Harris Wiseman, Author at International Society for Science & Religion (ISSR)

ISSR Project: Religion and the Social Brain, by Fraser Watts

ISSR Project: Religion and the Social Brain, by Fraser Watts

ISSR is currently running a major research project on Religion and the Social Brain, directed by Michael J. Reiss and co-ordinated by myself, with a grant of £759,320 from the Templeton Religion Trust. The ‘social brain’ theory of human evolution has been developed by Robin Dunbar, a Fellow of ISSR, who is one of the key researchers on the project. Other ISSR Fellows working on it are Léon Turner and Miguel Farias. There are subgrants to the University of Oxford and to Coventry University. ‘Social Brain’ is a broad approach to human evolution, unlike the Cognitive Science of Religion which focuses specifically on religion. There is an outline of the Social Brain theory in Dunbar’s Pelican Introduction to Human Evolution. Though he takes a view of how and

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-09-07T12:16:44+00:00 September 7th, 2018|Categories: Blog|

A 21st Century Debate on Science and Religion, by Shiva Khalili

A 21st Century Debate on Science and Religion, by Shiva Khalili

A 21st Century Debate on Science and Religion (2017), published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing was edited by Professor Fraser Watts, Dr Harris Wiseman and myself, Professor Shiva Khalili. The book is made up of 12 chapters, written by selected speakers from the Vienna Congress ‘Science and/or Religion: a 21st Century Debate’. The congress was held as a joint project between the 27-29th August 2015, at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna, Austria. For me the book also marks a milestone within a personal journey, my own inner dialogue and debate regarding the question of ‘science and/or religion?’ This question is part of my reflections on my own meaning-giving beliefs and narratives; and furthermore, reflects challenges within my religious, national and gender identities. As a Muslim Iranian,

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-07-30T17:17:08+00:00 July 30th, 2018|Categories: Blog, News|

REGISTRATION OPEN: Being Human in a Technological Age – SASRF/ISSR Conference Sept. 2018

REGISTRATION OPEN: Being Human in a Technological Age – SASRF/ISSR Conference Sept. 2018

University of South Africa, Pretoria Dear all, ISSR is delighted to announce that registration for the SASRF/ISSR Conference in Pretoria, South Africa, September 6-7 2018 is now open. The registration form and preliminary programme can be found by clicking on the following link: SASRF-ISSR Programme Sept 2018 For attendees coming from abroad, the registration fee can be paid by credit card during registration on the first day of the event. Please return all signed registration forms directly to Professor Wessel Bentley at bentlw1@unisa.ac.za or, to myself at admin@issr.org.uk More details about this event can be found on the following ISSR webpage: https://www.issr.org.uk/events/being-human-in-a-technological-age-sasrf-issr-conference-september-2018/

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-07-11T13:48:16+00:00 July 10th, 2018|Categories: News, Science & Religion News|

Laudato Si’ Institute – Major new research institute at Campion Hall, Oxford

Laudato Si’ Institute – Major new research institute at Campion Hall, Oxford

Dear ISSR Member, We are pleased to circulate the following message: Major new research institute at Campion Hall The Jesuits in Britain are pleased to announce that a new research institute called the Laudato Si’ Institute (LSI) is being established at Campion Hall, the Jesuit permanent private hall of the University of Oxford. The LSI will be established during the academic year 2018-2019 and will formally open in September 2019. The aim of the Laudato Si’ Institute is to foster interdisciplinary research arising out of the intellectual challenges presented most vividly in Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, while being faithful to Ignatian traditions and reflective practice. The premise of Laudato Si’ is that the crumbling of the earth’s fabric, largely through human activity, is ultimately devastating for humanity

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-07-04T15:21:10+00:00 July 4th, 2018|Categories: News|

A Teacher’s Guide to Science and Religion in the Classroom, by Berry Billingsley

A Teacher’s Guide to Science and Religion in the Classroom, by Berry Billingsley

‘We don’t ask those questions anymore!’ – a new Routledge teachers’ guide to help students ask questions about science and religion “There’s the science part of me that says ‘no it’s the big bang’, and then there’s the religious part of me that said ‘it was God’ so it was quite confusing,” said a student giving her perspective on whether science and religion fit together. According to the LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) research hub at Canterbury Christ Church University, expressions of confusion or conflict in the minds of students are not unusual. With parents and teachers often struggling to know what to say to their children about how science and religion relate – the experience for primary and secondary students is typically that there doesn’t seem to

