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25 FEB 2025 · In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know This, Too, Sr. Carla Mae Streeter, OP, interviews Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, a Franciscan sister with a background in science and theology. Sr. Ilia discussed her journey from neurobiology to historical theology, emphasizing the integration of science and religion. She highlighted the need for a dynamic understanding of Christology and the role of figures like Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure, and Teilhard de Chardin in bridging science and faith. Sr. Ilia advocated for a shift from traditional doctrines to a more evolutionary and integrative approach, stressing the importance of revisiting core theological concepts in light of modern scientific insights. She also emphasized the need for a robust religious education that includes both science and faith to address contemporary challenges.
Transcribed
23 FEB 2025 · Bob Kurland's Slide Links
In all protein functions, parts of the proteins bind loosely to other parts of the protein and thus form appropriate structures that are essential to their function. This is shown very nicely in this TED YouTube video, by Professor Ken Dill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm-3kovWpNQ Here is another nice YouTube video showing protein flexibility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ2aY5lxEGE
Webinar Title
The Anthropic Principle: “Are We Special?”--Did God make our “Goldilocks Universe” for man?
Abstract
The universe in which we live and came to be is not ordinary, but unusual. As the Church Lady in Saturday Night Live of old would say, “Now, isn’t that special!” Or is it? Some scientists would agree with Roger Penrose – that if it weren’t special, we wouldn’t be here to remark on it. Many other scientists and philosophers would agree with Thomas Nagel that an explanation giving only the result is not an explanation. (And, of course, if it is special, then there is the implicit conclusion that this is so because of a Creating Intelligence, which we Catholics recognize as the Trinitarian God.) In my presentation I will discuss some of the so-called “anthropic coincidences” necessary for carbon-based life. Although some examples from cosmology and particle physics will be included, I’m going to focus on the wonderful parts of chemistry and molecular biology, processes that point to the hand of a Creating Intelligence. And of course the prophets of the Old Testament and saints of the early Church knew this all along, without the benefit of science.
Dr. Robert Kurland, a convert to Catholicism in 1995, is a retired physicist who has applied magnetic resonance to problems of biological interest in his research (web search: “Kurland-McGarvey Equation”). Dr. Kurland is a graduate of Caltech (BS, 1951, “with honor”) and Harvard (PhD, 1956). His scientific career at Carnegie-Mellon, SUNY/AB, Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger Medical Center, has focused on biological applications of magnetic resonance, including MRI. Since his conversion to Catholicism, he has tried to spread the message that there’s no war between Catholic teaching and science.
Respondent:
William M. Briggs, PhD Against the Anthropic Principle Dr. William M. Briggs, the Statistician to the Stars, has a background in statistics, philosophy, meteorology, and cryptography. Born in Detroit, he left the city when it was at its peak, which some might jokingly suggest led to its decline. Briggs holds a PhD in Mathematical Sciences and an MS in Atmospheric Physics, and has served in various roles including professor, consultant, and statistician. He is known for his work in probability and statistics, as well as his cultural commentary on various social and scientific issues.
Transcribed
31 JAN 2025 · In this episode of Jesus 911, Jesse Romero interviews Joseph Freymann on his book Summa Apologetics (January 30, 2025)
Summa Apologetica is for adults and mature teens. It is specifically designed for a year-long course in Catholic Apologetics at the late high-school or early-college level. The book contains 160 questions and answers on Catholicism, Christianity, and faith in general. There are six categories: Natural Apologetics, Christian Apologetics, Catholic Apologetics, Historical Apologetics, Moral Apologetics and General Questions. The book is based on the philosophy and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as magisterial documents and the writings of authors whose views are consistent with sound Catholic theology. In each answer, scriptural verses appear in bold print for quick reference. The study questions at the end of each chapter are helpful for classroom discussions, quizzes and tests. This textbook has a digital companion, available in the App Store and the Google Play Store. It is a mobile app called Appologetics, written by the same author and containing the same content, a helpful pocket resource for convenience and quick reference.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/summa-apologetica/
Transcribed
26 JAN 2025 · In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know This, Too, Dr. Angelyn Arden interviews Chai Mahfood on her book Damnatio Memoriae (January 25, 2025)
After confronting unspeakable paranormal entities and narrowly escaping with his life, a young man faces the challenges of survival in the aftermath.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/damnatio-memoriae/
Transcribed
12 JAN 2025 · The goal of Rich May's workbook entitled Addressing Moral Confusion is to help our youth to receive catechetical instruction without getting bogged down by the mindset of the world today, thereby enabling them to be more open to the truth of the Gospel of Christ and His Church. It uniquely addresses these challenges, drawing from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as great theologians and philosophers including C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Fulton Sheen, St. John Cardinal Newman and others knowledgeable in moral psychology and human behavior.Age group: High school and young adults especially those already enrolled in institutions of higher learning. Not all of them may be practicing Christians. It should be of interest to all teachers including those that are currently working with younger age groups. Parents will also benefit from the material and convey basic themes … example, Session One: “Should you believe everything you hear?
