The Science and Religion Dialogue: Past and Future

The University of Heidelberg will host a major 3-day conference in October of 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir John Templeton and the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of his Foundation. This conference will gather leading scholars in science and religion together with scientists and scholars who have not traditionally been active in the science and religion community to assess what the field has achieved to date and to focus upon the most strategic areas for progress in the next decade. The conference will include sessions dedicated to the physical and mathematical sciences and sessions dedicated to the life sciences. It will also include sessions focused on speciric current areas of engagement amongst scholars in science and religion, including some of the more successful programs in the past and some of the most promising directions for the future. The program will incorporate young scholars, and includes an essay competition that will result in 5 young scholars attending the program, as well as scholars representing a range of religious traditions. Outputs for the project will include the live webcasting of the conference, a website with video recordings of all sessions, live internet chats featuring conference speakers, publications (including a book), the winning essays, and a variety of publicity efforts that will result in widespread attention.