWS cost allocation tagging with emojis and the interesting story of Jeff's driver's licenses. We also explore converting chicken scratch to text and encounter Jeff on the streets of San Francisco. Delve into the world of IT as we discuss foundational skill sets and explain data centers to the uninitiated. Plus, discover what happened to the early EC2 instances. This episode is a goldmine of knowledge and engaging conversation.

Get ready for another exciting episode with Jeff Barr, Corey Quinn, and Stephen Barr. In this episode, we explore the Paul Alan Computer Museum and the Air Field Museum, reminiscing about the old days and discussing topics like wiring networking cables and the possibility of owning a yacht. Stay tuned as we dive into a fascinating conversation and uncover more intriguing stories. Oh, and did we mention that Amazon Luna pays us a visit during the podcast? Don't miss it!

In this episode, Madeline chats with Chris Baglow, a theologian and professor at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of the Science and Faith Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life. During the course of their conversation, they discussed how Hurricane Katrina helped get him into science and faith scholarship, his doctoral dissertation on St. Thomas Aquinas at Duquesne University, what he does at the Institute, his favorite courses that he's taught, philosophical errors (especially materialism/scientism), Einstein and Lemaitre and intellectual humility, his favorite seminar speakers, his faith routine, what he did for Lent, aspiration vs. obligation, and much more!During the course of their conversation, they make many references that you can further explore. They discussed his textbook Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on The Cutting Edge, episode 19 of this podcast, Wonder: The Harmony Between Faith and Science (especially episode 1), Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen Barr, a Pints with Aquinas episode about aliens and Catholicism, the video ET and Catholic Theology, The Chosen tv series (especially season 3).Feel free to like, subscribe, and share the episode! Follow us on Instagram! @sbltfpodcastDon't forget to go out there, and be a light to this world!

Theists, in fact, have far better and more interesting questions (and answers) than atheists do! In a time so influenced by the myth of the incompatibility of science and religion/faith and reason, it's time we do our part to show just how complementary they truly are. Few are doing more than Dr. Stephen Barr in this regard, and I urge you to share this interview with as many people as possible!   LINKS/RESOURCES: – Society of Catholic Scientists (PLEASE SHARE THIS SITE!!!):  https://catholicscientists.org – Stratford Caldecott's incredible book “Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education”:  https://a.co/d/aXH64iE – Pope St. John Paul II's 1998 encyclical letter “Fides et Ratio” (On the Relationship Between Faith & Reason):  https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091998_fides-et-ratio.html – Good, far more detailed and responsible overview of the Galileo affair than you've probably ever heard before (and there are LOTS of other in depth resources that you might want to check out):  https://youtu.be/cjLUoIhEoLQ ================== To find more faith-enriching content than you'll know what to do with and to contact Mike Creavey, be sure to visit https://thegraciousguest.org

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science. Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford. Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. This episode was produced by Rosalind Rei and Maria Devlin McNair. Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Dr Meghan Clark discussed her article about Gaudium et Spes. Luke Coppen shared the starting 7 newslinks on what's going on in and around the Vatican. Stephen Barr shared about the mission of the Society of Catholic Scientists. 

The co-hosts announce that the TSSM podcast, now posting our 146th episode, will begin a hiatus, but all programs and show notes will continue to be archived and accessible. This episode allows Dr. Paul Giesting and Bill Schmitt to look back on their four-and-a-half years of interviews and discussions seeking a greater synthesis of knowledge: an exploration of science and religion, philosophy and spirituality, neuroscience and quantum physics, policies and principles, history and the future, to better understand ourselves and the values and virtues in our lives. Our curiosity and concerns are grounded in our experiences as cradle Catholics, a confidence that faith and reason can grow together as essentials for problem-solving wisdom, and a desire to honor the Church a central source of guidance and continuing growth. Our first episode was posted on April 2, 2018, more than four-and-a-half years ago. We have welcomed a long list of well-known guests with expertise in a variety of fields, seizing the opportunity for rigorous but highly accessible, interdisciplinary and inspirational, conversations that transcend silos of specialization. We are grateful for the grand adventure of pursuing truth and reality, both visible and invisible, with the scholars and thought-leaders who shared their insights. That's So Second Millennium was the first podcast to provide structured news coverage and commentary on the conferences and lectures of the Society of Catholic Scientists, and we interviewed a number of SCS members. Both Paul and Bill have been members of the growing, international organization. Paul, who holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Notre Dame, presented a lecture on uranium and nuclear power at the SCS 2022 conference in Chicago. In this episode, we made references to Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start the Fire” and to “Sing God a Simple Song”—from Leonard Bernstein's We talked about Wyoming Catholic College, where Paul is on the faculty, and we talked Holy Cross College, where Bill taught as an adjunct professor for three semesters before moving from South Bend, IN, to Troy, NY, in 2022. Both solidly Catholic colleges, we agreed, excel in their efforts to integrate the different aspects of our humanity and the various forms of knowledge within the hearts and minds of students. Paul and Bill are inveterate Catholic communicators and educators. Learn more about Paul's background in teaching, consulting, and public service. Learn more about Bill's life as writer-editor, broadcaster-blogger, and author. Here are some of the people we have been privileged to interview: SCS president Stephen Barr; planetary scientist Jonathan Lunine; astrophysicist and astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ; theologian Paul Seongh Chung; Magis Center president and EWTN series host Father Robert Spitzer, SJ; astrochemist Karin Oberg; neurobiologist Maureen Condic; speaker-evangelist Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers; pro-life experts Richard Doerflinger and Christopher Bell; geologist Anne Hofmeister; cybersecurity expert Michael Cloud; psychologist Darcia Narvaez; business professor-author Anjan Thakor; and soul and spiritual musician Micki Miller. Learn more about them in the show notes accompanying their TSSM episodes. Thanks also to our friend, composer and performer Vin Marquardt, for writing our podcast's closing theme for a long time, “Igneous Grok.”

Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry.  Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.Patricia Fara, director of studies and affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Department of the History and Philosophy of Science.Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London and professor emeritus of the history of science, University of Oxford.Stephen Barr, professor emeritus at the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy.Illuminations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

How can a Catholic scientist speak about “a beautiful mind and soul”? Dr. Gerard Verschuuren does so as a Catholic who knows that science has nothing to say about mind and soul, but also that science has nothing to say against it. Using a lively, conversational dialog between a skeptical scientist and a religious scientist, this book provides an enlightening tour through the pivotal questions raised by our human minds and souls, which were created in God's image.https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/beautifulmindandsoul/

In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know This, Too, Dr. Stephen Barr, author of Modern Physics Ancient Faith talks with Catholic Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary about the Multiverse (May 31, 2018)https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Physics-Ancient-Faith-Stephen/dp/0268021988