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/addressingmoralconfusion/
Transcribed
6 DEC 2024 · In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Conrad Murphy, host of the https://catholic-link.org/podcast/habemus-papam-the-most-unfortunate-of-the-popes-the-sack-of-rome-the-split-with-england-and-a-waffling-indecisive-pope/ podcast, joins Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss his new book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DJJH99RN/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1. This new book is the product of Fr. Murphy’s podcast project. Over the course of six years, Fr. Murphy created short podcast biographies for each pope in chronological order. This book compiles some of the best stories he learned and how we grow closer to Christ in light of these stories. These stories include a pope’s statement on whether Christians can wear pants.
In the late 9th Century, Pope Nicholas I was asked if Christians were permitted to wear pants. His response was both amusing and wise, extolling the questioners to virtue and spiritual growth. Why Christians Can Wear Pants is a collection of unique stories from Papal History, which, like the example provided by Pope Nicholas, teach us lessons about the spiritual life.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/whychristianscanwearpants/
Transcribed
5 DEC 2024 · In this episode of I Thought You'd Like to Know, The Catholic Current interviews Jennifer Roback Morse about her chapter in Lived Experience. The show is entitled "How to Stop Being Stupid about Sex."
This book is an initial attempt to arrive inductively at the truths embedded in the moral teaching of the Church through the lived experience of faithful men and women, rendered intelligible in conceptual terms. While attending to one’s own experience is certainly one step in coming to understand oneself, it provides but a glimpse – a partial clue – into the mystery of who one is and is meant to be. Indeed, experience is not alienated from human cognition but integral to it. Wisdom is the fruit of both experience and reason. But, contrary to claims of those who would give primacy to subjective personal experience over and against the conclusions of right reason, it is only possible to arrive at the full truth about oneself if the intellect is allowed to pursue its proper end, not mere knowledge but understanding. We hope to persuade the reader that a proper grasp of the place of lived experience in the search for truth reveals that the Catholic understanding of the human person and human sexuality provide the only sure route to human happiness.
https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/livedexperience/
Transcribed
17 NOV 2024 · Christ, Science, and Reason: What We Can Know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles.
Our presenters
Christ, Science, and Reason: What We Can Know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles
Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, PhD
Father Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. is President of the Spitzer-Magis Center of Reason and Faith (www.magiscenter.com). He was President of Gonzaga University from 1998 to 2009. He is the author of fifteen books, including the award-winning New Proofs for the Existence of God, and most recently, Science, Reason, and Faith: Discovering the Bible. Father Spitzer has his own EWTN weekly television show called Father Spitzer’s Universe. He has appeared on the Larry King Show (debating Stephen Hawking), the History Channel, the Today Show, and PBS. Father Spitzer has partnered with Sophia Institute in publishing apologetics courses for middle and high school students, arming them with contemporary science-based evidence of the complementarity of faith and science.
Abstract
Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., closely examines the scientific evidence for: The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin The Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist from three recent scientifically investigated Eucharistic miracles The supernatural dimensions of the apparitions of Mary manifest in the Tilma of Guadalupe, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and many healing miracles connected with the Grotto of Lourdes. This work also presents a summary of contemporary historical and exegetical evidence for the historicity, Passion, and Resurrection of Jesus, and concludes with a consideration of the Catholic Church and science—particularly the Church’s contributions to science, the complementarity of science and the Bible, and the complementarity of physical evolution and the creation of a soul. The book makes clear that the Catholic Church is not anti-science, but quite the opposite—it is one of the most scientifically aware religious denominations in the world. It will also be clear that science is not anti-God, anti-Christ, or anti-religious. On the contrary, its tools and methods give considerable credible evidence for all of them.
