| INCO 796: Cosmology and Our View of the World | ||
Syllabus
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1995
Summaries
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| a seminar for students at all levels | ||
Will be on again in
Spring Semester 2016
First Class: Wednesday, January 27, 6:10-7:40 pm
in Morse Hall 401
Eberhard
Möbius
Department of Physics and Institute for the Study of Earth Oceans, and Space
Thomas Laue
Department of Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences
Willem deVries
Department of Philosophy
We will explore the sources and limits of human knowledge concerning the
origin of the universe, the origin and distribution of life in the universe,
and the mystery of our consciousness of the universe. Three UNH faculty members
from diverse academic backgrounds have joined together to offer this discussion-centered
course, which is open to students from all academic levels and programs. This
one-credit course is not intended to fulfill any particular program requirement,
but rather to serve as an expression of a shared desire to delve deeply into
the mysteries of our existence as conscious beings in a vast universe.
Starting from the historic evolution of humankind's view of the world, we will
explore the edge of current scientific knowledge in modern cosmology and evolution
and how this relates to the spiritual “other half” of our being.
We will explore the wider picture of the unfolding universe over the 13.7 billion
years since the Big Bang, including the evolution of sentient life, as well
as philosophical and religious interpretations of the meaning of this process.
The seminar raises questions about the foundation and structure of human knowledge and whether there are limits to its reach. We will
explore the arguments for technological and scientific limits, for “in-principle”
philosophical limits connected with the nature of our minds, as well as limits
potentially inherent in a religious/spiritual quest for knowledge. These and
other related questions will be discussed in the tension field between science,
religion and philosophy.
This Seminar is meant to reach out to students majoring in a variety of fields
from the "hard core" sciences through the humanities. In order to
facilitate this endeavor we plan to disseminate summaries of our discussions
via internet across the Campus. The responsibility of preparing a brief summary
following each session will be passed among the students. The level of the scientific
discussions and the summaries should be that of the publication, Scientific
American. We will include new developments in the sciences, technology and society as appropriate.
Eberhard Möbius
Phone (603) 862-3097
Office Hours: Tu, We, Fr 1100-1200
Morse Hall, rm 407
Thomas Laue
Phone (603) 862-2459
Willem DeVries
Phone (603) 862- 3077
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