The theme of this year's Society of Catholic Scientists is, er, out of this world. Participants will land at a Hilton Hotel in Washington DC in June to ponder "Extraterrestrials, AI, and Minds Beyond the Human." From the Catholic News Agency:
"Half of the talks are going to be about extraterrestrial life, and there's going to be talks by some big experts on that subject," Dr. Stephen Barr, president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, told CNA.
Four of the invited speakers will discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life from their respective fields of study – astrophysics, astrochemistry, evolutionary biology, and Catholic theology[…]
Barr said the SCS conference provides an open forum for reflections on the intersection between science and the realms of theology and philosophy. He said the goal of the conference is the same as the goal of the Society of Catholic Scientists more generally – to foster community among Catholic scientists and to be a witness to the world. He emphasized the importance of promoting a successful collaboration between science and faith.
"[It's] very important nowadays because there are many people out there who think that science and faith are incompatible," he said.