The Importance of Fr. Spitzer’s Christ, Science, and Reason
Thomas P. Sheahen, PhD
Dr. Thomas P. Sheahen, director emeritus of ITEST, earned BS and PhD degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his 45-year career as a research physicist, predominantly in energy sciences, he worked for various industrial and national laboratories. In the 1990s, Sheahen wrote the textbook Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity. More recently, he wrote the book https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/everywhen/, which stands at the intersection of faith and science, and explains how mankind’s limited capabilities have led to a deficient and weak perception of God.
Abstract
Long ago it was recognized that, outside of mathematics, no one can prove a proposition. The nearest thing to a proof is to assemble evidence which is strongly convincing and then draw the most reasonable and responsible conclusion. This was termed an “informal inference” by Cardinal Newman in the 19th century. With this book, Fr. Spitzer has examined a number of miraculous events over many centuries and has provided the detailed evidence necessary to draw the reasonable and responsible conclusion that they are truly supernatural occurrences. He devotes attention to the scientific instruments and techniques used to research these miracles, and therefore, the attentive reader is much better able to counter the superficial dismissive arguments put forth by atheists and secularists. For example, in 1988 a carbon-dating measurement seemed to indicate that the Shroud of Turin was of medieval origin, which delighted the atheists. Father Spitzer looked carefully at many other kinds of experimental evidence that has been found in more recent decades, and he demonstrates why the 1988 measurement was incorrect. In reality, the shroud dates from the first century AD. Similarly, Fr. Spitzer takes on the critics of the Tilma of Juan Diego in the 16th century, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima in the 20th century, and several Eucharistic miracles in the modern age where scientific evidence shows that there is NO naturalistic explanation. In all cases, what differentiates this book from other authors is Fr. Spitzer’s commitment to following the Scientific Method to test each hypothesis and his excellent knowledge of both the capability and the limitations of science. Consequently, “Christ, Science, and Reason” is a major contribution to our understanding of miracles and gives the reader great confidence that the asserted claims of the Catholic Church are the most reasonable and responsible position to hold. Once again, Newman’s “informal inference” is that Catholicism is verified by these miracles.
Transcribed
12 OCT 2024 · In this ITEST webinar, Dr. Rob Koons and Dr. Terrence Lagerlund deliver talks on Brain and Artificial Intelligence: A Tale of Two Computers, but Only One Made in the Image of God (October 12, 2024)
AI and Aristotle: Why No Artifact could ever be Conscious
Robert C. (“Rob”) Koons is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds an M. A. from Oxford and a Ph.D. from UCLA. He is the author or co-author of five books, including https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Reality-Comprehensive-Guide-Metaphysics/dp/1119116260/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SQPRALFACSM5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9vzJz0aak88SeNCidOfyhg.WR_J-AmhGFL8NiD-N8XIiqLEOKVxwIh0dDsQ_2DT_Lg&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Atlas+of+Reality%3A+A+Comprehensive+Guide+to+Metaphysics&qid=1720481794&s=books&sprefix=the+atlas+of+reality+a+comprehensive+guide+to+metaphysics%2Cstripbooks%2C260&sr=1-1 with Timothy H. Pickavance (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017) and https://www.amazon.com/Thomass-Aristotelian-Philosophy-Nature-Obsolete/dp/1587314320/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2POH03P516MCI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kvZDNP1mGLtT4isD6_FxSA.1mvGW06u3ZdJdTGWzewr-ZEbAOYsLPjOfe1ypgf0dpk&dib_tag=se&keywords=Is+Thomas+Aquinas%27s+Philosophy+of+Nature+Obsolete%3F&qid=1720482110&s=books&sprefix=is+thomas+aquinas%27s+philosophy+of+nature+obsolete+%2Cstripbooks%2C174&sr=1-1 (St. Augustine Press, 2022). He is the co-editor of four anthologies, including https://www.amazon.com/Waning-Materialism-Robert-C-Koons/dp/0199556199/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JB9A5ER3WRZH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.b5C1FVUVC2OyTg9aFBUb-73GLcNcFX5g5oLVmxENNPxWsodEu-1ry6sjTCfd6YCu.HL9fqPmfMEzACK_h6W61SZXtfkRnUM8V0bhFmRvhoF8&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Waning+of+Materialism&qid=1720481891&s=books&sprefix=the+waning+of+materialism%2Cstripbooks%2C224&sr=1-1 (OUP, 2010) and https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Routledge-Studies-Philosophy-Religion/dp/1032060646/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30W0ONWOQ9WII&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ue5M3S9PqoHEsxLfebh8bk-u-f8fZhtuPUDhCIlU2NiwqArlQ9lRfpd4eKdcj9nfsaxWF9PWW8LHbc7jAMfubX268FCe8HDzfCVW7HMMRS90X6bOu2YyJeCBGqNJcv2Y94LU939Q0gRbpI1aELdsQTTW5EOX8f6NfCCqMaE_2Y4.LE3JfvHZ2Y-xtWfWobiUXWE9T80PCodo6Qb5Ytqq4SQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=Classical+Theism+%28Routledge%29&qid=1720482199&s=books&sprefix=classical+theism+routledge+%2Cstripbooks%2C135&sr=1-1 (Routledge 2023). He has been working recently on an Aristotelian interpretation of quantum theory, and on defending and articulating hylomorphism in contemporary terms.