In today's episode we feature the audio from a Neopolitan Session of the 2020 Charleston Library Conference, presented by Ashley Farley, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Stephen Barr, President, SAGE International, and Managing Director, SAGE UK;  Elaine Westbrooks, Vice Provost for University Libraries & University Librarian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Colleen Campbell, Open Access 2020 Initiative, Max Planck Digital Library. The urgency for broader access to research has accelerated recently as scholars across the globe work swiftly, building upon previous work, to address issues of enormous public significance ranging from COVID-19 to structural racism and police violence. However, the full migration to open access publishing would ultimately see a fundamental reconfiguration of scholarly communications affecting all involved – researchers, funders, universities, libraries, publishers, etc. This session will give an honest take on the OA transition, including the state of developments in transformational deals in Europe and equivalent deals in the US and the pressures and impediments towards a systemic transformation of scholarly communications. Specifically, the panel will cover: The history of different forms of academic publishing, including the limitations of the subscription model which have led to pressures and tensions for libraries, funders, and authors. Different conceptions of what “success” means in an OA world How “transformative deals” may – or may not – achieve the reconfiguration necessary for the whole system to transition successfully to OA What are the roles of different kinds of institutions (e.g., research intensive universities, teaching focused institutions, etc.) in the shifting open access environment and how are these evolving and being re-defined, intentionally or unintentionally The speakers will not ignore polarization in the OA space; they will aim to get to the root of concerns on all sides and discuss what the future may hold.  Video of the presentation available at https: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JDb5Nxw9-s

Paul and Bill welcomed Stephen Barr, Ph.D., president of the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS), for a return visit to TSSM. Dr. Barr, a theoretical particle physicist, is emeritus professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware. We talked with him about the Society of Catholic Scientists and the organization's fourth annual conference, scheduled June 4-6, 2021, in Washington, DC. The growing membership of SCS now totals about 1,500 in multiple countries. The organization was founded in 2016 by Dr. Barr and five other scientists. Barr, author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, described the upcoming conference, which is titled “Extraterrestrials, AI, and Minds Beyond the Human.” See details of the conference The SCS has posted an announcement about live-streaming of conference talks for those who have not registered to attend in-person. The talks will be livestreamed at https://catholicscientists.org/conference2021. The schedule of talks can be found HERE. During the talks, questions for the speakers can be emailed in to questionsSCS2021@gmail.com. As time permits, some questions will be selected from those emailed in and posed to the speakers during the Q&A sessions. Barr gave an overview of the event and the speakers. One of the speakers, Prof. Lawrence Principe, Ph.D., will also be the recipient of the Society's Saint Albert Award. The award, bestowed annually, is named for St. Albert the Great, patron saint of the natural sciences. Dr. Principe, a historian of science at Johns Hopkins University, has been a leading voice in dispelling the myth of a historical conflict between science and religion, Dr. Barr pointed out. A course titled “Science and Religion” is offered by Principe through the “Great Courses” organization and is available online. The conference's keynote speaker is Christopher Baglow, Ph.D., director of the Science & Religion Initiative in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Baglow, whose unique high school textbook Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge has now been published in a second edition, was a guest on a previous episode of the TSSM podcast. Barr pointed out that, although the Society did not hold a conference in 2020, it greatly expanded its website, which now includes instructional materials about science and religion. One feature is a curated historical collection of concise bibliographies about important scientists who were practicing Catholics. Barr thanked his collaborator Andrew Kassebaum for that content, which is more authoritative than other online lists of “Catholic scientists.” The SCS continues to work to expand its services to teachers and students. The SCS website, at org, already contains numerous videos of talks from past conferences. Dr. Barr said the Society's goals include facilitating wide-ranging intellectual and spiritual fellowship for Catholic scientists and helping to evangelize a secular culture that is infused with thoughts and messages prioritizing science and technology. The work of spreading the faith through science will increasingly use new media. Another form of evangelization is the Society's support for Church celebrations of “Gold Masses” in numerous localities in the United States and elsewhere. Gold Masses, often planned as Votive Masses in honor of St. Albert the Great, are celebrated for members of the science professions. The Masses are part of the effort to increase the Society's grass-roots activities through local and campus chapters.

Tom Riello talked about Archbishop Chaput's new book, Things Worth Dying For. Stephen Barr shared about the Society of Catholic Scientists. Dr Rick Fitzgibbons discussed his article on the effect of CoVid 19 on children.

Dr. Stephen Barr returns to The Pat Flynn Show to explore a difficulty with physicalism which arises -- interestingly enough -- from physics itself( and specifically quantum mechanics). The Pat Flynn Show If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to me if you could subscribe to, and leave a review for, The Pat Flynn show on iTunes HERE or Stitcher HERE. Reading your reviews and hearing your feedback is what keeps me fired up to make The Pat Flynn Show happen. Thank you!

Life is pretty intense for Paul these days. We present this interview with Megan Levis from the 2019 Society of Catholic Scientists archives, every bit as relevant now as it was then. It was originally presented as two episodes. Megan Levis is a fifth-year graduate student in bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame. The topic of her talk at the annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists was “Created in the Image and Likeness of Man.” She described the University’s bioengineering program. Growing what can be deemed the beginnings of a human brain, for purposes of research, invites important ethical considerations. Levis has found resources at and through Notre Dame for deeper study of the responsibilities entailed in such research. She has worked with the John J. Reilly Center on science, technology and values. She has also been part of the Leadership Advancing Socially Engaged Research (LASER) program within the Graduate School. Levis participated in an NSF-supported workshop on engineering design principles of multicellular living systems. Such workshops reflect a growing nationwide interest in the ethical and societal ramifications of rapidly developing technology related to systems of living things. The interest is prompting collaboration among philosophers, scientists, ethicists and engineers. It’s a false dichotomy to separate faith and engineering. Levis said her advisor [Jeremiah Zartman] has been supportive of integrating values-related concerns, and that integration has made her research better. Now that there is an increased focus in bioengineering on the transfer, or translation, of knowledge from the lab bench to hospitals and clinical practice, the assessment of ethical implications is even more important. Organoids are systems built from human cells that begin to look like an organ. In this new field, it’s important to create room for philosophical understanding, but right now the field is dominated by engineers and scientists largely using terms that sound like clunky jargon. Philosophy tells us we need to define our terms better, Levis said. We need better ways to describe what’s going on in accessible ways that allow for ethical thinking. Engineers tend to look at every component in its specifics, but there is value in seeing how one thing is similar to something else so both may come under similar ethical principles. This is the second half of TSSM’s interview with Megan Levis. We talked at greater length about this graduate student’s research and its good fit with values-informed thought, with the Society of Catholic Scientists, and even literature. The Society held its third annual conference at the University of Notre Dame a few months ago. In Megan’s presentation to the scientists at the SCS annual conference, she posed the question: How do you distinguish and exercise ethical responsibilities when something like brain organoids are “made in the image and likeness of man rather than the image and likeness of God.” Organoids are multicellular systems built from brain tissue. Are they just cell cultures or something so akin to the human being—particularly when they are brain organoids—that ethical duties arise out of respect for human dignity? This is a relatively new field where the scientific understanding and moral consideration still must develop in tandem, she explained. A New York Times article touched on some of the questions being raised. Megan’s own main research project as part of her graduate studies at Notre Dame deals with microfluidics. They are devices, a kind of miniature bio-reactor, in which researchers can grow cells and small organs. Her goal is to make it easier and less expensive to make microfluidics that can be used in future research. Here are resources on microfluidics from the journal Nature. Her collaborations in this area came about from her meeting with a leader in microfluidics technology, Dr. Fernando Ontiveros, while they were both attending a previous SCS conference. His team is exploring new applications for microfluidics, such as the growing of organoids. At what point should moral concerns tied to the dignity of the human person “kick in” when dealing with the brain and brain organoids? Where do you as a person reside in the body? The existence of a capacity for rational thought is a conventional scientific benchmark for the existence of personhood, Megan said. There are many theories of the complex brain-mind-body connection with personhood. The human person is a complex creature, not reducible to the brain or body alone. Here’s an exploration of some insights from National Geographic. There is a real role for literature in helping us to explore the many questions that combine operational questions of engineering and more abstract, integrated thinking about persons, Megan says. She recommends renowned author Walker Percy, who explored such subjects in Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. He comments that being a human is inevitably an uncomfortable process involving tensions within our nature. Our culture tends to look to science for answers to the big questions of human nature, but literature and art are pathways to answers too; literature allows us to think without predispositions and suppositions, to discover truths about ourselves and the world that transcend scientifically measurable parts. As Megan put it, the ability to wonder about the world is a gift that is transmitted sometimes through engineering and sometimes through literature and art. Megan has been able to work with Ontiveros while he has done research and prepared journal articles at Notre Dame. With the support of mentors and advisors, she has embraced opportunities at Notre Dame and elsewhere to spend time thinking about faith and science in relationship. She attended a conference with like-minded graduate students interested in these connections. She has appreciated the insights of SCS president Stephen Barr and microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP, a speaker at this year’s SCS conference. Barr is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Austriaco has recorded a podcast available through the Thomistic Institute titled The Science and Practice of Christian Prayer. What does Megan recommend for graduate students and others who want to advance in their bioengineering studies while staying informed and mindful about the faith-related aspects? She highlights the power of community, building friendships and conversations over time with a diverse range of people on similar journeys, including philosophy and science. One can attend relevant lectures and conferences, such as those sponsored by Notre Dame’s De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She recommends the resources of the Collegium Institute. Building and updating such mindfulness is a long-term process requiring persistence, she adds.

