INCO 796: Cosmology and Our View of the World

Syllabus
Seminar Schedule of the Year
Topics
Lecture Notes
Booklist
Links
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2011 Summaries

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INCO 796
Spring 2011 Seminar Plan

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Topic

Reading

Suggested Leads

Date

Reporters

1

Introduction;
Overview on Physical Cosmology –
Sense of Place & Paradigm Shifts

Davies, The Goldilocks Enigma Ch 1, 2;
"Curtains of the Universe", Astronomy, March 95; Lecture Notes (www); (On Blackboard)
M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation” Parts of Sections 11 - 25.

E. Möbius


1/31

Bill Altenburg
Susan Dolan

2

Discussion of Discussion Lead Topics, selection of choices;
Life as we know it and its evolution

R. Dawkins "The selfish Gene", Ch. 2; E. Mayr "One long Argument", Ch. 4, 5;
Stannard, God for the 21st Century, Part 2; Foreword of "Origins of Life"; (On Blackboard)

Thomas Davis

2/7

Elora Demers
Emily Pacetti

3

Assignments of Topics;
Mind and its Place in Nature

Alter & Howell: “A Dialogue on Consciousness”, Chapter 1
D. Papineau “The causal closure of the physical and naturalism”
“Strange Behavior” (on Blackboard)

Willem DeVries

2/14

Ciara Dimou
Gina Chaput

4

Spirit, Mind, Body Connection
& Spiritual Healing (preliminary title)

M. Baker Eddy “Science & Health”
R. Ornstein, D. Sobel “The Healing Brain”
(material to be placed on BB)

Christine Driessen

2/21

Chris Warden
Claire McCahan

5

The Dream of “Oneness of this world” - Plan for a search or dead-end street?

M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation”
Sections 1-10
Sarah Nelson
Lukas Gessner
2/28

Eddie LaVilla
Ryan Keenan

Asymmetry of Time I - Imperfection and the weirdness of the quantum world M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation” Sections 11 - 16 Eddie LaVilla
Eric McDonald
3/7   Sam Woodward
Brianna Jean

7

Buddhist metaphysics and its view of quantum mechanics Dalai Lama, “The Universe in a Single Atom“
Chapter 3
Claire McCahan
Sam Woodward
3/21 Allison Wirshing
Tyler Kellerher

8

Asymmetry of Time II - Is there an origin to the universe M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation” Sections 17 - 25 Chris Warden
Brianna Jean
3/28 Eric McDonald
Joseph Lavoie

9

Life from non-Life? -
How, when, where, …
M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation” Sections 36-47 Ciara Dimou
Elora Demers
4/4 Sarah vanHorn

10

The Asymmetry of Existence - Is there a purpose?
Significance of extraterrestrial life?
M. Gleiser “Tear at the Edge of Creation” Sections 48-56 Susan Dolan
Rob Eaton
4/11 Anna Lornitzo

11

Cognition vs. consciousness: Is there a difference between physical and phenomenal knowledge? Alter & Howell: “A Dialogue on Consciousness” Ch. 2&3 Bill Altenburg
Ryan Keenan
4/18

Sarah Nelson

12 

Is there a reasonable form of monism?
W hat makes a person?
Alter & Howell: “A Dialogue on Consciousness” Ch. 6 Emily Pacetti
Anna Lornitzo
Sarah vanHorn
4/25 Lukas Gessner

13

How did free will evolve? D. Dennett “Freedom Evolves” Ch. 4, pp. 97-139 Matt Gerding
Allison Wirshing
Tyler Kellerher
5/2

Rob Eaton

14

Are there limitations to science or is there a place for all-encompassing Scientism?
“Higher” power and science? God and Physics?
Haack: Six Signs of Scientism
Barrow, Impossibilities, Ch. 7, 8;
Brockelman, Cosmology & Creation,
p. 45-52, 73;
Peat: From Certainty to Uncertainty, Ch. 2
Joseph Lavoie
Gina Chaput
5/9

Matthew Gerding