Festival of Ideas: From the Selfish Me to the Selfless Self

From the selfish me to the selfless self: Insights from science and mysticism on the paradox of identity.

A talk by Ismael Velasco.

3pm – 4pm, Sunday 2 November
Latimer Room, Clare College. Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TL
Organised by the Cambridge University Bahá’í Society as part of the Multifaith Series.  Free and open to all. Tickets can be booked here.

Festival_of_Ideas_2014_Paradox_Identity

Belief in Science & Belief in God

Belief in Science & Belief in God: A Scientist’s Perspective on “New Atheism”

Talk and Q&A Session with Canadian physicist Dr. Dinesh Singh

Eye_earth
Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 7.30 pm – 9:30 pm
Friends Meeting House (Aldren Wright Room)
12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BA

The modern-day proponents of atheism, such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Lawrence Krauss have gained the public’s imagination regarding their claims that God does not exist and that organized religion is harmful to the human race.  They also claim that “no evidence” exists whatsoever to support the presence of God in human experience, suggesting on scientific grounds that the need for a Divine Creator is a “failed hypothesis.”  Furthermore, they contend that holding a belief in God is a “delusional” act with disastrous consequences for global society on multiple fronts.

According to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, science and religion are both complementary and necessary for the progress of humanity into the future.

In this presentation, Dr. Dinesh Singh offers interested people the opportunity to thoughtfully consider his professional and personal response to the “new atheism” of Dawkins and others with examples from theoretical physics to suggest that “belief” within science is not fundamentally different from “belief” within religion, and that the main conclusions drawn by these atheists about the science and religion debate need to be thoroughly re-examined.

Dinesh Singh, Ph.D. is a Canadian research scientist in theoretical physics at the University of Regina, Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and a member of the Bahá’í Faith.

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Talk on 21 Nov “Man’s Station in the Universe”

Man’s Station in the Universe: A Scientist’s Spiritual Journey

A talk by Dr. Mehrdad Ehsani

Abstract
The Universe is very simple: it is mostly made of hydrogen, helium and energy.  However, the earth contains amazing complexity that is nearly unique in the universe.  Exceptional circumstances have made possible organic chemistry and life on earth, leading to the most complex structure in the universe: the human brain.  The energy consumption of the human brain per kilogram is 100,000 times the energy per kilogram that our sun can produce.  The purpose of this miraculous combination of events is human consciousness and spiritual awareness.  We will explore this physical-spiritual phenomenon in this talk.

When
Thursday, 21st November, 7-8:30pm
Latimer Room, Old Court, Clare College

The Speaker
Dr. Mehrdad Ehsani is a professor of sustainable energy engineering at Texas A&M University.  He has won numerous U.S. and international honors and awards, and he is the Distinguished Lecturer of several professional societies.  He is the co-author of 17 books, over 350 publications, over 20 patents, and has given numerous invited talks around the world on energy systems, spiritual aspects of technology, and the convergence of scientific and spiritual search over the past three decades.

Ehsani_flyer

Talk on 4th July “Belief in Science & Belief in God”

Belief in Science & Belief in God: A Scientist’s Perspective on “New Atheism”

Belief_Science_God

Talk and Q&A Session with Canadian physicist Dr. Dinesh Singh

Thursday, 4 July 2013   7.30 pm
Latimer Room, Old Court, Clare College
Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TL

The modern-day proponents of atheism, such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris have gained the public’s imagination regarding their claims that God does not exist and that organized religion is harmful to the human race.  They also claim that “no evidence” exists whatsoever to support the presence of God in human experience, suggesting on scientific grounds that the need for a Divine Creator is a “failed hypothesis.”  Furthermore, they contend that holding a belief in God is a “delusional” act with disastrous consequences for global society on multiple fronts.

According to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, science and religion are both complementary and necessary for the progress of humanity into the future.

In this presentation, Dr. Dinesh Singh offers interested people the opportunity to thoughtfully consider his professional and personal response to the “new atheism” of Dawkins and others with examples from theoretical physics to suggest that “belief” within science is not fundamentally different from “belief” within religion, and that the main conclusions drawn by these atheists about the science and religion debate need to be thoroughly re-examined.

Dinesh Singh, Ph.D. is a Canadian research scientist in theoretical physics at the University of Regina, Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and a member of the Bahá’í Faith.

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Fireside this Friday: Comparing Scientific & Spiritual Search for Truth

Dear friends,

The fireside series at my home continues this Friday 12th April, at 8 pm, with a discussion on the topic, “Comparing methods of scientific and spiritual search for truth,” We will compare the methods of spiritual search with those of scientific search and explore how the goal/outcome of spiritual search oncludes at the point of indicating “inspired civilization” (not salvation as commonly thought). This topic is being repeated since not many friends attended last time despite an excellent presentation.
All are welcome, particularly seekers.
With love,
Nabil

Fireside this Saturday: Comparing methods of scientific & spiritual search for truth

Dear friends,

The next fireside will be this Saturday, 16th March, 5:30 pm pot-luck dinner + 7 pm talk (at Nita’s home instead of Nabil’s), with a discussion on the topic, “Comparing methods of scientific and spiritual search for truth.” We will compare the methods of spiritual search with those of scientific search and explore how the goal/outcome of spiritual search includes the point of indicating “inspired civilization” (not salvation as commonly thought).
All are welcome.