Guest Speaker Graham Wood
Graham Wood
Friday, January 30, 7:00 pm
"Detecting Design: Fast and Frugal or All Things Considered?"
The new field of Cognitive Science of Religion has proposed that humans have a "hyperactive agency detection device" that was selected for in our evolutionary past. Within the Intelligent Design debate William Dembski has proposed the Law of Small Probability which states that "specified events of small probability do not occur by chance." There are similarities between these two proposals, and the intuitive plausibility of Dembski's law can be explained with reference to our evolution. We should consider the possible existence of an "Explanation Attribution" module within the human mind.
Graham Wood, Ph.D., teaches philosophy of science at the University of Tasmania in Australia. He is developing a naturalistic account of belief in supernatural agency, applying current research in evolutionary psychology and the cognitive science of religion. His research examining the alleged ‘fine-tuning' of the universe was awarded the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise in 2007.
General Admission: $10, Students: $5, Friends of the Center: FREE
