Religious Tradition and the Future of Life in the Cosmos

Please join us on Thursday, February 7^th in the Marvin Center, Room 402-404 for a lecture on Religious Tradition and the Future of Life in the Cosmos.

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Knoespel, Georgia Institute for Technology

Abstract:  Radio bursts from deep space, exploration of the ice moons of Saturn, and the urgency surrounding life on Earth remind us that the question of ‘the future of life in the cosmos’ may appear both esoteric or a matter of life and death.  At a time when we can easily become distracted by distinctions between ‘truths’ from religious tradition or ‘truths’ from science, we are challenged to ask how myth shaped by religion and science may also bring our cosmologies together. While myth, associated with antiquity, promotes an impetus to ‘demythologize,’ the impulse to remythologize or create new narratives engages us as well.  At a time we are making discoveries about life in the universe and on our own planet, we must also ask how our own story telling embraces our religious traditions and creates space for the evolving horizon of science.

Speaker Bio: Kenneth J. Knoespel is McEver Professor of Engineering and the Liberal Arts, Emeritus, at Georgia Institute of Technology where he has a joint appointment in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture and the School of History, Technology, and Society. Knoespel has published widely on multiple aspects of visualization and science studies in early modern Europe. Research on Isaac Newton’s manuscripts devoted to universal history and religion are focal points in his research. Together with colleagues in science and engineering, he has organized workshops and symposia devoted to astrobiology and the future of life in the cosmos and on Earth.

Lecture will be followed by Q&A. Event is free and open to the public.