Speaking of Faith (from American Public Media) has a very interesting podcast (and additional web content) on Charles Darwin and his relationship to religion. I listened to half of it this morning and it was intriguing. The relationship is far more complicated and nuanced that the oft-proclaimed Darwin vs. God conflict. See SOF: Evolution and Wonder – Understanding Charles Darwin [Speaking of Faith® from American Public Media]
From the Scopes Trial to school board controversies in our day, Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution are portrayed as a refutal of the very idea of God. With Darwin biographer James Moore, we’ll learn about the world in which Darwin formulated his ideas and how he took religion seriously.
Larraine
Are you able to go to the lecture (Rutherford Memorial Lecturer Paul Nurse, see here)at the Cathedral tomorrow night (Auckland Public Lecture – “Two Views of Creation” – 6.00pm Venue: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell Monday July 31 The ‘creationist’ view of evolution, as given by John Milton in his great poem Paradise Lost, is compared with the ‘natural selectionist’ view from Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species. Sir Paul Nurse discusses how this comparison sheds light on the ultimate successes and limitations of scientific knowledge. )
Stephen
Yes, I know it’s on. Just every moment of the day (and night) is being spent on finishing this thesis. May get there, but seeing as the morning tomorrow (and maybe afternoon) will be influenced by a dental visit, probably not.
BTW – the podcast also compares Paradise Lost and The Origin of Species in at least one place.