Neuroscience, Persons and Christian Theology

New Course Proposal by:

• Paul Flaman, B.A., S.T.B., S.T.L., S.T.D. (Doctorate in Theology); Tel. 780-492-7681 ext 228; email: pflaman@ualberta.ca ; and

• Heather Looy, B.A., M.A., Ph.D (Doctorate in Psychology with specialization in biopsychology); Tel. 780-465-8365; email: hlooy@kingsu.ab.ca

SECTION 1. CONCISE COURSE DESCRIPTION

Understanding the nature of personhood is a question of deep interest for both scientists and theologians. Sometimes these two perspectives conflict with one another; however, they can also constructively challenge and even complement each other. Thus, exploring the question of personhood provides a particularly fruitful means by which scientific and religious perspectives can be engaged in dialogue.

Specific questions to be addressed in this course include: How do the disciplines of neuroscience and Christian theology challenge and complement each other? Do human consciousness, self-awareness and free will require an immaterial mind or spiritual soul? If so, how does the mind interact with the brain and how is the soul integrated with the body? If not, how are we to understand the meanings of mental and emotional experience, spirituality, faith, and eternal life? Should "intelligent" non-human animals be considered persons? When does a human person begin to exist, before or after birth? Does "total" or "partial" brain death really mean the death of a person? How do neuroscience and Christian theology understand various religious experiences? How do relevant findings in neuroscience correspond with various theological views on sexuality and gender? What ethical implications emerge from this dialogue between neuroscience and Christian theology?
 

SECTION 2. CENTRAL COURSE OBJECTIVES

• to provide students with a basic knowledge of significant data, models and perspectives from neuroscience and Christian theology on human persons;
• for students to gain a better critical understanding of the respective methodologies of neuroscience and Christian theology;
• to promote an interdisciplinary approach to the study of human persons which respects the integrity of each discipline while providing a more holistic and integrated understanding;
• to help both the students and instructors to grow in a more knowledgeable and critical understanding of what it means to be a person in the light of recent developments in neuroscience, and past and recent developments in Christian theology; and
• to foster the ongoing building of relationships in the Edmonton university communities between neuroscience and Christian theology, and related fields of study such as psychology, philosophy and religious studies.

SECTION 3. INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

For thousands of years, philosophers and others including religious founders and their theologians have presented various perspectives on what it means to be human beings in relationships. These have included various perspectives on mind/brain and body/soul questions (cf. weeks 5 and 6 of this course), such as various types of dualism (e.g. Plato; Gnosticism; Descartes; Eccles), ⁽¹⁾ Aristotle's hylomorphism, attempts to integrate the natural and supernatural (e.g., Aquinas), idealism (e.g. Kant, Hegel), materialism (e.g. Marx), and physicalism (e.g., Murphy). Our contemporary intellectual and cultural context has also been influenced by various other perspectives including various forms of atheism (e.g. Marx; Nietzsche; Sartre), agnosticism (e.g., B. Russell), evolutionary theory (e.g., Darwin; Wilson; Dawkins), deism (e.g., M. Tindal), naturalism (e.g., J. Dewey) and theism (e.g., Aquinas; Ashley; Murphy).

Specific significant understandings of personhood include Locke's view that the criterion for the identity of persons is consciousness (including awareness and memory), Hume's understanding of persons as nothing but a bundle of perceptions, and Kant's principle that a person should never be treated as a means only. Other significant influences on understanding persons include various forms of process thought (e.g., Whitehead), existentialism (e.g., Sartre; Marcel), phenomenology (e.g., Scheler), personalism (e.g. Browne; Brightman; Bertocci; Buber; Sartre; Maritain; Scheler, Wojtyla), individualism (cf. the widespread emphasis in the West on the autonomy of the individual person), systems theory, relational models and feminism (see, e.g., LaCugna), and post-modernism (see, e.g., Grenz). The latter, for example, generally would not speak of "truth" or the "nature of the person," but of perspectives on these.

Today philosophical and religious views of persons are challenged by other intellectual and cultural developments. One challenge comes from the rapidly increasing knowledge of the natural sciences and certain theories presented by scientists. For example, some neuroscientists in recent decades have made pronouncements on personhood which have included the reductionist view that a person is identified with a brain that functions in a certain way (e.g. Crick; Churchland; Edelman). Developments in the social sciences from psychoanalysis to social constructionist approaches also pose certain challenges. Two widespread religious developments in our era include the ecumenical movement among Christians and many forms of interreligious dialogue.