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-06-18T17:50:30+00:00 June 18th, 2018|Categories: Blog|

ISSR Data Protection Policy

ISSR Data Protection Policy

Dear ISSR Member, As you may know, the new data protection regulation, GDPR, is coming into force on May 25th 2018. It applies to organisations, such as ISSR, that are based in the EU. To comply with the new regulations, ISSR has sent out an e-mail to its membership in order to obtain consent for continued contact. As part of these regulations, ISSR also wants to make clear to all Fellows and Associates what their data rights are with respect to knowing: a) what data ISSR collects on its membership; b) what ISSR does with those data; and c) how to obtain a census of what data ISSR holds on you as a member. Fortunately, these are straightforward to answer. a) ISSR holds

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-05-11T17:44:11+00:00 May 11th, 2018|Categories: News|

“If Neurotheology is the Answer, What is the Question?”, by Andrew Newberg

“If Neurotheology is the Answer, What is the Question?”, by Andrew Newberg

I would like to thank ISSR for inviting me to write a little about my latest book titled: Neurotheology: How Science Can Enlighten Us About Spirituality. I am very excited about this book from Columbia Press as it helps to circumscribe the current state of the field of neurotheology. Of course, part of the hope of this book is to help establish neurotheology as a field by reviewing the current scholarship, both scientific and spiritual, and help demonstrate how an interdisciplinary approach might help us address some of the great questions that have challenged humanity since our origins. First, I think mapping some of the territory is an important thing to do here. This is a blog piece after all, an invitation to look further and deeper. To

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-04-10T15:08:51+00:00 April 10th, 2018|Categories: Blog, News|

The Boyle Lectures – ISSR’s New Partnership with St. Mary-le-Bow, London

The Boyle Lectures – ISSR’s New Partnership with St. Mary-le-Bow, London

ISSR is pleased to announce its new partnership with St Mary-le-Bow church in organising and hosting the prestigious Boyle Lectures for Science and Religion. The first lecture to be held as part of this partnership will be delivered Monday 18th February 2019. This lecture will be delivered by ISSR's President, Professor Michael J. Reiss, and we are delighted to have Professor Janet Soskice as the respondent. ISSR is also pleased to present the transcript for the 2018 Boyle Lecture, which was delivered by ISSR Fellow Dr Mark Harris (University of Edinburgh), with his kind permission, as part of our ISSR blog series. The title of the lecture is: 'Apocalypses Now: Modern Science and Biblical Miracles' The lecture was videoed, and has been posted on YouTube, and on St. Mary-le-Bow's website,

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-03-22T14:01:50+00:00 March 22nd, 2018|Categories: News|

Apocalypses Now: Modern Science and Biblical Miracles, by Mark Harris

Apocalypses Now: Modern Science and Biblical Miracles, by Mark Harris

(Boyle Lecture, St Mary-le-Bow Church, London, 7 February 2018) Before I begin, I’d like to thank all of those responsible for placing me in this pulpit: in the science-and-theology world there’s no greater honour than being invited to give the Boyle lecture, and I’d like to say a heartfelt thanks to the organising committee for granting me this enormous privilege. In the matter of organisation, I also want to say a special word of thanks to Michael Byrne for all of his help in organising the lecture, and also to the Rector, George Bush, and to Matthew Power here in St Mary-le-bow. Finally, I was delighted when John Hedley Brooke agreed to respond to my lecture. I’ve known John since I was a student at Oxford, and

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-03-22T13:45:56+00:00 March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Blog|

Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home Compels Undividedness of Science and Religion, by Calvin B. DeWitt

Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home Compels Undividedness of Science and Religion, by Calvin B. DeWitt

Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home Compels Undividedness of Science and Religion, by Calvin B. DeWitt As I was finishing my paper, Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si’—for The Quarterly Review of Biology at the invitation of its editor-in-chief, Daniel Dykhuisen—I found myself being drawn to a compelling conclusion: Laudato Si’ is so integrative of science and religion, so integrative of human and natural ecology, and so vital towards caring for Earth as Our Common Home, that it clearly earns the status of required reading for all. Indeed, in its 246 numbered sections, its call for an ‘integral ecology’ warrants attention by absolutely everyone—even as it embraces everyone and everything. For Science and Religion, it is particularly significant, as it compels undivided perseverance

By Harris Wiseman| 2018-02-05T14:04:03+00:00 February 5th, 2018|Categories: Blog, News|

About Harris Wiseman