Syllabus
Seminar Schedule of the Year
Topics
Lecture Notes
Booklist
Links
Super-Summary
2008 Summaries
2009 Summaries

1995 Summaries
1999 Summaries
2000 Summaries
2001 Summaries
2002 Summaries
2003 Summaries
2004 Summaries
2005 Summaries
2006 Summaries
2007 Summaries

#

Topic

Reading

Lead

Date

Reporters

1

Introduction
Start of Cosmology

-

E.M., T. D., W. DeVr
E. Möbius

2

Overview on Physical Cosmology

Ferris, The Whole Shebang; Ch. 1,2,4,6; Stannard: God for the 21st Century, Part 1; "Curtains of the Universe", Astronomy, March 95 (Reserve); Lecture Notes (www);

Eberhard Möbius

3

Life as we know and its evolution

Stannard: Part 2; Foreword of "Origins of Life"; R. Dawkins "The selfish Gene", Ch. 2; E. Mayr "One long Argument", Ch. 4, 5;

Thomas Davis

4

The Origin of Mind

Papineau&Selina: “Introducing Consciousness”
Other assigned reading TBA

Willem DeVries

{Suggested & Past Topics}

Consciousness, the hard problem; In Search of the Self

Papineau&Selina: “Introducing Consciousness”,
Stannard: Part7;
“Closer to Truth”, pp. 3 – 50; Nick Herbert: “Elemental Mind”;

The Intersection of Science and Mysticism
+ Self-Aware Universe

Papineau&Selina: “Introducing Consciousness”
Davies, Ch. 9; Weber "Scientists&Sages"
Kafatos&Nadeau, "The Conscious Universe"

Theories of Creation
The New Story of Creation

Davies, Ch. 2; Brockelman, Ch. 3
Raymo, Ch. 7

Evolution as property of the universe:
Evolution / Creationism

Stannard: Part 3;
Peat: From Certainty to Uncertainty, Ch. 6
Prigogine, Stengers: Order out of Chaos, Introd.,; Eigen, Winckler: The Game, Ch.5,; Blackmore: The Meme Machine, Ch. 2;
Kauffmann: At Home in the Universe, Ch.3

The Universe as a Home for Life

Limitations to Science
(The Known and the Unknowable)

Stannard: Part 10;
Barrow, Impossibilities, Ch. 7, 8;
Brockelman, Cosmology & Creation, p. 45-52, 73; Peat: From Certainty to Uncertainty, Ch.2

Genes and Genetic Engineering: Cloning & the Future of Humanity

Stannard, Part 5;

Theory of Everything

Davies, Ch. 3; Ferris, Ch. 8; Barrow, Ch 2; "Physics and our view of the world", pp. 38-60;

Anthropic Principle

Deep (Principal) Limits (Goedel’s Theorem?) in Science and in Religion?

Barrow, Ch. 7, 8;
Brockelman, p. 45-52, 73

Nature of Time

Ferris, Ch. 10; "Time", Astronomy, Feb 2000, Reserve; Hawking "History of Time"; Barrow, Ch. 7

Space Exploration/-ploitation

- Article in Astronomy (Reserve)
- "Panning Yellowstone's Pools for Science and Profit" National Parks, Sep/Oct 99 (on Reserve)
- Astrobiology News on Europa:
- Environmental Protocol of the Antartic Treaty

Problems of Debates between Physics and Religion

Stannard: Part 11;
Ferris “Shebang”: “Contrarian Theologian Afterword”
Hilgevoord, Physics and our View of the World: pp. 188-225

Sources of Models for God

Davies, Ch. 7; Ferris, Ch. 12, epilogue; Brockelman, Ch. 4, 5;

Multiple Universes?

Ferris, Ch. 10; Davies, Ch. 8; Welcome to my Universes; Globe, 2/8/99; Inflating the Cosmos; Astronomy, 7/99

The “I” and the Soul

Papineau&Selina: “Introducing Consciousness”,
Stannard: Part8;

Life in the Universe: Search for Life/Intelligence beyond Earth

Stannard: Part Four;
Drake Equation; From: “Cosmic Connections”

Gaia hypotheses: systems approach, religious connection, New Age

Russell: The Global Brain, Ch. 1;
Margulis, Sagan: What is Life?
Krebs: Ecology, What is the Gaia Hypoth.?
De Duve: Vital Dust
Weinstein: Earth Magic, p.1
Fox: Energy and the Evolution of Life, p.4

What is reality?: Why is there something rather than nothing?

Ferris, Ch. 10, 11; Stannard: Part 9;
Davies, Ch. 4, 5; Barrow, Impossibilities: …, Ch. 7; Cole, A Hole in the Universe, Ch. 4;