In today's episode we feature an interview with Stephen Barr, President of SAGE International. This interview is part of the popular "Views from the Penthouse Suite" series and was conducted by Tom Gilson, Associate Editor, Against the Grain, and Matthew Ismail, Director of Collection Development, University of Central Michigan.  In the interview, Stephen talks about his presentation at the 2020 Charleston Conference titled "What Would It Really Take to Achieve The OA transition: An Open Take from a Publisher, a Librarian and a Funder." Stephen gives his take on the Open Access Transition and what this could mean for the scholarly communications system as a whole, and whether a massive, systemic change is inevitable.  Stephen discusses his view of transformative agreements, the potential benefits and limitations involved and what may happen to those who don't do transformative agreements in the future, whether by choice or due to funding restrictions. In a space which can be quite polarized, Stephen says it is important to think of how we got here (the focus on journals) and how do we move forward? How do we change a system where publishers are perceived as restrictive, reluctant and self-seeking? He likens the current state to "changing the engines on a plane as it is flying.  None of us wants to sort of stop the system, land, slow down and do a big transformation and then take off again. We're trying to re-engineer the whole process mid-flight."  Stephen gives his take on the actions that librarians and publishers can take to help the industry moving forward with OA transition and transformative agreements.   Stephen says it is important to not just represent your own interests, and he feels that his position at SAGE, a distinctive player in the scholarly communications space, enables him to do this as their primary goal is dissemination of knowledge.  Stephen is also on the Board of Directors at Manchester University Press in the UK. This allows him to view the issues and challenges through the lenses of both a large publisher and a small university press.   Video of the Presentation is available at:  https://youtu.be/luC7JVAnpcc  

Dr. Stephen Barr, a professor and researcher at Western University, talks about how the COVID-19 vaccine works, the new vaccine he and his team are working on, and the misinformation being spread about getting vaccinated.

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Dr. Barr's Catholic Scientist groups website: www.catholicscientists.org To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/TJump To donate to my PayPal (thank you): https://www.paypal.me/TomJump To purchase TJump merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/tjump If you can, please donate to my paypal/patreon so I can keep doing debates and conversations -----------------------------------------CONNECT------------------------------------------ My Website/Blog: https://tomjump.weebly.com/ SOCIAL LINKS: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tjump Discord: https://discord.gg/N2eQp4h Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TJump_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.jump.982 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjump_/ TJump Gaming: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE6PnoL9QDYnkiUvykmlLQQ Podcast Version: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tjump/id1485176439 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tjump ----------------------------------------CONTACT------------------------------------------- Business email: tejump@comcast.net -------------------- #atheism #humanism #atheist #TJump

Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/TJump To donate to my PayPal (thank you): https://www.paypal.me/TomJump To purchase TJump merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/tjump If you can, please donate to my paypal/patreon so I can keep doing debates and conversations -----------------------------------------CONNECT------------------------------------------ My Website/Blog: https://tomjump.weebly.com/ SOCIAL LINKS: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tjump Discord: https://discord.gg/N2eQp4h Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TJump_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.jump.982 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjump_/ TJump Gaming: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE6PnoL9QDYnkiUvykmlLQQ Podcast Version: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tjump/id1485176439 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tjump ----------------------------------------CONTACT------------------------------------------- Business email: tejump@comcast.net -------------------- #atheism #humanism #atheist #TJump

A webinar lecture with Stephen M. Barr (University of Delaware), presented by the Harvard Catholic Forum and the Lumen Christi Institute. Originally broadcast on October 15, 2020. For thousands of years, some philosophers and scientists have argued that order in the universe points to a creator God. How does this argument hold up against the scientific discoveries of recent decades? Join us as theoretical particle physicist Stephen Barr examines the cosmic order and its relationship to a Divine Creator.

In this first of an 8-part series, Mike introduces some important foundational questions about the existence and nature of God. Why do you believe what you believe about the divine? Have you ever really, deeply, thoroughly asked yourself that question? All that and more! Links/Resources: Word on Fire (Bishop Robert Barron): https://www.wordonfire.org/ Society of Catholic Scientists website (Dr. Stephen Barr reference): https://www.catholicscientists.org/about/leadership Magis Center for Reason and Faith/Magis Institute (Father Robert Spitzer): https://magiscenter.com/ The Gracious Guest homepage: https://www.thegraciousguest.org

How can we best evangelize those people in our lives who claim a life without faith? Questions Covered: 28:42 – I have nephews who have left the Church. How can I help them, if the opportunity arises?  32:00 – How can I evangelize my son? He has two unbaptized children.  46:12 – Do you know that Hal Lindsey still has a show? Do you think that he’s been consistent over all these years?  51:59 – My friend really struggles with the Pachamama incident and doesn’t believe the Pope is real. How can I counter that?  Resources Mentioned: Christ in Eclipse by Frank Sheed Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen Barr …

