Science and Spiritual Quest II
Science and Spiritual Quest II
Science and Beyond: Cosmology, Consciousness and Technology in the Indic Traditions
An Infinity Foundation sponsored event
8-11 January 2003
National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
This is an international symposium organized jointly by the Sir John Templeton Foundation, the National Institute of Advanced Studies and other Indian agencies. This ‘Bangalore Symposium’ is the third in the series Science and the Spiritual Quest II, which is a programme of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences in Berkeley, California.
The objective of the programme is to promote dialogue among leading scientists on the connections between their scientific work and their religious or spiritual identities. Science and the Spiritual Quest (SSQ) does not advocate a particular religious position or a specific outcome for discussion between science and religion. It seeks merely to promote open and honest dialogue on the subject within the scientific community and to make the results of these discussions available to the general public through conferences, publications and other media.
Participants are drawn from the most distinguished scientists, including Nobel Prize winners and leading specialists in each major field. They come from every continent of the globe, represent each of the world’s major religious traditions, and include theists, atheists and agnostics among their number. Above all, SSQ stands for the importance of the dialogue itself. The scientific quest and the spiritual quest are two of the major forces in human history and in thge world today. It is vitally important that we understand the similarities – and the differences – between these two powerful drives, which are anchored deep in the human spirit and which may reflect back to us something of the nature of reality.
The Bangalore Symposium will draw together the most distinguished Indian scientists, philosophers and other scholars, as well as their colleagues from the rest of the worl, to a series of intellectual encounters on the theme of the meeting. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the role of consciousness, cosmology and technology, especially the Indic traditions. The programme will include several talks on these subjects, including short presentations by leading Indian scientists and philosophers on what is science and what is beyond science for them, several public lectures, a panel discussion and two major public events.
A skeleton of the proposed programme follows; for more details as the programme crystallizes please visit www.nias.res.in and www.ssq.net.
For more details, contact:
Professor BV Sreekantan
National Institute of Advanced Studies
Bangalore 560 012
India
Phone: +91 80 360 4351/360 6594
E-mail: bvs@nias.iisc.ernet.in
Tentative Programme
(TBD: TO BE DECIDED)
8 January 2003
| 1100-1300 | Inaugural programme Welcome/Introduction: R Narasimha Keynote address: Philip Clayton Inaugural address: (TBD) Chairman: (TBD) |
| 1300-1430 | Lunch |
| 1430-1600 | Session 1: Science and beyond, Dialogue 1 Chairman: K Ramakrishna Rao |
|
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| 1600-1630 | Tea |
| 1630-1800 | Session 2: Public lecture (NIAS Auditorium) Chairman: (TBD) |
|
9 January 2003
| 0925-0930 | Introduction to the day’s programme |
| 0930-1100 | Session 1: Cosmology Chairman: R Cowsik |
| 0930-1000 |
|
| 1015-1045 |
|
| 1100-1130 | Tea |
| 1130-1300 | Session 2: Indic ways of thinking and scientific traditions Chairman: B V Subbarayappa |
| 1130-1200 |
|
| 1215-1245 |
|
| 1300-1400 | Lunch |
| 1400-1530 | Session 3: Method and epistemology Chairman: N Mukunda |
| 1400-1430 |
|
| 1445-1515 |
|
| 1530-1600 | Tea |
| 1600-1730 | Session 4: Panel discussion on Toward the future Chairman: P Billimoria |
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|
| 1730-1800 | Tea |
| 1800-1930 | Cultural programme (TBD) |
10 January 2003
| 0925-0930 | Introduction to the day’s programme |
| 0930-1100 | Session 1: Science and beyond, Dialogue 2 Chairman: Anindita Balslev |
|
|
| 1100-1130 | Tea |
| 1130-1300 | Session 2: Identity, consciousness and the self Chairman: R.C.Pradhan |
| 1130-1200 |
|
| 1215-1245 |
|
| 1300-1400 | Lunch |
| 1400-1530 | Session 3: Biotechnology and values Chairman: H Sharat Chandra |
| 1400-1430 |
|
| 1445-1515 |
|
| 1530-1600 | Tea |
| 1600-1730 | Session 4: Science and society Chairman: Philip Clayton |
| 1600-1630 |
|
| 1645-1715 |
|
| 1730-1800 | Tea |
| 1800-1930 | Session 5: Public Event 1 (JN Tata Auditorium, IISc) Chairman: (TBD) |
|
11 January 2003
| 0925-0930 | Introduction to the day’s programme |
| 0930-1100 | Session 1: Science and beyond, Dialogue 3 Chairman: Dipankar Home |
|
|
| 1100-1130 | Tea |
| 1130-1300 | Session 2: Technology, society and values Chairman: R Narasimha |
| 1130-1200 |
|
| 1215-1245 |
|
| 1300-1400 | Lunch |
| 1400-1530 | Session 3: Health and environment Chairman: R M Varma |
| 1400-1430 |
|
| 1445-1515 |
|
| 1530-1600 | Tea |
| 1600-1730 | Session 4: Science and beyond Chairman: Kireet Joshi |
| 1600-1630 |
|
| 1645-1715 |
|
| 1730-1800 | Valedictory programme Chairman: Raja Ramanna |
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| 1830 | Public event 2 (to be organised by K H Foundation) |
|
15 minutes are reserved for discussion at the end of each session.
(TBD: TO BE DECIDED)
(Sponsors include The John Templeton Foundation and The Infinity Foundation)