I’ve been reading Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the Frontier edited by Rhonda Wilcox and Tanya Cochran on the train in the past week or so. Some really interesting essays on different aspects of the Firefly universe and well worth a look if you’re interested in looking how people from different disciplines might engage critically with a TV show like this.

I’ve also been reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale edited by James South and William Irwin. Again, some interesting material in there.

One thing that comes through from time to time though, is the sense that the occasional author is so caught up in the constructed world that they engage more with the characters as ‘real people’ rather than with the people (directors, writers, actors etc.) who shape that world. A problem perhaps for anyone writing about something they care about deeply.

That said, I’ve asked the library to order Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon’s Firefly Universe.

Kim Fabricius over at Faith and Theology posts Ten propositions on Darwin and the deity.

And so, I capitulate and create a Darwin category.

A symposium on Science and religion in the 21st century: faith in science, science in faith.
Programme

Prof Jeff Tallon FRSNZ

Truth or true? – faith and science rubbing shoulders

Prof Bob White FRS

Natural disasters: acts of God or results of human folly?

Dr Graeme Finlay

The story in our genes

Rev Dr Graham O’Brien

Evolving evolution

Prof Gareth Jones CNZM

Manufacturing humans: the borderlands between human and divine control

Prof John McClure

Psychology and religion: is there a ghost in the machine?

Dr Stephen Garner/ Dr Nicola Hoggard-Creegan

The view from theology

When: 8.30am-6pm, Saturday 14 March 2009

Where: Theatre 401-439, ‘Neon Foyer’, Engineering School, Symonds Street, The University of Auckland

Please register for the symposium by Wednesday 11 March, with p.medhora@auckland.ac.nz
Cost $20, non-waged people $10 (refreshments and lunch provided)
Parking under Owen G Glenn building, $5 flat rate

For more details click on the picture or on the links below:

Bob White – Lecture and Symposium – Leaflet.pdf

Bob White – Lecture and Symposium – Poster.pdf

A public lecture on Global Warming: a Christian response

Professor Robert White FRS

Professor of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge

When: 6-7 p.m., Thursday 12 March 2009

Where: Theatre OGGB4, Business School, corner of Symonds Street and Grafton Road, The University of Auckland

(Parking under Owen G Glenn building, $5 flat rate)

Professor Robert White is Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge (since 1989) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1994. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, and a member of the American Geophysical Union. He leads a research group investigating the Earth’s dynamic crust. His scientific work is published in over 300 articles.

Bob is Associate Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, and a director of the John Ray Initiative, an educational charity that works to develop and communicate a Christian understanding of the environment.

For more details click on the picture or on the links below:

Bob White – Lecture and Symposium – Leaflet.pdf

Bob White – Lecture and Symposium – Poster.pdf

Via Sze Zeng: ‘Rescuing Darwin’ Report we come to Does Darwinism need rescuing? | Religious Debate | Theos think tank -> Does Darwinism need rescuing?.

Another reason for the Darwin subcategory.

Back in June (2008) I pointed out that Metanexus’ Global Spiral publication had a special issue on transhumanism – see Greenflame · Metanexus Global Spiral – Special Issue on Transhumanism.

Apparently this generated some pointed comment from the transhumanist community.

• Sentient Developments: Guest Blogger: Russell Blackford: How to avoid a spiral of nonsense; or, the transhumanists strike back.
• Sentient Developments: Transhumanists given opportunity to answer critics on The Global Spiral

Anyway, Global Spiral’s current issue has a series of responses from transhumanists. You can read them at Global Spiral :: H+:Transhumanism Answers Its Critics (Feb 2009).

Can’t remember where the link came from but Harvard Divinity School has a whole lot of audio and video lecture material up at HDS – CSWR – Lectures Online. A really big range of topics covered including the interesting (from my perspective) “Maori and Biotechnology: The Logic of Belief and the Logic of Practice” (Michael D. Jackson).

C4LPT Learning Network has a useful looking section

A Guide to Social Learning provides a practical guide to getting engaged with social media, and understanding their use for formal and informal learning.  

Hat tip to Mary.

Short article & video over at February 6, 2009 ~ Darwin at 200 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

I really am going to have to create a Darwin subcategory this year.

Does anyone know if what, if any, relationship exists between the Peter Haynes short film Fanboys (2003) and the cinematic release of Fanboys (2009)?