This week, events have forced another "greatest hits" episode, and so we bring you for your convenience the entire Maureen Condic interview from the June 2019 Society of Catholic Scientists meeting in a one hour and forty-five minute extravaganza. The following are Bill's liner notes from the first run episodes. University of Utah’s information page for Dr. Maureen Condic. She is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, with an adjunct appointment in Pediatrics. Her research focuses on the role of stem cells in development and regeneration. She has taught human embryology in the University’s Medical School for 20 years. See Dr. Condic’s biographical summary in the list of speakers at the Society of Catholic Scientists 2019 conference titled, “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” At the conference, this embryologist and specialist in developmental neurobiology delivered the St. Albert Award Lecture: “Human Beings are Defined by Organization.” Dr. Condic is the 2019 recipient of the St. Albert Award, named for Saint Albert the Great, the Catholic Church’s patron saint of natural scientists. The award is given annually to a Catholic scientist whose life and work give witness to the harmony that exists between the vocation of scientist and the life of faith. See more details about the award, including its previous recipients. Dr. Condic’s previous awards include the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, created in 1973 and presented by the March of Dimes to support a young scientist’s promising new research. The March of Dimes was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, initially to fight polio. Today, the foundation focuses on health problems in babies, especially premature birth, birth defects, and low birth weight. Find context for the program of research support here. Dr. Condic also has been the recipient of a Scholar Award for research from the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. In 2018, she was appointed to the National Science Board. The NSB establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation and serves as advisor to Congress and the President. She is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which is dedicated to promoting the Catholic Church’s consistent life ethic and supporting research in bioethics and moral theology. When confronted with alternative views and occasionally accused of being “brainwashed” with a pro-life stance, Dr. Condic says one must ask, what view actually makes more sense of the world? A quote from the episode: “What vision of the world actually accounts for most of the data? In my experience, it’s a Christian vision of the world, and particularly a Catholic vision of the world, that very much endorses precisely the kind of questioning mind that promotes scientific investigation….” Another key thought from the episode: The information generated in scientific disciplines is so huge, it forces many scientists to make their own fields of specialized inquiry “narrower and narrower.” Also, “they have no time” to give deep consideration to many big questions about life, the world, and the origin of the universe. “Particularly in biology, there’s such an intoxication with success.” Individuals who are indeed brilliant and making remarkable progress for people may become confident that they can answer all the important questions. Starting at about the 22-minute mark in this episode, Dr. Condic tells the story of an event that changed her life and produced her commitment to public advocacy and public education.“ She saw a need to combat ignorance or oversimplification about scientific advancements and to be “an advocate for patients and knowledge and factual information.” Dr. Condic also provides a valuable, clear update on parts of the debate about disease treatments using embryonic stem cells as opposed to adult stem cells, with research on the latter having resulted in a huge number of clinical trials and prospects for various treatments. A major new phase of the research has moved on to the use of induced pluripotent stem cells, which do not raise the same ethical issues as embryonic cells. In presenting the St. Albert Award during the Society of Catholic Scientists conference, president Stephen Barr, Ph.D., pointed out Dr. Condic’s “courageous public defense, on scientific and philosophical grounds, on the human status of human embryos.” Our discussion of totipotent, pluripotent, and plenipotent stem cells helped to clarify a complex subject of great importance to many people, such as those who suffer from diseases awaiting therapies capturing the power of these cells. Dr. Maureen Condic, as a pioneer in this field, contributed insights in 2013 by developing the concept of plenipotent cells. See her journal article. Our discussion also led to a sense of wonderment about the ability of cells to follow such complex paths of development, starting with the organism created when sperm and egg combine. The product and the process can easily be dismissed as a simple mass of cells, or one can recall Psalm 139:14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” In this episode, we discussed how it seems viscerally sad that the amazement, which is itself so full of potential, can be lost in everyday discussions of human life. Related to this, Dr. Condic pointed out that there is an unfortunate lack of philosophical education among many scientists. Here is a blog post from Scientific American discussing synergies between science and philosophy—synergies which are at the core of this podcast’s mission. We discussed the relevance of the philosophical concepts of form and substance. Here’s a web page explaining those concepts. This book, written by Dr. Condic and her brother sounds like it is a rare and valuable synthesis of philosophical and biological insights about life: Human Embryos, Human Beings. She noted in our episode that such an extended, on-point synthesis is rare for various reasons, including the need to clarify vocabulary used on both sides of the dialogue, avoiding the risk that we will talk past each other. She has written another book, this one examining the biological and philosophical issues around human twinning, Untangling Twinning. It is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2019. For now, a computer search using this title yielded, as one of the first finds, a copy of a news release written by TSSM podcast co-host Bill Schmitt and posted at classicaltheism.com. The conversation involving Dr. Condic, Dr. Giesting and Schmitt turned to the complexities of the nation’s debate about abortion. That debate engages a mix of biological facts (which may or may not be probed in the full context of updated knowledge), personal experiences, and deeply held principles, positions, and emotions including authentic sympathy for the circumstances in which pregnant women find themselves. Although providing scientific insights is a crucial advancement of the debate because people deserve to have comprehensive information, the laying out of certain biological facts alone will not necessarily change minds, Condic said. In many cases, much of the public presentation of the abortion controversy dividing people is manufactured, but there is room for honest discussion on particular grounds. We each can play a part in adding to human understandings in this controversy. People evolve their judgments on the wide scope of the debate incrementally over time. But the search for a full overview is complicated; indeed, Dr. Condic referred to difficulties she and her brother Samuel Condic encountered (different vocabularies, etc.) in compiling their book Human Embryos, Human Beings. The book aims to bring together philosophical and biological insights about human life at its beginning. In short, the abortion debate requires us to spend more time in listening to each other, asking questions, probing the basis of people’s stances, and less time in simply lecturing, she said. Paul talked about his experience with identical twins in his family. Twinning is a complex arena for understanding “who you are,” raising core questions with biological and philosophical implications. Our discussion around the microphone extended to research on the topics of compaction and chimeras. Condic has written a book that delves into the complexities. Untangling Twinning is scheduled for publication this summer. There are also biological phenomena complicating an understanding of our human nature in sexual terms. There can be complex factors differentiating between one’s genetic sex and one’s hormonal sex, Condic said. A very small segment of the population has genetically compound sexual identities. Intersex disorders can occur in a variety of ways, although in the vast majority of cases questions of a person’s gender identity are not grounded in physical causes, Condic said. Studies in some areas raise questions within the LGBTQ community itself. Among many, endeavors focusing on a “gay gene” that would undergird a statement that “I was born this way” have been diminished by a view that gender identity is fluid or is driven by non-genetic factors.