Two sections of this course (weeks 8 and 9) address the questions of when persons begin and cease to exist in this world. These questions are related to some of the most controversial ethical and legal issues of our time with regard to the status of human embryos and fetuses (cf. cloning embryos and abortion), the "defective" newborn including anencephalic infants, the severely mentally disabled, and living human beings judged to be in a permanent vegetative state. In our society those considered to be persons are accorded more rights than living organisms deemed not to be persons.

In recent decades some bioethicists and others argue that some sentient and "intelligent" animals should have more rights than certain classes of human beings including those whose brains have not yet reached a certain stage of development or have been significantly injured or who otherwise have less than a certain IQ. For example, Warren argues that human fetuses and even human newborn infants are not yet persons, but normal adult primates, dolphins and some other mammals probably are persons. This relates to another section of this course (week 3) which compares animal and human brains and natures.

Within Christianity today some of the most controversial issues concern sexuality and gender including homosexuality and the roles of men and women in the family and church (e.g. the ordination of women). Recent and future findings in neuroscience and related sciences may throw new light on these age old questions which are addressed in another section (week 7) of this course.

All of the above questions, and others (see Course Syllabus below), can only be addressed in the light of particular understandings of the nature of personhood. This is the overarching theme of the course which provides the context for these discussions.

Based on the typical types of students we have at St. Joseph's College (a Catholic College in the heart of the University of Alberta, a large secular university), as well as those from The King's University College, we expect that about eighty-five percent of the students who will take this course will come from Christian backgrounds. About one third of these will be of Catholic background with the others coming mostly from various Protestant backgrounds. We expect that the remaining approximately fifteen percent of students will come from other religious traditions (e.g. Islam and Buddhism) or from no specific religious background. Students from Christian and non-Christian backgrounds vary considerably in their current level of belief and involvement in their religious traditions. The class may also include a few students who are agnostics or atheists. Most of our students have been raised in Canada and its pluralistic culture. Most of our students will have no or very little formal academic training in theology. We expect that the students will come not only from the Departments of Arts and Science (including a few pre-med students) with various specializations such as biology, psychology and philosophy, but also from some other Departments such as Neuroscience, Zoology and Education. There will, therefore, be considerable diversity among the students with regard to both their religious and academic cultural backgrounds.
 

SECTION 4. SCIENTIFIC SCOPE

A key objective of the course is to enable students to understand the diversity of ways in which we can use neuroscientific observations to illuminate our understanding of human personhood, and to critically evaluate and integrate those views with philosophical and theological perspectives. It is therefore vital that they develop a working but not overly detailed knowledge of basic neuroscientific approaches, methodologies, and assumptions. Much of this foundation will be provided in the first two weeks of the course, along with an overview of theological perspectives. As well, each week of the course will include required readings which provide relevant background neuroscientific information, as well as lectures by a professor with a doctorate in biological psychology. On this basis the professors and students will explore some of the ways in which neuroscientists interpret the relevant observations. This will not be done in isolation from an examination of philosophical and theological perspectives, because it is not possible to interpret the implications of neuroscience for our understanding of personhood from outside of a worldview framework. Indeed, the neuroscientists mentioned earlier make explicit reference to their particular worldviews in justifying their approach to neuroscientific observations.

We also do not plan to promote one particular perspective on neuroscience, nor even a particular perspective on a specific topic, but rather to present more than one perspective, and further to examine how they interact and can, or cannot, be integrated with empirical observations, human experience and various theological perspectives. For example, in discussing the nature of consciousness and its role in human personhood, we will include Crick's and Koch's strongly materialist approach, Edelman's and Dennett's variations on an evolutionary/materialist perspective, McGinn's mysterian ("we can never understand consciousness") perspective, Eccles' dualist interactionism hypothesis, and Chalmer's view that consciousness is an irreducible fundamental feature of reality which can nevertheless be systematically studied. To explore sexuality and personhood, we will present the perspectives of scientists such as Kimura and Witelson, who reduce sexuality primarily to the organizing effects of hormones on the prenatal brain, and those of scientists such as Hubbard and Birke, who see a powerful role for culture and experience. In examining religious/spiritual experience, we will make reference to the work of people such as Ramachandran, Persinger, d'Aquili and Newberg.