Abstract
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle developed a comprehensive philosophy of nature that laid the foundations for all subsequent scientific inquiry. A central notion of Aristotle’s notion is that of a substance (ousia in Greek)—an essentially independent entity that has the highest possible degree of unity (what Thomas Aquinas called ‘per se unity’). Living organisms have this kind of unity, which explains their possession of essentially unified causal powers, like nutrition, growth, and sensation. Simple, homogeneous inorganic substances also exist, like drops of water or quartz crystals. However, all human artifacts, including all robots and computers, are mere “heaps” of inorganic components, lacking the sort of unity required for life, sensation, and consciousness. AI programs can emulate the behavior of conscious organisms, but there is an irreducible gap between appearance and reality.
Terrence Lagerlund, MD, PhD
Brain, Soul, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Mystery
Dr. Terrence Lagerlund has been a neurologist in the Division of Epilepsy at Mayo Clinic for 35 years, treating patients with epilepsy and interpreting their electroencephalograms. He also lectures to residents and fellows on electroencephalography including basic principles of electricity and neurophysiology. He has published papers and authored book chapters on electroencephalography and epilepsy, particularly regarding quantitative analysis of electroencephalograms. Prior to becoming a neurologist, he obtained a Ph.D. in physics and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science (doing research at Brookhaven National Laboratory and CERN) and as a term physicist at Fermilab.
Abstract
Some computer scientists claim that artificial general intelligence systems will soon be created which can duplicate and eventually far exceed the intellectual abilities of humans. In this presentation we will compare the architecture and learning ability of artificial neural networks implemented on an electronic digital machine and the neural networks of the human brain (of which Professor Marvin Minsky of MIT once pronounced that “the brain is merely a meat machine”). We will demonstrate by philosophical arguments and a mathematical theorem involving Turing machines that understanding abstract concepts, abstract reasoning to ascertain truth, and making free decisions are powers of the human mind that exceed the capabilities of any physical system whether made of electronic circuits or of biological neurons; rather, these capabilities require a nonphysical soul that tightly integrates with the human brain, because of which we can truly say that humans are made in the image and likeness of God. We will also discuss a new theory of how the soul may interact with the brain by influencing the outcome of quantum processes involving passage of ions through neuronal ion channels within the brain’s neural networks synchronized by the 40-70 Hz oscillation, and thereby continually influence retrieval of memories and behavioral choices occurring in these networks so as to allow the soul’s choice based on rational deliberation to cause a neuronal network undergoing chaotic behavior to converge upon a different final state (attractor), thereby allowing the soul’s choice to be implemented in the brain and body.
https://faithscience.org/tale-of-two-computers/
Transcribed
17 AUG 2024 · In this ITEST webinar entitled "A New Understanding of Quantum Mechanics: Back to Aristotle and Aquinas" Dr. Robert Kurland, Kenneth Francis, and Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, discuss metaphysics, epistemology, and quantum physics. (August 17, 2024)
In the order of appearance,
Sebastian Mahfood, OP, PhD, "Introduction to Aristotelian-Thomistic Metaphysics"
Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Director of ITEST, is a Lay Dominican of the Province of Saint Albert the Great. He has served as a professor of intercultural and interdisciplinary studies in theological education for over two decades. In 2021, he transitioned full-time to developing his publishing house, https://www.enroutebooksandmedia.com/, and his radio station, https://www.wcatradio.com/, the missions of which are to promote the Catholic spiritual journey in the provision of resources that assist in the formation of priests and laity. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Mahfood, and children, Alexander and Eva Ruth.
