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Welcome

The Brown Symposium is presented by Southwestern University on an annual basis. Open to the public without charge, the symposium is funded through an endowment established by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston, Texas, for professorships at the University.

The symposia are designed to enhance the effectiveness of the work for which the endowed professorships were established. Each symposium presents topics in one of the broad areas of study represented by the chairholder.

2009 lecture events will be held in Alma Thomas Theater, located in the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center.

The Brown Symposium

Science and Religion: Conflict or Convergence?
February 5-6, 2009

Andrew Newberg, MD University of Pennsylvania, Center for Spirituality and the Mind Simon Conway Morris, Ph.D University of Cambridge Mary Evelyn Tucker, Ph.D Yale University, Forum on Religion and Ecology David Sloan Wilson, Ph.D. State University of New York, Binghamton Christopher Bader, Ph.D., and Paul Froese, Ph.D. Baylor University, Baylor Survey of Religion Christian Lavigne Co-founder of Ars Mathematica

Science and religion address the most fundamental questions of origin, purpose and place, and have produced many of humanity’s greatest achievements. Yet, they are often seen as conflicting world views. The debate between science and religion continues today; it is a topic of discussion in presidential elections and has been the center of legal challenges to public education.

The 2009 Brown Symposium brings to the Southwestern University campus seven distinguished scholars whose work focuses on the intersection of science and religion.

Science and Religion: Conflict or Convergence? the 31st symposium in the series, has been developed by Benjamin Pierce, professor of biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair at Southwestern University.