One idea which we "will" promote throughout the course is the necessity of viewing human personhood in the light of complex interactions among genes, neural structures and functions, the natural world, evolutionary processes, personal experiences, communities, and cultural contexts. This very relational view of the person is a powerful theme consistently emerging from research in behavior genetics, connectionist models of the mind, and the dynamics of neural development and response to experience. It is also a key point of intersection between neuroscientific and religious views of the person.
 

SECTION 5. RELIGIOUS SCOPE

Each week of the course will include required readings by one or more Christian theologians and some lecture by a professor with a doctorate in theology. Christian theology has very much to contribute to contemporary discussions of persons in relationships. For almost two thousand years, in the light of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, Christian experience, and broader human experience and philosophical reflection, Christian theologians have reflected on what it means to be human beings or persons in relationship with God, each other and the cosmos. The Bible itself does not contain a highly systematic theology of human nature or personhood but a rich diversity of theological perspectives presented with a variety of literary forms and written in various historical and cultural contexts. In general, the Bible presents a very personal God, often using human imagery, who is very involved with human persons. Certain biblical themes such as that human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God, have had a profound effect on later theological reflection. (Ashbrook and Albright have recently developed this theme in some innovative ways in the light of some neuroscientific findings.) The New Testament also presents Jesus Christ as God incarnate (cf. e.g., Jn 1), a person who fully reveals who God is and how human persons ought to relate to God and each other.

In the early Church the Trinitarian-Christological controversies occasioned the development of the notion of person (cf. the Christian tradition of three divine persons in one God, and Jesus Christ being one person with two natures, divine and human). Boethius gave the classical definition of a person as an individual substance of a rational nature. This definition was further refined by later theologians such as Aquinas. It has also been challenged by alternate views such as those of Locke and Hume (see section 3 above). Among ancient philosophies, Platonism and Neoplatonism had a significant effect on many early Christian theologians (e.g., Augustine). In the later Medieval Christian Church, Aristotle also had a significant impact on many theologians (e.g., Aquinas).

With the Protestant Reformation (e.g., Luther and Calvin) there was a renewed emphasis on the primacy of the Bible for theological reflection. In the last few centuries the development of a wide range of philosophical perspectives, as well as developments in the natural and social sciences (see section 3 above), have raised significant challenges to Christianity and Christian theologians. There have been a number of different responses including a variety of forms of Liberal Protestantism, Evangelical Protestantism, Thomism (especially among Catholics), Process Theology, Liberation Theology, and Feminist theology. As part of the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue movements, today many Christian theologians of different denominations are dialoging with each other as well as with those of other faith traditions.

There is a rich diversity today in the field of Christian theology. We will only note here a few examples which have relevance to our course. Although many contemporary Catholic theologians / theological thinkers have a grounding in Thomism, these have developed their thinking in a variety of ways. For example, taking into account developments in modern science, Ashley develops a radical process philosophy / theology. Fox has been a leading developer of Creation Spirituality. Aumann has contributed to the development of spiritual theology in the light of the experience and writings of some notable mystics. Pope John Paul II, often using a phenomenological method, has made major contributions to the development of personalism. Among contemporary Orthodox writers there is a diversity of views on personhood (e.g., Smith; Bole; Chirban). Among Protestants we can note such significant developments as Ramsey's personalism, Moltmann's ecological theology, Gustafson's theocentric model, and Hauerwas' narrative theology. We can also note significant developments in understanding the relationship between the natural sciences including neuroscience and theology, for example, by Polkinghorne, Murphy, and Ashbrook and Albright.

With regard to the sexuality and gender issues treated in week 7 of this course, there are a variety of relevant feminist theologies which cross denominations. Concerning the roles of women in the family and church, contemporary views range from traditional/conservative (e.g., Clark; Chervin), to revisionist/feminist (see, e.g., the various authors in LaCugna), to somewhere in between (e.g., John Paul II's advocating the mutual submission of spouses in marriage). While all Christian theologians generally advocate profound respect for homosexuals as persons, ethical conclusions range from seeing homosexual genital acts as always wrong (e.g., Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), to justifying them in some committed relationships for proportionate reasons (e.g., Cahill), to recommending and celebrating gay and lesbian marriages (e.g., the Metropolitan Community Church).