We talk with Professor Stephen Barr about his work in high energy physics, and the possibilities of living a life that mixes scientific rigor with Christian faith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 1.2, Margaret wraps up the question “How Do We Know God Exists?” with Dr. Stephen Barr, a theoretical particle physicist (no joke!). REMINDER: No episode next week because new interviews and a new question are in the works, so come back November 6th. Check out Dr. Barr's website Society of Catholic Scientists here: https://www.catholicscientists.org/. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tycpodcast/support

Dr. Jonathan Lunine is the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Science and chair of the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University. He is also the vice president and a co-founder of the Society of Catholic Scientists. Here is information about the Vatican Observatory. It was one of the starting points for Lunine’s exploration of the compatibility between science and the Catholic faith. He met Stephen Barr in 2014, and this led to their discussions about establishing the Society of Catholic Scientists. Here is a talk given by Barr at the University of Chicago. Here is a talk by Lunine about Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest recognized as an originator of the Big Bang theory. In our conversation, Lunine described a presentation on Lemaitre that he gave at Cornell as a kind of “coming-out party” for him as a Catholic convert with his own story to tell. He has addressed Catholic students with the advice to share one’s faith story but to be judicious, following the practice of St. Paul, who adapted his messages to his audiences. A recommendation for discussions of faith: “There’s a time and a place for everything.” Lunine mentioned Elaine Ecklund, who has studied what scientists think about the American culture’s understanding that science and religion are incompatible. Harvard physicist Lisa Randall, who has said belief in God is incompatible with science, is an example of the resistance to faith that many scientists encounter in academia, Lunine said. Our culture gives much credibility to scientists, who owe it to their audiences to be clear about when they are speaking as individuals rather than scholarly experts. Lunine also mentioned the Thomistic Institute, which has a chapter on the Cornell campus founded by a graduate student. Part of the difficulty in the dialogue between science and religion is a popular but erroneous view that the Bible was intended to be a book of science. Here is a discussion of St. Augustine’s examination of this claim. Another challenge, Lunine said, is that our children generally grow up without a substantive education in religion.

Astronomer and Physicist Dr. Stephen Barr, University of Delaware, discusses the interplay between our modern understanding of the universe and the role our faith and the bible plays in how we understand. Please like, share, subscribe to and review this podcast. Thank you!

This is the second half of TSSM’s interview with Megan Levis. We talked at greater length about this graduate student’s research and its good fit with values-informed thought, with the Society of Catholic Scientists, and even literature. The Society held its third annual conference at the University of Notre Dame a few months ago. In Megan’s presentation to the scientists at the SCS annual conference, she posed the question: How do you distinguish and exercise ethical responsibilities when something like brain organoids are “made in the image and likeness of man rather than the image and likeness of God.” Organoids are multicellular systems built from brain tissue. Are they just cell cultures or something so akin to the human being—particularly when they are brain organoids—that ethical duties arise out of respect for human dignity? This is a relatively new field where the scientific understanding and moral consideration still must develop in tandem, she explained. A New York Times article touched on some of the questions being raised. Megan’s own main research project as part of her graduate studies at Notre Dame deals with microfluidics. They are devices, a kind of miniature bio-reactor, in which researchers can grow cells and small organs. Her goal is to make it easier and less expensive to make microfluidics that can be used in future research. Here are resources on microfluidics from the journal Nature. Her collaborations in this area came about from her meeting with a leader in microfluidics technology, Dr. Fernando Ontiveros, while they were both attending a previous SCS conference. His team is exploring new applications for microfluidics, such as the growing of organoids. At what point should moral concerns tied to the dignity of the human person “kick in” when dealing with the brain and brain organoids? Where do you as a person reside in the body? The existence of a capacity for rational thought is a conventional scientific benchmark for the existence of personhood, Megan said. There are many theories of the complex brain-mind-body connection with personhood. The human person is a complex creature, not reducible to the brain or body alone. Here’s an exploration of some insights from National Geographic. There is a real role for literature in helping us to explore the many questions that combine operational questions of engineering and more abstract, integrated thinking about persons, Megan says. She recommends renowned author Walker Percy, who explored such subjects in Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. He comments that being a human is inevitably an uncomfortable process involving tensions within our nature. Our culture tends to look to science for answers to the big questions of human nature, but literature and art are pathways to answers too; literature allows us to think without predispositions and suppositions, to discover truths about ourselves and the world that transcend scientifically measurable parts. As Megan put it, the ability to wonder about the world is a gift that is transmitted sometimes through engineering and sometimes through literature and art. Megan has been able to work with Ontiveros while he has done research and prepared journal articles at Notre Dame. With the support of mentors and advisors, she has embraced opportunities at Notre Dame and elsewhere to spend time thinking about faith and science in relationship. She attended a conference with like-minded graduate students interested in these connections. She has appreciated the insights of SCS president Stephen Barr and microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP, a speaker at this year’s SCS conference. Barr is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Austriaco has recorded a podcast available through the Thomistic Institute titled The Science and Practice of Christian Prayer. What does Megan recommend for graduate students and others who want to advance in their bioengineering studies while staying informed and mindful about the faith-related aspects? She highlights the power of community, building friendships and conversations over time with a diverse range of people on similar journeys, including philosophy and science. One can attend relevant lectures and conferences, such as those sponsored by Notre Dame’s De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She recommends the resources of the Collegium Institute. Building and updating such mindfulness is a long-term process requiring persistence, she adds.

Each week on The Front Page by The Red & Black, Editor-in-Chief Collin Huguley will discuss the paper's top stories with our reporters. In our debut episode, sports editors Henry Queen and Augusta Stone preview UGA's upcoming football season and first game against Vanderbilt on Saturday. News editors Savannah Sicurella and Spencer Donovan explain a UGA investigation into the misappropriation of student organization funds. The Front Page is produced by Stephen Barr. The theme music is “RSPN” by Blank & Kytt.

In this episode Dr. Reno examines Faith and Reason through the work of Dr. Stephen Barr's "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" and enters into the concept of "Scientific Materialism". part 2 The post CA-9 – Dr. Stephen Barr Modern Physics and Ancient Faith part 2 – Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In this episode Dr. Reno examines Faith and Reason through the work of Dr. Stephen Barr's "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" and enters into the concept of "Scientific Materialism". part 2 The post CA-9 – Dr. Stephen Barr Modern Physics and Ancient Faith part 2 – Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Dr. Stephen Barr joins us to discuss his book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Does science support the existence of God? What about the order in the universe and the so-called "fine-tuning"? Are those evidence for God? Also, we discuss at length (and have a good-hearted dispute) over whether the Kalam argument is evidence for the existence of God. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Catholic Christian worldview: (1) the God of classical theism exists, (2) Jesus is our Messiah and Lord, and (3) He founded the Catholic Church. We place a strong emphasis on the first pillar, defending classical theism, drawing upon the work of Thomistic philosopher Dr. Edward Feser and many others. John DeRosa www.classicaltheism.com/support

In this episode Dr. Reno examines Faith and Reason through the work of Dr. Stephen Barr's "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" and enters into the concept of "Scientific Materialism". The post CA-8 Dr. Stephen Barr Modern Physics & Ancient Faith pt 1 -Christian Apologetics w/ Dr. R. R. Reno appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In this episode Dr. Reno examines Faith and Reason through the work of Dr. Stephen Barr's "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" and enters into the concept of "Scientific Materialism". The post CA-8 Dr. Stephen Barr Modern Physics & Ancient Faith pt 1 -Christian Apologetics w/ Dr. R. R. Reno appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know, guest interviewer Dr. Stephen Barr, founder and president of the Society of Catholic Scientists (https://www.catholicscientists.org/) engages Dr. Tom Sheahen, executive director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (https://www.faithscience.org) on the subject of a recent presentation given at Notre Dame entitled "Everywhen: Examining Omnipresence on the Limited Human Perception of Space and Time" (July 12, 2019)

