ISSR In Conversation - Robert Geraci - AI, Religion, Science, and Robots!

ISSR In Conversation - Robert Geraci - AI, Religion, Science, and Robots!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/fan_mail/new] Welcome back to the ISSR YouTube channel and ISSR’s In Conversation series.  I am Anthony K Nairn, Assistant Director of the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR), and I am happy to not only introduce this new episode of our In Conversation series but also to introduce a new format for the channel. While in the past we have had ISSR Fellows in conversation with one another on topics of shared interest and expertise, today I am introducing a new format to accompany these conversations. While maintaining the original format, I will also add interviews I conduct with ISSR Fellows, in which I ask them about their experiences, research, and interests. My hope is that these conversations develop organically and reach questions you find interesting. This first conversion, recorded on 24 March 2026, is with Professor Robert Geraci, who, if you have been following us since the beginning, was the first to be on our YouTube channel. I am grateful to Robert for joining us once again. In this episode, we discuss a wide range of topics, from the US college system generally, to science and religion as a field, to the motivations and particulars of Geraci’s books. I am sure you will enjoy this discussion.  Prof Robert Geraci, Knight Distinguished Chair for the Study of Religion and Culture and Professor of Religious Studies  https://www.knox.edu/academics/faculty/geraci-robert  https://robertgeraci.com/  See Geraci's new book, Futureproofing Humanity, here: https://www.amazon.com/Futureproofing-Humanity-Existential-Technomyths-Intelligence/dp/B0GH868DP3/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0  Here is the link to the Instagram account mentioned at the end of the video! https://www.instagram.com/mythmonstersandtech/  The YouTube version of this episode is available by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/BNDIyKPUnaY Please enjoy this episode. If you enjoy this content and want to see or hear more, please consider hitting the like button and subscribing to our channel. Your support helps us keep content like this coming.  If there are scholars you would like to see on the channel, feel free to write them in the comment section below or email me at aknairn@issr.org.uk.  Anthony K Nairn www.anthonyknairn.ca ISSR Executive Assistant www.issr.org.uk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/support]

ISSR In Conversation: 2025 Book Prize Winner - Francis Collins' The Road to Wisdom

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/fan_mail/new] On YouTube, watch here: https://youtu.be/pVP6BDFlMEU?si=Qqsk65MdtnRmeIz9 The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share a discussion with the award-winning author of the 2025 ISSR Book Prize for Science and Religion, Francis Collins, for his 2024 book, The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith and Trust (Hachette Books). https://www.francisscollins.com/ In conversation with Francis is Ron Cole-Turner, with an introduction by the chair of the Prize Committee, Fraser Watts. https://www.issr.org.uk/fellows/user/137/ Originating with a donation from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the ISSR Book Prize is intended to understand ‘religion’ broadly and seek excellence in content and communication. We seek to reward books that make a major contribution to the field, especially those with the potential to take it in new directions. We expect three books to be selected each year, one suitable for a general audience, one for an academic audience, and one for a professional audience. Each year there are three financial prizes of £500 for the winning authors presented to the winning authors at the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) annual meeting.  For more information about the Book Prize and to find out how to nominate books, please visit this link: https://www.issr.org.uk/projects/issr-annual-book-prize/ Each year, we have awarded three prizes in distinct categories: Academic, General, and Professional.  ISSR is pleased to have awarded the following authors the 2025 ISSR Book Prize on Science and Religion:    In the academic category, the prize goes to Emily Qureshi-Hurst for Salvation in the Block Universe: Time, Tillich, and Transformation (Cambridge University Press, 2024). In the category of books for a general readership, the prize goes to Francis Collins for The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith and Trust (Little Brown & Worthy Books, 2024). In the category of books for professionals and educators, the prize goes to Beth Singler for Religion and Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction (Routledge, 2024). ISSR, a beacon of interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective.  Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel.  Anthony K Nairn www.anthonyknairn.ca ISSR Assistant Director www.issr.org.uk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/support]

ISSR 2026 Boyle Lecture on Science and Religion - Dr Iain McGilchrist - Live Discussion Recording

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/fan_mail/new] The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the ISSR 2026 Boyle Lecture Discussion, which was recorded live following the Premiere of the 2026 Boyle Lecture on YouTube on 16 April.   Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, the ISSR Boyle Lectures (available on our channel) have been offered online for all to listen to, learn from, and enjoy this most prestigious lecture series. These Digital Lectures have been followed by a Live Discussion on Zoom with the Lecturer, Respondent, and a panel of experts. This year's discussion included: Dr Iain McGilchrist https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/ along with Dr Mari van Emmerik  https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-mari-van-emmerik Chris Oldfield https://www.chrisoldfieldphilosophy.com/  Dr Marius Dorobantu https://vu.nl/en/research/scientists/marius-dorobantu Respondent the Revd Prof Michael J Reiss https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48389-michael-reiss and chairing, ISSR President Professor Niels Gregersen https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/en/persons/niels-henrik-gregersen/ The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year.  The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 under the guidance of Sir John Templeton to promote education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the field of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-(non)faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/ ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures possible each year.  Anthony K Nairn www.anthonyknairn.ca ISSR Assistant Director www.issr.org.uk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/support]

ISSR 2026 Boyle Lecture on Science and Religion - Dr Iain McGilchrist

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/fan_mail/new] The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the ISSR 2026 Boyle Lecture on Science and Religion, which was given by Dr Iain McGilchrist, on: “God, the Brain, and the nature of Truth” This year's Response was given by The Revd Professor Michael J Reiss, Professor and Chair of Science Education at the Institute of Education, University College London. The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year. We are grateful to St Mary-le-Bow, the Rector Fr Simon Cuff, the Parish Council, the Boyle family, and the Boyle Lecture Trustees for their continued support and guidance.  Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Boyle Lectures (available on our channel) have been offered online for all to listen to, learn from, and enjoy this most prestigious lecture series.  Prior Boyle Lectures before 2021 can be found on St Mary-le-Bow’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/stmarylebow The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 under the guidance of Sir John Templeton to promote education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the field of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-(non)faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/ ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures possible each year.  Anthony K Nairn www.anthonyknairn.ca ISSR Assistant Director www.issr.org.uk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/support]

ISSR In Conversation - Jörg Matthias Determann and Shoaib Ahmed Malik

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/fan_mail/new] Welcome back to the ISSR YouTube channel and ISSR’s In Conversation series. ISSR In Conversation is a discussion series in which ISSR Fellows discuss topics related to their work and developments in the academic field of science and religion.  In this episode, the pedagogy of science and religion, and the classroom context, are discussed. This episode will be especially interesting to anyone who engages with teaching in this field, or anyone interested in how science and religion are taught at the university level in different geographic and cultural environments. In conversation in this episode are:  Jörg Matthias Determann is a Professor of History in the Liberal Arts & Sciences program at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, specializing in the history of science, technology, and scholarship in the modern Middle East.  https://qatar.vcu.edu/our-faculty/dr-jorg-matthias-determann/ and Shoaib Ahmed Malik, a Lecturer in Science and Religion in the School of Divinity at New College, University of Edinburgh, is working at the intersection of Islamic theology and the contemporary sciences.  https://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/profile/shoaib-ahmed-malik If you enjoy this content and want to see or hear more, please consider hitting the like button and subscribing to our channel. Your support helps us keep content like this coming. This is also available on most major podcast services, so consider subscribing if you enjoy listening on the go.  https://youtu.be/iOJPmM3szf8 Please enjoy this episode. Anthony K Nairn www.anthonyknairn.ca ISSR Executive Assistant www.issr.org.uk Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1920567/support]