Most Christian theologians today take seriously modern biblical scholarship. With regard to the Bible, however, some theologians take some form of a "canon within the canon" approach (e.g., many feminists and revisionist ethicists), while others continue to take an "integral" approach to the biblical canon. The latter often speak of God's progressive revelation and support many traditional Christian beliefs and moral norms. They generally speak of legitimate theological developments rather than radical changes in Christian teaching.

The theological course readings (both required and recommended) and the course instructor who is a theologian will present the students with some of the most significant theological approaches and conclusions with regard to the course topics (see the Course Calendar under section 7 below). This will not be done to overwhelm the students, but to help them to gain a better appreciation of the creativity and diversity within Christian theology today. The course instructors themselves are of different Christian backgrounds: the theologian is from a Catholic background and the biopsychologist is from a Protestant background. While they will be open with students about their views, students will not be expected to adopt their views. Rather, a respectful dialogue between the instructors, the instructors and the students, and the students themselves will be promoted. The students will be encouraged to develop their own thinking on the course topics.

SECTION 6. SCIENCE AND RELIGION DIALOGUE

The instructors of the course see neuroscience and Christian theology as complementary and as presenting certain challenges to each other. For example, neuroscience provides us with a growing and ever more precise understanding of how our brains interact with the rest of our bodies and our environment. A good knowledge of neuroscience can help theologians avoid making too sweeping generalizations or not carefully enough nuanced statements regarding human nature which empirical data would show to be too simplistic. On the other hand, specializations in any science including neuroscience can result in forming a reductionist view of reality including who we are as persons. Theology, including Christian theology, opens the study of human persons in relationships to transcendent dimensions of reality, to deeper questions of meaning, values and the ultimate purpose of life.

It is expected that students in the course will come from a variety of religious backgrounds and academic specializations including, among others, psychology (both Arts and Science students), neuroscience, biology, philosophy, and religious studies, as well as students with some concentration in Christian theology.

Part of each week will involve lecture by each of the professors, and we will foster an atmosphere in which students can ask questions or make comments during those lectures. This will be done in part by example; the professor who is not currently lecturing will occasionally raise issues or ask questions of the other. In preparation for the classes, we (the professors) will be able to identify areas of difference and commonality, and key issues which facilitate a religion/science dialogue. This will enable us to prepare some discussion questions for the students ahead of time, and on occasion, set up a brief in-class debate between the professors themselves. However, this will not be done at the expense of student involvement, since such debates can quickly move into dimensions where many students cannot yet follow. One hour per week will be specifically allotted to discussion to promote real dialogue between the instructors, instructors and students, and among the students. Students will be asked to write down any questions or comments that arise from their reading prior to class, as well as during the lecture portions (if they choose not to ask their question immediately). These questions and comments will be used as the basis for discussion, along with key discussion questions generated by the professors. Depending upon the class size, the discussion period may involve a period of time during which students break into smaller groups (which, in our experience, greatly facilitates discussion and the participation of all students), after which the class as a whole will address the issues. We may also set up student debates in which students will have to take a particular perspective and discuss an issue from that perspective, defending it against other perspectives as well as seeking common ground. Student assignments and examinations will require the students to address the relationship of neuroscience and Christian theology as they treat various topics covered with regard to understanding persons in relationships.
 

SECTION 7. COURSE SYLLABUS (Note: we are in the process of revising the course syllabus which will be used this Fall of 2002)

Team Taught by: Paul Flaman, B.A., S.T.B., S.T.L., S.T.D. (Doctorate in Theology); and Heather Looy, B.A., M.A., Ph.D (Doctorate in Psychology with specialization in biopsychology).
 

(Proposed Brief University of Alberta) Calendar Description: Interdisciplinary study of persons in relationships, consciousness, mind-brain / body-soul questions, religious experience, and related sexual/gender and ethical issues in the light of neuroscience and Christian theology.(For a fuller and more specific description see the "Course Calendar" below.)
 

Course Goals:
 

• to provide students with a basic knowledge of the data and perspectives from neuroscience and Christian theology on human persons;
• for students to gain a better critical understanding of the methodologies of neuroscience and Christian theology;
• to promote an interdisciplinary approach to the study of human persons which respects the integrity of each discipline while providing a more holistic and integrated understanding.