In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know, guest interviewer Dr. Stephen Barr, founder and president of the Society of Catholic Scientists (https://www.catholicscientists.org/) engages Dr. Tom Sheahen, executive director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (https://www.faithscience.org) on the subject of a recent presentation given at Notre Dame entitled "Everywhen: Examining Omnipresence on the Limited Human Perception of Space and Time" (July 12, 2019)

In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know, guest interviewer Dr. Stephen Barr, founder and president of the Society of Catholic Scientists (https://www.catholicscientists.org/) engages Dr. Tom Sheahen, executive director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (https://www.faithscience.org) on the subject of a recent presentation given at Notre Dame entitled "Everywhen: Examining Omnipresence on the Limited Human Perception of Space and Time" (July 12, 2019)

University of Utah’s information page for Dr. Maureen Condic. She is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, with an adjunct appointment in Pediatrics. Her research focuses on the role of stem cells in development and regeneration. She has taught human embryology in the University’s Medical School for 20 years. See Dr. Condic’s biographical summary in the list of speakers at the Society of Catholic Scientists 2019 conference titled, “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” At the conference, this embryologist and specialist in developmental neurobiology delivered the St. Albert Award Lecture: “Human Beings are Defined by Organization.” Dr. Condic is the 2019 recipient of the St. Albert Award, named for Saint Albert the Great, the Catholic Church’s patron saint of natural scientists. The award is given annually to a Catholic scientist whose life and work give witness to the harmony that exists between the vocation of scientist and the life of faith. See more details about the award, including its previous recipients. Dr. Condic’s previous awards include the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, created in 1973 and presented by the March of Dimes to support a young scientist’s promising new research. The March of Dimes was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, initially to fight polio. Today, the foundation focuses on health problems in babies, especially premature birth, birth defects, and low birth weight. Find context for the program of research support here. Dr. Condic also has been the recipient of a Scholar Award for research from the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. In 2018, she was appointed to the National Science Board. The NSB establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation and serves as advisor to Congress and the President. She is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which is dedicated to promoting the Catholic Church’s consistent life ethic and supporting research in bioethics and moral theology. When confronted with alternative views and occasionally accused of being “brainwashed” with a pro-life stance, Dr. Condic says one must ask, what view actually makes more sense of the world? A quote from the episode: “What vision of the world actually accounts for most of the data? In my experience, it’s a Christian vision of the world, and particularly a Catholic vision of the world, that very much endorses precisely the kind of questioning mind that promotes scientific investigation….” Another key thought from the episode: The information generated in scientific disciplines is so huge, it forces many scientists to make their own fields of specialized inquiry “narrower and narrower.” Also, “they have no time” to give deep consideration to many big questions about life, the world, and the origin of the universe. “Particularly in biology, there’s such an intoxication with success.” Individuals who are indeed brilliant and making remarkable progress for people may become confident that they can answer all the important questions. Starting at about the 22-minute mark in this episode, Dr. Condic tells the story of an event that changed her life and produced her commitment to public advocacy and public education.“ She saw a need to combat ignorance or oversimplification about scientific advancements and to be “an advocate for patients and knowledge and factual information.” Dr. Condic also provides a valuable, clear update on parts of the debate about disease treatments using embryonic stem cells as opposed to adult stem cells, with research on the latter having resulted in a huge number of clinical trials and prospects for various treatments. A major new phase of the research has moved on to the use of induced pluripotent stem cells, which do not raise the same ethical issues as embryonic cells. In presenting the St. Albert Award during the Society of Catholic Scientists conference, president Stephen Barr, Ph.D., pointed out Dr. Condic’s “courageous public defense, on scientific and philosophical grounds, on the human status of human embryos.”

Today we continue our conversation with Stephen Barr about this year’s Society of Catholic Scientists conference, which will feature great speakers discussing the nature of humanity and its bounds in terms of time and technology. You can see a full list of speakers here and the program for the conference here.

We welcome Stephen Barr back to the show. We are humbled and delighted to be your podcast hosts for the Society of Catholic Scientists Conference 2019 and hopefully beyond. In that context, today we interview Dr. Barr about his experience as a writer and speaker on the relationship between Catholic faith and science that led up to an eventful conversation between himself and Jonathan Lunine. He discusses the formation of the Society of Catholic Scientists in 2016 and the conferences they immediately began holding in 2017. Credit should be given to First Things for giving him a platform to become known to the wider community, and the Lumen Christi Institute for being instrumental in putting together the logistics for the first SCS conference in Chicago. If you are a Catholic scientist, whether a student or a graduate, there is still time to register for the Society and the conference coming up June 7-9 at Notre Dame. The deadline for registration is May 15.

This talk was offered on February 16th, 2019 at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was one of the talks offered at the "Faith, Science and Nature Conference" co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute, the Scala Foundation and PTS. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1 Speaker Bio: Professor Stephen Barr teaches at the University of Delaware in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research interests focus on elementary particle theory, supersymmetric grand unified theories, and cosmology.

Today I sit down with theoretical particle physicist, Stephen Barr to discuss God, the Big Bang, and the Multiverse. Enjoy the show? Please consider supporting Pints With Aquinas here. Check out the Society of Catholic Scientists here. Get Dr. Barr's book, Modern Physics and Ancient Faith here. Learn more at Pints With Aquinas here.

~0:00 Question: advice for students1:00 Don't be afraid to be a religious scientist2:00 Particular issues3:00 Keep awake to the wonder of the world4:00 Bill: ignorance of the common man about both science and religion5:00 Modern Physics and Ancient Faith6:00 Christopher Baglow: science and faith textbook7:00 Church beginning (at long last?) to address the need to catechize & educate about this Phone ringing can't be excised without gutting Bill's question!8:00 Media's portrayal of religion as boring and science as exciting9:00 Science explores the world as it is, but there must be issues beyond: "why" issues10:00 Intellectual freedom necessary for science to make any sense11:00 No reason for Catholics to fear science uncovering fatal problems for faith12:00 20th century overturn of 19th century mechanistic, unfree universe13:00 Advent of the big bang theory, verification through microwave radiation14:00 Bill: "free will on steroids" in uneasy coexistence with materialism15:00 Barr: inherent conflict there16:00 Pernicious recurring feature of intellectual history: excuses not to be free17:00 Bill: does faith make one a better scientist?18:00 Wonder: "ears to hear and eyes to see"19:00 Summation: join Society of Catholic Scientists!20:00 Sign off

In this episode, Pat Flynn interviews physicist Stephen Barr on the nature of the multiverse. (November 12, 2018)

In this episode, Pat Flynn interviews physicist Stephen Barr on the nature of the multiverse. (November 12, 2018)

In this episode, Pat Flynn interviews physicist Stephen Barr on the nature of the multiverse. (November 12, 2018)