Abstract
“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses” – so begins Aristotle’s Metaphysics, less a metaphysical statement than an epistemological one, but it sets the tone for everything that follows in terms of the third level of abstraction, being qua being, since it indicates the hylomorphic nature of man as both spiritual and material. The immaterial mind learns when the body, formed by the soul, perceives through its senses an ambient reality, generating a phantasm which no longer relies on the sensory impression. One need only touch fire once, for example, to get the idea of “hot.” Are there ways in which metaphysics can help us understand quantum mechanics? Certainly! And that is the subject of this talk.
Kenneth Francis, "God and Quantum Theory "
Kenneth Francis is a freelance journalist and Contributing Editor at New English Review. For the past 30 years, he has worked as an editor in various publications and print media, as well as a university professor in journalism. He also holds an MA in Theology and is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Mind-Cosmos-Truth-ebook/dp/B0785KF89D (St Pauls Publishing); https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Existence-Ecclesiastes-Theatre-Absurd/dp/194300322X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VPYW3RRREMCH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mvJ4Q9Bh1j-jC1_cZT9qfbzSf43pTZKCvnuuK-gF5s7GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.pRBfQteHlgLlYvXrlNXnSflBSep1_i9h7pqV1qFJcHM&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Terror+of+Existence%3A+From+Ecclesiastes+to+Theatre+of+the+Absurd&qid=1715370234&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+terror+of+existence+from+ecclesiastes+to+theatre+of+the+absurd%2Cdigital-text%2C124&sr=1-1-catcorr (with Theodore Dalrymple); and https://www.amazon.com/Neither-Trumpets-Violins-Theodore-Dalrymple/dp/1943003572/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AGB42X0RKTZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kvMkYKzw-BzA0U_YttdqRMVAOvUuPg8pUM-ixw-K80DUVh4IfxZP1qqgZ0twEmZaSyiJzn9ZL0wk-UOUdWgHtL2T1z1AKHKhaTz_niMocvSjyJ-erNNb3Thw-ZHErw8ux9xkYa0l6gbtmS5uXV0MVhdbw-K3VYOVN_dDklJGnUTNFsHMt2QfobfUEbTZZodUWiZXka4oaETbSfMokh8w0EAyQCelJLsA-4AqpAuf3wM.ZleA_IaTDhl1W-vEaKASOWWd-oRP-CIaruJod_hlu6w&dib_tag=se&keywords=Neither+Trumpets+Nor+Violins&qid=1715370305&s=digital-text&sprefix=neither+trumpets+nor+violins%2Cdigital-text%2C288&sr=1-1-catcorr (with Theodore Dalrymple and Samuel Hux).
Abstract
In understanding the universe, it seems that quantum theory, according to most physicists, is the final mysterious frontier of cosmic science. If so, I believe that this boundary can only be understood fully by a Mind possessing omniscience: God. The serpent in the Garden of Eden successfully conned Adam and Eve into believing they could achieve omniscience, and we all know what happened after that mother-of-all conceited errors. I often wonder did the serpent also tempt the ‘Adam and Eve’ scientists in Switzerland’s ‘Garden of CERN’, with its Large Hadron Collider in search of the so-called ‘God particle’. Even Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein was written by the shores of Lake Geneva, next door to CERN, with its potential for creating another Frankenstein’s monster.
Robert Kurland, PhD, "A ‘New’ Understanding of Quantum Mechanics: Back to Aristotle and Aquinas"
Dr. Robert Kurland (a convert to Catholicism in 1995) is a retired physicist who has applied magnetic resonance to problems of biological interest in his research (web search: “Kurland-McGarvey Equation”). He began to learn about quantum mechanics at Caltech (BS, “with honor,” 1951) and Harvard (MS,1953; Ph.D.,1956) from courses taught by Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger. In teaching quantum mechanics to students at Carnegie-Mellon University and SUNY/AB he found that mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics was an obstacle to understanding. So, in his talk he will try to explain what quantum mechanics is about using a minimum of mathematics, as he did in his book https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/mysteries/.
Abstract
In this talk, I’ll give a brief, qualitative, pictorial explanation of quantum mechanics, from a historical perspective. Two mysteries of quantum mechanics (behavior not in accord with our everyday intuition), the wavelike nature of particles, and entanglement, will be illustrated in simple examples. I’ll examine how philosophers of science have recently used two concepts, actus (actus essendi) and potentia, to explain these mysteries and put them into a context of Aristotelian/Thomistic metaphysics.
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