"The Great Debate: Can Science Tell Us Right From Wrong?"
The Great Debate, held at Arizona State University on November 6, brought together a renowned group of scientists, philosophers, and public intellectuals to discuss whether advances in neuroscience and evolutionary psychology have significantly impacted how we understand the concept of morality. Panelists Steven Pinker, Sam Harris, Patricia Churchland, Lawrence Krauss, Simon Blackburn, and Peter Singer were joined by The Science Network’s Roger Bingham for a wonderful night of discussion and questions from the audience.
Click here to see videos of the discussion.Overview
Announcing the new Origins Initiative at ASU with Lawrence Krauss as Director. A University-wide initiative to focus on deep and foundational questions ranging across the entire spectrum of scholarship at ASU is being developed with support from a faculty advisory committee with representatives from all schools and colleges at ASU.
Mission
Questions of origins resonate across all academic disciplines and among the general public because they directly confront the mysteries associated with our existence, our past, and our future. Questions such as:
- How did the Universe Begin?
- How did life arise?
- How does life evolve?
- What is the Origin of Human Uniqueness?
- What is the origin of disease?
- How does consciousness arise?
- How do human institutions arise and develop?
- What will be the technologies of the future?
These are questions that provoke fascination and heated debate whenever they arise, and are, at the same time, central to forefront research at the edge of human knowledge. The Origins Initiative at ASU will continue a tradition of transdisciplinary activity, and an unusually strong existing research emphasis on origins issues from evolutionary biology to nanotechnology, from human institutions to the origin of the universe. It will have a two-pronged thrust: by bringing together scholars from different disciplines we will explore how a broader and more inclusive perspective may arise in addressing these fundamental questions. At the same time, progress in addressing key fundamental disciplinary questions can occur by bringing together a critical mass of experts, both within the university and from the outside.
The Origins Initiative will foster both activities, and at the same time a key component of Origins will involve public outreach and education, as well as exploring new paradigms for undergraduate education. We will incorporate the new insights gained from our activities to foster ASU's educational mission and to disseminate knowledge to the broader community, both in the region and around the world.
Activities
The Origins Initiative was inaugurated in 2008-2009 with several activities, including a major symposium to bring the best scientists and scholars from around the world, and a miniconference to celebrate the Darwin Year and the International Year of Astronomy.
We will ramp up in 2009-2010 with other activities, to include workshops, new courses, public lectures, colloquia, and visitor programs. Return to this page for updates.