In this episode of Sunday School, Pat Flynn explores an age old question--some would say an age old myth--but let's be fair in asking it: Are science and religion fundamentally at odds? Well, I suppose that depends on who you ask. But at least one theoretical physicist (enter Stephen Barr) says no--no they most certainly are not. Not only are religion and science. (November 4, 2011)

Minute Comment 0:00 Paul introduces 1:00 Bill: Lemaitre announcement 2:00 Lemaitre: faith & science not opposed 3:00 Barr: Lemaitre announcement 4:00 Ignorance of Lemaitre 5:00 Ignorance of the Christian, Catholic origin of science & famous Catholic scientists 6:00 Barr: late 19th century critical period for the forging of the myth of Church as anti-science 7:00 Science only professionalized in the late 19th century, looking for influence 8:00 More famous Catholic scientists 9:00 Mission of the Society of Catholic Scientists; religious people looking askance at scientists, 10:00 Scientists timid about showing their faith in the presence of a few loud atheists 11:00 Catholic scientists joining SCS & finding others like themselves 12:00 Witness to the world 13:00 Conferences, past and future: next June at Notre Dame 14:00 2017: origin of universe, life; 2018: mind and matter 15:00 2019 conference: what is it (and has it been) to be human; speakers from outside the faith 16:00 Past non-Catholic conference speakers 17:00 Peter Koellner's talk at 2018 conference 18:00 Koellner and Godel's theorem 19:00 Neaderthals, language, reason 20:00 Godel's beliefs about mind and mathematical truths 21:00 Mathematical truth and religious truth 22:00 Depth & sophistication of the law that governs the universe  

It's an age old question--some would say an age old myth--but let's be fair in asking it: Are science and religion fundamentally at odds? Well, I suppose that depends on who you ask. But at least one theoretical physicist (enter Stephen Barr) says no--no they most certainly are not. Not only are religion and science not at odds, suggests Barr, but there is deep and important consonance between the two, when each is properly understood. In this episode: Does physics tell us everything we need to know about ourselves, and the world? Has physics eliminated the need for God? What is the real history of the Catholic Church and its approach to science? What about miracles? Don't miracles violate the laws of physics? Do humans really have freewill? Or is everything we do determined by the laws of nature? Can theism provide the proper philosophical background for understanding science? Show Notes and Mentioned Resources The Society of Catholic Scientists Modern Physics and Ancient Faith The Pat Flynn Show If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to me if you could subscribe to, and leave a review for, The Pat Flynn show on iTunes HERE or Stitcher HERE. Reading your reviews and hearing your feedback is what keeps me fired up to make The Pat Flynn Show happen. Thank you!

Dr. Chris Baglow, directs the science and religion initative in our Institute, and he also teaches in our department of theology. He is the author of a textbook on science and religion, entitled “Faith Science and Reason: Theology on the cutting edge”. Dr. Baglow holds a BA from Franciscan University of Steubenville, an MA from the University of Dallas, and Ph.D. in Theology from Duquesne University ------ Resources: Faith, Science, and Reason Theology on the Cutting Edge - http://a.co/d/65LZSoi Church Life Today with Dr. Stephen Barr - https://soundcloud.com/user-178289668/2018-july-28 Science & Religion Seminars - https://mcgrath.nd.edu/conferences/summer-institute/science-religion-seminar/ ------ Live: www.redeemerradio.com Follow Redeemer Radio on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @RedeemerRadio Follow McGrath Institute for Church Life on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @McGrathND Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud

There are some things that just don’t go together. And it is something like a generally accepted fact that science and religion belong on that list. They don’t mix. In a recent study of both practicing Catholic Young Adult between the ages of 20-30 and former Catholic Young Adults of the same age, one thing that they all had in common: is that they believe science and religion ultimately conflict with one another. They All think that. And that study represents the norm, rather than the exception. If there is a place for religion it is assumed that it is a place that steers clear of science. Or so it seems. We want to re-examine this apparent certainty. So we are launching a short series on Church Life Today, in which we will talk with Catholic Scientist about science and religion. About questions of faith and reason. And even about the vocation and witness of Catholics who are drawn to the scientific fields with the mission to engage in a serious inquiry alongside which the faith of the church requires no apology. Our First guest in this series is Dr. Stephen Barr, professor of physics at the University of Delaware. You might not have read some of his notable research publications like 'Minimality Conditions and Atmospheric neutrino Oscillations' or 'The Search for a Permanent Electric Dipole Moment', but you may have run across some of his VERY popular and important books like 'Modern Physics and Ancient Faith', 'Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict' or 'The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science and Religion'. Dr. Barr obtained his Ph.D. at Princeton University and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. He is also a founding member, and the current president, of the rapidly growing Society of Catholic Scientist. Which brings together leading scientist from all over the globe, who seek to answer the call of St. John Paul II, to “Integrate the worlds of science and religion in their own intellectual and spiritual lives” ------ Resources: Modern Physics and Ancient Faith - http://a.co/5HGRaTu Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict - http://a.co/hAlVFB5 The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science and Religion - http://a.co/4N9Pjw1 ------ Live: www.redeemerradio.com Follow Redeemer Radio on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @RedeemerRadio Follow McGrath Institute for Church Life on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @McGrathND Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud

In today's episode we discuss Stephen Barr's talk at the SCS conference on June 9. His topic was the observer question in quantum mechanics. The observer problem is closely tied to the issue of probability and wavefunctions. We spend quite a while discussing what this problem is and how the question arises in the context of experiments like the famous two-slit experiment. The example of "Schrodinger's Cat" is an attempt to make this problem more understandable to the non-quantum mechanic. The cat is in some uncertain state, neither alive nor dead, until the observer opens the box and "collapses the wavefunction" to either a live cat or a dead one. In a two-slit experiment, a particle exists in some distribution of possible positions until an observer collapses the wavefunction and "forces" it to one tight range of locations (and for that matter momenta...). This is very weird. Barr cited a long list of quantum theorists (von Neumann, London, Bauer, Wigner, Peierls, and others) who considered the problem and whether mind as such is crucial to whatever it is that does the measuring and observing to collapse quantum systems. Wavefunctions, with their consequent probability distributions, evolve according to Schrodinger's [or Dirac's?...a question I've had in the back of my mind many times...] equation with no internal mechanism to cause this collapse. Clearly two very unlike things interact to form quantum mechanics as we know it, as von Neumann stated explicitly (calling the observer / collapse phenomenon "process 1" and the wavefunction evolution "process 2"). It is clear that we can shift our mathematical formalism to incorporate any physical measurment device into the "system" and thus recognize it to be in the realm of wavefunction behavior. There is the "Wigner's friend" thought problem where even a human observer of an experimental setup can be placed in the "box" from the point of view of another human observer. When we consider the observer problem from the point of view of a descriptive science (geology, astronomy, zoology, etc.) there is the immediate and rather alarming philosophical question: What was happening to, say, this star or tectonic plate or ancestral population of invertebrates before there was an observer to collapse the wavefunctions? Someone raised this question with Dr. Barr in the question and answer session after the talk. There is a phenomenon called "decoherence" (warning: that link is informative in places but far from the clearest read) which occurs for systems that are very open, interacting with their surroundings. Broadly speaking, the observable in question can trade uncertainty with its surrounding and settles down into a tighter range of possible states, simulating to some extent the effect of an observer collapsing the wavefunction. However, the two phenomena are not the same.

