Release date: Nov. 11, 2005
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Emory Course Explores Physics of Spirituality

Evolution, intelligent design and the public role of religion continue to spark cultural battles and fundamental debates across the country over the nature of their validity and reality. Students at Emory University are grappling with these issues head on in a freshman seminar that combines physics and philosophy with an exploration of spirituality.

Taught by P.V. Rao, an associate professor of physics, students in the class first explore how science defines the universe through the spectrum of physics. They then examine how the world's major religions order and view the universe. From that intersection of ideals and conflicts, students wrestle with the fundamental questions that have faced philosophers for centuries: what is real, what is true, what is good, what is beautiful -- and how that leads to the spirituality, beliefs and expectations of humans.

Rao says he wants to leave students leave with substantial knowledge of the world as science presents it as well as a broad understanding of how the major religions interpret the world. “My hope is that they will have a foundation of knowledge and experience in philosophical thinking that will serve them well as they continue their education and are faced with these fundamental questions in different contexts.”

“The class has helped increase my understanding of the relationship between science and religion, the reasons for the split between the two, and the realization that science is still sometimes fueled by religious inspiration,” says Elizabeth Melia, a freshman from Chicago. “Sometimes we can only pose questions or philosophize, but our discussions are always thought provoking.”

Texts for the course include Marcelo Gleisser's "The Dancing Universe - from Creation Myths to Big Bang"; Paul Davies' and John Gibbron's "The Matte Myth"; "The World's Religions" by Huston Smith; and "Science and Religion - Are They Compatible?" by Huston Smith.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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