We had more insane audio problems on this episode; Paul's audio from Zencastr was unusable. I had to record a new introduction and first question, then splice in our backup recording from Zoom.
Jonathan Lunine is a prominent planetary scientist. He teaches at Cornell and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; he has won a Urey award and holds a number of other academic distinctions. He worked with the radar and other instruments on the Cassini mission to Saturn and is co-investigator on the Juno mission now in orbit at Jupiter as well as on the MISE instrument for the Europa Clipper mission. He is on the science team for the James Webb Space Telescope, focusing on characterization of extrasolar planets and Kuiper Belt objects.
I opened the interview by asking his side of the story of the beginning of the Society of Catholic Scientists. We discuss its growth so far and how it is reaching the point where hopefully more members will become involved in planning and carrying out activities.
We discussed the overall trajectory of conference themes so far. (Remember, kids, two points may suffice to draw a straight line, but not to define a trend!) The first SCS conference topic was Origins (mostly of the physical universe). The second focused on the Human Mind and Physicalism. This third one zooms out somewhat again and covers humanity more broadly, and touches on two hot-button points:
- If we have all these distinctively human features (consciousness, free will, etc.), is there any way of knowing when in absolute, archeological/geological time those came into existence?
- Given all our biological and electronic capabilities, we can change our own bodies and brains in radical ways, and these capabilities are only going to grow. Where should we stop? What channels should these abilities be directed into, and where do the dikes belong?
Jonathan hopes that the diversity of speakers, not just from different sciences but across the science-facing pieces of the humanities, will become a hallmark of the SCS conferences: a place where badly needed interdisciplinary conversations are fostered. We discuss the difficulties inherent in our siloing, not just of academic disciplines, but of journalism, too.
Once again, SCS conference will happen June 7-9 at the University of Notre Dame. We will be providing bonus episodes during the conference as we discuss the topics and speakers with conference attendees, and will have breakdowns of the conference and speaker interviews rolling out over the ensuing weeks.
Also be sure to check the SCS website for videos of the actual talks!
Bonus Episode - WOFI Faith & Science Summit
Bonus Episode July 2021
Episode 129 - Economics of Higher Purpose with Anjan Thakor
Episode 128 - Radio Astronomer Signals Wonderment of ET Life
Episode 127 - SCS Meeting 2021
Episode 126 - Society of Catholic Sciences Preview with Stephen Barr
Episode 125 - Chris Baglow and Jay Martin (rerun, full episode)
Episode 124 - Geology of the Holy Land
Episode 123 - Jean-Pierre Isbouts Brings Us Down to Earth with Jesus of Nazareth
Episode 122 - Original Sin and Mental Unhealth
Episode 121 - Megan Levis, full interview (rerun)
Episode 120 - Wyoming Catholic College
Episode 119 - Evolution in Christianity and Geology (rerun)
Episode 118 - "I Know What You're Thinking"
Episode 117 - Aida Ramos on Debt and Spending
Episode 116 - Paying Attention or Paying a Price
Episode 115 - Aida Ramos: How the Big Picture Sheds Light on Economics
Episode 114 - Aida Ramos and A Church Where Economics Counts—For People
Episode 113 - US Election 2020
Episode 112 – A Happy Medium: By What Means?
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