In celebration of the 10th Anniversary Conference of the Whitehead Research Project (WRP), and the first Center for Process Studies (CPS) conference in new partnership with Willamette University, the foremost goal of this conference is to illuminate the scientific, philosophical and religious/theological resources of process philosophy for current discussions in Astrobiology.
Drawing upon the work of Alfred North Whitehead, Teilhard de Chardin, Henri Bergson and a variety of others, the event aims to explore fresh themes of process, organism, temporality, novelty, experience, value, and mind in the context of the philosophical, scientific and religious layers of astrobiological research.
Collectively, the Center for Process Studies and the Whitehead Research Project have a laudable history of organizing cutting-edge conferences at the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion; and of hosting a variety of eminent thinkers from David Bohm and Alex Vilenkin to George Ellis, Charles Hartshorne, Judith Butler and Graham Harman.
Sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, this new conference continues this legacy by bringing together sixteen scholars across science, philosophy and theology for a three-day exploration of “Astrobiology, Exo-Philosophy and Cosmic Religion.” Although registered attendance is limited, four evening plenary lectures by Steven J. Dick, Constance Bertka, Douglas A. Vakoch and Chelsea Haramia are open to the public at Willamette University.