This talk was offered by Dr. Stephen Barr as part of the opening session of the 2018 "Thomistic Philosophy and Natural Science Symposium" held at the Dominican House of Studies, Washington DC

Not to be confused with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, although one would understand the mistake. Bill interviews Paul about his experience and observations at the Society of Catholic Scientists conference that took place June 8-10 at the campus of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The SCS is a very young organization. Its first president is Stephen Barr, a physicist at the University of Delaware. Its first conference was in April 2017 in Chicago. The theme of the 2018 conference was "The Human Mind and Physicalism"--physicalism being a somewhat more precisely defined term than its synonym, materialism. (Believe it or not, some folks at the meeting thought those two elements in the title were probably incompatible.) Paul discusses the meeting and the variety of scientists he saw and met there, including Barr, Juan Martin Maldacena (a prominent string theorist), Aaron Schurger (a neuroscientist), and more. Bill and Paul do a little digging and comment on motivations for the group, including the desire for fellowship (like the existing group, Catholic Association of Scientists and Engineers) but also to band together against the folly of the existing culture and its tired, hugely outdated idea that science and faith (certainly the Catholic faith) are logically incompatible. GK Chesterton was quite right when he commented that the quarrel between science and religion was properly left to prematurely arrogant scientists and sola scriptura fundamentalists back in the NINETEENTH century. It's the twenty-first, now, and we should get ourselves to the business of putting this to bed. Paul elaborates on this final fact at some length, discussing the parallels between the current day and the scholastic synthesis of the thirteenth century. Odd, is it not, that in the broad sweep of history, Aristotle and his universe existing indefinitely backward in time lost out to the stories of a bunch of Hebrew peasants who thought the Prime Mover had actually created the world at a specific point...

Bill’s introductory question: Would there be a quick curriculum in basic philosophical principles, including the philosophy of science, that could discourage people from assuming that science and religion are at incompatibly opposite ends of the spectrum of “how to think about things”? We discuss the difficulty of canning a “curriculum” or “program” to address anything, let alone a problem as nuanced as this is, before plunging ahead and taking our chances. Paul argues that there are actually significant parallels between the religious, and specifically Christian, concepts of “mystery” and “dogma” and inescapable aspects of thinking about and doing science. A mystery is an issue within a system of religious doctrines where it is confidently pronounced that human debate and philosophizing will never exhaust the issue and solve it completely. That is very different than saying a mystery is something to encounter and then stop thinking. It’s the opposite. It’s a promise that continued thinking and contemplation will continue, world without end. Even the concept of dogma has analogues, especially if you broaden your horizon of scientific thinking enough to take in the observational or descriptive sciences like geology, zoology, and paleontology. In these sciences, we try to understand phenomena that we don’t have the power to replicate. We can’t run the experiment “Venus” over again, changing the parameters until we understand for certain why it came out with this thick carbon dioxide atmosphere and high surface temperature as opposed to being more like Earth or Mars or anything else. We can do experiments that help us interpret the observations we make, but we have to accept the testimony of the geologic, paleontologic, or astronomic record as it has been presented to us. Christian dogmas boil down to testimony. We can’t run the experiments Mary or Jesus of Nazareth over again. A Catholic Christian accepts testimony that has been handed down, and if he is a thinker of any kind, he works that into his worldview. Again, key points in this discussion we owe to Stephen Barr’s Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. Paul’s profile on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4658045-paul.

What is a Gold Mass? Who are the Society of Catholic Scientists? Join us for an encouraging and fun talk with Catholic Physicist Prof. Stephen Barr, PhD that took place on November 15, 2017, which was the same day as the Feast of St. Albert the Great who is the Patron Saint of Scientists. We also discussed the brand new “Gold Mass” tradition that also takes place on November 15 that he and some colleagues started to honor Catholic Scientists. We also discussed many fascinating physics theories that Prof. Barr is hard at work on. Dr. Barr is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Delaware and Director of its Bartol Research Institute. He does research in theoretical particle physics, especially grand unified theories, theories of CP violation, neutrino oscillations, and particle cosmology. He also has a PhD. in Physics from Princeton University and he is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Dr. Barr and his work has appeared in First Things, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, EWTN and many other news outlets. He is one of the co-founders who started a great new group that encourages and brings together Catholic scientists: https://www.catholicscientists.org/ Dr. Barr has a great book that explores the intersections of faith and science, which we highly recommend... Modern Physics and Ancient Faith: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Physics-Ancient-Faith-Stephen/dp/0268034710/ We also discuss his thoughts on miracles and the things we might do to encourage more Christians to pray for a calling in science. Dr. Barr’s Biography: http://web.physics.udel.edu/about/directory/faculty/stephen-barr View the full interview transcript: http://www.purposenation.org/stephen-barr-phd-podcast-transcript Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and find our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud or your favorite podcasting application: http://www.purposenation.org/podcast/ Visit our website for more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to our non-profit 501(c)3 Christian ministry: http://www.purposenation.org/

“The real antagonist of religion is not science, but scientific materialism which is a reductive philosophy that comes from a blinkered view of reality and a blinkered view of science itself.”

Carl Sagan inspired him to embark a career that would lead him to some of NASA's most important missions. Listen to our podcast interview with one of the leading Catholic Christian astronomers, Professor Jonathan Lunine, PhD. In this episode, we discuss with him the exciting possibility of finding alien life, right in our own solar system, living on the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. We also discuss his journey into the top echelon of science, starting with being a child of wonder growing up in New York City to spending decades working on the teams responsible for some of the most successful and longest running space exploration missions in NASA history. Dr. Lunine's science journey included Carl Sagan and Francis Drake, but it was also journey that almost did not happen -- if not for a spare ticket to a science talk. We'll also hear his decades long journey to faith, from a Jewish family to an Arizona preacher to Vatican astronomers. Prof. Jonathan Lunine's biography: http://www.purposenation.org/jonathan-lunine-phd The organization Prof Lunine founded along with Stephen Barr, PhD: https://www.catholicscientists.org/ Books recommended by Prof. Lunine: "How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard" by Aurora Griffin: https://www.ignatius.com/Products/SCH-P/how-i-stayed-catholic-at-harvard.aspx "God's Mechanics" by Guy Consolmagno: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118087313/

From Galileo's run-in with the Catholic Church in the 17th century to more recent controversies over the teaching of creationism in public schools, the relationship between science and religion has been the subject of ongoing debate. Host Rick Pantaleo speaks with Jerry Coyne, the author of "Faith vs. Fact" and Stephen Barr, President of the Society of Catholic Scientists about whether science and religion are compatible or mutually exclusive.

Stephen Barr talks about the working with college choirs, his compositions, and unexpected career paths. Go to ZachThompsonMusic.weebly.com/012 for more information. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thechoirconductor/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thechoirconductor/support