Schloss Talk to Examine Science of Belief
, who directs the Center of Faith, Ethics and Life Sciences and is T.B. Walker professor in the natural and behavioral sciences at Ƶ, will explore the science of belief in a lecture, “New Discoveries in Science and Religion: Are We Built to Flourish with Faith?” on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at , 1332 Santa Barbara St. The Ƶ Downtown lecture, sponsored by the Ƶ Foundation, is free and open to the public. No tickets are required; the limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.
Schloss, internationally known for his scholarship on interactions between evolutionary theory and religious faith, examines whether humans are naturally wired for faith. “Everyone is aware of the centuries-old debate about science and the truth of religious belief: does science debunk or support belief in a Creator?” Schloss asks. “But an explosion of more recent work focuses not so much on the truth, but on the casual origin and role of religion: might it be a unique, adaptive human endowment?”
The lecture describes new discoveries and explores current debates over whether faith is a “pathology” or an important element of individual health, personal fulfillment, and social flourishing. And it suggests the either/or polarity is too simplistic.
Schloss has co-edited several major books: “Understanding Moral Sentiments: Darwinian Perspectives?”; “The Believing Primate: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Perspectives on the Origin of Religion”; “Evolution and Ethics: Human Morality in Biological and Religious Perspective”; and “Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue,” which all won Templeton Science-Religion Books of Distinction Awards.
Schloss, who has been teaching at Ƶ since 1981, has lectured and held fellowships in programs at Wheaton, Michigan, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Notre Dame. He graduated from Wheaton College and earned a doctorate in ecology/evolutionary biology from Washington University in Saint Louis.