The McDevitt Center for Creativity and Innovation
Past Center Events
The Universe is Our Home: We are Co-Creators in the Jesuit Tradition
Presenter: Fr. George V. Coyne, SJ, McDevitt Chair of Religious Philosophy,
Date: February 16, 2012
This lecture was given in celebration of the official opening of the new science building at Le Moyne College.
Evolution, Creation and Intelligent Design
Presenter: Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D., University Professor, Donald Bren Professor of Political Science and Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine.
Date: September 20. 2012
Dr. Ayala was the inaugural speaker for the launch of the Science and Religion in Modern America initiative at Le Moyne College, September 20, 2012. Dr. Ayala discusses scientific evolution as a very creative process whereby scientists seek to explain by natural processes even the most complex of living organisms. This scientific quest as such neither asserts nor denies the work of a creator God. Some scientists have invoked the need for intelligent design and, therefore, a designer. In so doing, they are stepping outside the bounds of science.
Christian Spirituality for Seekers
Presenter: Dr. Roger Haight, S.J., Scholar-in-residence at Union Theological Seminary.
Date: November 27, 2012.
In this lecture Fr. Haight discussed who make up today’s seekers and if the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, a 16th century priest and founder of the Society of Jesus, can be relevant to them. He also explained how the Exercises possess a powerful appeal for all people. These ideas are further developed in his most recent book, “Christian Spirituality for Seekers: Reflections on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola” (Orbis 2012).
Evolution and The Problem of Evil
Presenter: Thomas F. Tracy, Ph.D., Philips Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine.
Date: December 6, 2012
Using a new theology of nature according to which God's creative purposes are realized in and through the evolutionary process, Dr. Tracy examined the role of suffering and death in the world God has made.
Jesuit Spirituality and Academic Theology: Karl Rahner and Ignacio Ellacuria
Presenter: J. Matthew Ashley, Chair, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame
Date: February 7, 2013
While St. Ignatius did not found the Jesuits with the explicit idea of establishing and operating colleges and universities, this is probably the accomplishment for which they are best known today. But what are the connections between Ignatian spirituality and the multi-faceted work of a modern college or university? This lecture draws on Karl Rahner and Ignacio Ellacuria — two 20th century Jesuits who worked in very different settings — to illuminate this important issue.
Scientific Cosmology, Philosophy and Creation Theology: Creative Mutual Interactions
Presenter: Robert John Russell, Ph.D., Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science and founding director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California.
Date: 14 March 2013
Rather than approaching the relationship between Christian theology and natural science from a fixed, one-sided perspective, exploring their creative mutual interaction involves reformulating theology in light of science as well as drawing on this reformulated theology in developing topics for scientific research. This lecture illustrates the value of this approach by exploring the mutual interaction among scientific cosmology, philosophy, and creation theology.
Please Note: All videos will also be available for viewing on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxlX1bT92SI6pU_ZwyL5AaQwWdnLI_X53&feature=plcp.