The cover story of the New Scientist this week is Metaphysics, which they sub-title “How science answers philosophy’s deepest questions”. I think that the New Scientist is a very interesting magazine, and I’m pleased that they tackle these sorts of topics, although I do find how they approach them somewhat frustrating sometimes!
How do we transform the way that we usually think? One answer to that question is to talk to people who think differently to us! This is the approach taken by Durham University’s Institute of Advanced Studies. This book summarises those discussions so far.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke out against the complacency and denial of his time, and was shown to be right. Unfortunately, complacency and denial still flourish, not least when dealing with climate change.
Telling stories is an important part of how the Bible was written. But how reliable were those stories before they were written down? Recent research on the accuracy of Indigenous Australian story-telling shows how reliable it can be!
40,000 years ago people were thinking, believing and feeling like us in Europe. But what about elsewhere? New evidence has been found in Indonesia, which challenges some of what we thought we knew.
What does Ecclesiastes look like from a scientist’s point of view? People have long struggled with how best to understand Ecclesiastes and the approach of R J Berry provides a refreshing change to some of the theologian’s arguments over whether it is ‘pessimistic’ or ‘optimistic’. On another note, Ecclesiastes has also provided the inspiration for…
What does radiocarbon dating have to do with understanding the world of the Bible? Quite a lot (if you use it properly…!). Does it have anything to say about King David? Quite possibly…
The cover article of this week’s edition of the New Scientist explores what they think a ‘World Without God’ would look like. It won’t surprise you that I think there’s a few flaws in the article… (as well as some more interesting points!)
What does it mean to have a soul? What does the word ‘soul’ mean anyway? Possibly not what we think it means…
What’s the point of archaeology? Quite a lot actually! This is my reflection on the importance and wonder of archaeological discovery, with the help of Doctor Who…
40,000 years ago, were people thinking, believing and feeling like us? The answer that the British Museum’s exhibition on Ice Age Art gives is a resounding ‘yes’.
Creation and evolution. Why do we have to choose? I think that, with integrity, we don’t have to; it’s perfectly possible to accept both. This is my sermon on Faith and Evolution as part of our sermon series on Questions of Faith.
The results of evolution (including us!) are the results of chance. That’s the standard view anyway. The great, late Stephen Jay Gould wrote engagingly about this in his fascinating book, Wonderful Life. But, this view has been challenged by Simon Conway Morris, particularly in his book Life’s Solution. In this he argues that, once life…
What does science have to teach us about the doctrine of the Trinity? Quite a lot I think; particularly quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics deals with what happens when you get down to the atomic and sub-atomic scale. Which, in short, is stuff that you wouldn’t imagine! Or, to use the phrase that gets used a…
Writing in the Observer, Richard Dawkins writes that he wants every child in Britain to read the King James version of the Bible. Why? Because “a native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian.” He doesn’t actually explain why he thinks this; it…
olem - From the past to eternity 