Science and secularism
Wednesday April 9th 2008
Collège de France
Room 2
11 Place Marcelin Berthelot
75005 Paris
Program:
9:30 - Presentation by Gérard Fussman, Professor at Collège de France, and Édouard Brézin, Professor at Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Member of the Institut.
9:45 - Round table: Religions and scientific research
Moderator: Philippe Lazar, former Director General of Inserm.
Speakers:
- Jacques Arnould, Dominican friar, agricultural engineer, doctor in the history of science and theology
- Gilles Cohen-Tannoudji, theoretical physicist in the field of particle physics
- Professor Mohamed Mestiri, Director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).
The speakers, who share the view that philosophical and religious options are compatible with scientific research based on rational thought, will discuss the influence of religions on the development of science and its applications, as well as their perception by society.
11:15 a.m. - Break
11:30-About stem cells, scientific achievements and ethical debates
Dialogue between François Gros, Honorary Professor at the Collège de France, Member of the Institut, and Pierre Joliot, Honorary Professor at the Collège de France, Member of the Institut, former Chairman of the CNRS Science Ethics Committee.
12:30 - Break
The place of science in republican education
2:15pm - Hélène Gispert, Professor at the Groupe d'histoire et diffusion des sciences d'Orsay: "La réforme des lycées au tout début du 20e siècle: les enjeux de l'enseignement scientifique",
and Pierre Kahn, Professor at the IUFM in Caen: "L'enseignement des sciences dans l'instruction primaire au début de la IIIe République: un enjeu pour l'école laïque?
15h15 - Break
Religious resistance to science teaching
15h30 - Alain Prochiantz, Professor at the Collège de France: "Darwin or faith in one's own reason".
4:15pm - Hervé Le Guyader, Professor at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI): "A propos de l'Intelligent Design : où est le danger pour l'enseignement ?" (About intelligent design: where is the danger for teaching?)
5:00 pm - Alain Prévot, Professor of Life and Earth Sciences: "Teaching life sciences in high school, with particular reference to the control of procreation and the theory of evolution".
17h45 - Edouard Brézin. Conclusions.
The presentations will be followed by discussions.
The symposium is open to all, subject to availability.
The proceedings will be published by Raison Présente.
download the program
