In recent decades, powerful telescopes have enabled astrophysicists to uncover startling new worlds and solar systems. An epochal moment came in 1995, when a planet—51 Pegasi b—was located orbiting a star other than our own sun. Since then, thousands of new planets have followed, and the question of life beyond Earth has become one of the principal topics in discussions between science and religion. Attention to this topic has a long history in Christian theology, but has rarely been pursued at any depth. With both passion and precision, Andrew Davison brings his extensive knowledge of Christian thought to bear, drawing particularly on the thought of Thomas Aquinas, as well as his training as a scientist.
This event is free and open to all.
Schedule:
5:00 p.m. – Reception with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments
5:45 p.m. – Lecture
Speaker Bio
Professor Davison was appointed to the Starbridge position in Theology and Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge in 2014, becoming a professor in 2023. Before he moved into theology, he was a scientist (a chemist, then a biochemist), going on to teach Christian doctrine at Oxford and Cambridge. He holds undergraduate degrees and doctorates in both natural science and theology. He is a fellow of Corpus Christi College, where is he also dean of the chapel, having been ordained in 2003.
Professor Davison works at the intersection of theology, science, and philosophy. His recent work has addressed astrobiology, inter-species cooperation in biology, and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. His current work has turned from putative intelligent life elsewhere in the universe to the origins of life, alongside a series of papers bringing the tools of scholastic philosophy to bear on topics in artificial intelligence or machine learning. He is also known for his work on Thomism and Christian Platonism. His highly acclaimed monograph Participation in God: A Study in Christian Doctrine and Metaphysics explores the idea of participation—sharing in, or sharing from—as a structuring principle in Christian thought that is both Biblical and Platonic.