Introduction
Welcome to your course in Science and the Arts. To consider how the lay vocation might play out specifically in these two sectors, we will confront various issues that have caused contention throughout history. At root of such conflicts is the relationship between theology and science, or more broadly, faith and reason. Are these two domains compatible? If so, then why has their relationship caused seemingly intractable disputes repeatedly throughout the ages?
Two instructors will lead us through this course, each covering his respective half. Guiding us through questions of science and theology will be Fr. Michael Dodds, OP, Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA. Dana Gioia, in turn, poet laureate of California and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will round out the course with reflection on the nature of the arts in relation to theology.
Reading
Throughout this Lesson, you will need access to the following resources:
- The Bible
- St. Pope John Paul II, Fides et Ratio (1998)
- St. Pope John Paul II, Message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: On Evolution (1996)
- Saint Pope John Paul II, Letter to Reverend George V. Coyne, S. J., Director of the Vatican Observatory (1988)
- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Address to the Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (2006)
- Robert Augros and George Stanciu, “Beauty” (1984)
- Jacques Maritain, Art and Scholasticism (1962)
- Saint Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists (1999)
PLEASE NOTE:
In order to accommodate your calendar, lessons are made available earlier than needed.
Here is a list of the lessons covered at each discussion:
Discussion 1: Lesson 1 & 2
Discussion 2: Lessons 3-5