 

Each section of the course (see Course Calendar below) will include a limited number of required readings and further recommended readings relevant to our understanding of persons from the perspectives of both neuroscience and Christian theology. The presentation method will include a mix of lectures by the team instructors, discussions, class debates, and probably a number of guest speakers. The lectures will give an overview of some of the most relevant data, developments, models and perspectives of both neuroscience and Christian theology. There will be an opportunity throughout to raise clarifying questions with regard to both the readings and lectures. A portion of each week's three-hour class (about one hour) will be set aside for open discussion / dialogue between the instructors in the presence of the students, any guest speaker(s), between the students and instructors, and between the students themselves. It is expected that there will be considerable diversity among the students in this course with regard to academic specializations and religious backgrounds. All of this should contribute to lively and fruitful dialogue.

Since students typically have a variety of learning strengths and weaknesses, we plan to use a variety of teaching methods including the use of appropriate visual materials and some short video clips. We would also use some Web CT (Course Tools) to enhance the course, in particular the Conferencing Tool which allows students and instructors to continue discussions outside the class times.

The Course Bibliography below contains both the required reading for the course as well as some other related readings which can be stepping stones for further research by the students. The excellent University of Alberta libraries, which are also linked via the web and interlibrary loans to a number of other university and research libraries in the area, provide further resources for research in areas related to the course.
 

Student Evaluation:
 

Short Research Reflection Paper and Presentation: the paper, 1800-2200 words, includes a summary of research beyond the required course readings on at least two perspectives from neuroscience and two perspectives from Christian theology on a particular topic related to the course. Students who are interested can compare another religious perspective with a Christian perspective on a topic related to the course. About 300-500 words of the paper should present the student's conclusions on the relationship of neuroscience and Christian theology/religion with regard to the topic. Each student will also give a short presentation in class (about 7 minutes), summarizing his/her research and personal conclusions, and allowing a few minutes for questions. Together these will be worth 30 percent of the course mark;
 

Class Participation in class discussions and debates, and with the WebCT Conferencing Tool, worth 15 percent.
 

Midterm Exam (during the first hour of week 6, worth 15 percent ) and Final Exam (time to be determined by the University, worth 40 percent of the course mark). These are both meant to examine the students' understanding of the methods and content of both neuroscience and Christian theology, as well as their interrelationship, with regard to the course topics. Examination questions will allow students to demonstrate how well they understand both the class material and the required readings. The required readings , along with some other course materials, will be sold in the form of a student course pack through the University of Alberta Bookstore which handles related copyright issues.
 

Course Calendar
 

(This one semester three-credit hour course will be offered over twelve weeks, probably with twelve three-hour afternoon or evening classes plus a final examination.)
 

Week 1: An Introduction to Perspectives on Persons From Neuroscience and Christian Theology

• Introduction of the instructors, students, and course expectations and requirements;
• An overview of some of the significant developments, technologies, data and models of interpretation of neuroscience related to our understanding of human persons;
• An overview of some of the significant historical developments and methods in Christian theology, with some comparison to philosophical and legal models, related to our understanding of human persons;
• The beginning of a comparison of the scope and approaches of neuroscience and Christian theology. What critiques and challenges does each discipline pose to the other? Are these disciplines complementary? Is there a unity of knowledge / truth?

 

• A continuation of the overview of some significant developments, technologies, data and models of interpretation of neuroscience related to our understanding of human persons;
• A continuation of the overview of some of the significant historical developments and methods in Christian theology related to our understanding of human persons, with examples of exegesis and hermeneutics of some relevant biblical texts, Church documents and other Christian writings;
• A continuation of the comparison of the scope and approaches of neuroscience and Christian theology. What critiques and challenges does each discipline pose to the other? Are these disciplines complementary? Is there a unity of knowledge / truth?

 

Further recommended reading: VanLeeuwen (1985); Conlan (1999); Ashley (1985); Klein (2000); Lonergan, (1975); Rahner (1975); Gregersen and Van Huyssteen (1998); Amen (2000); Tkacz (2000); Polkinghome (1999), Ch. 1; Carr (in LaCugna, 1993); Haight (1990).
 

Week 3: Animal and Human Brains and Consciousness

• Some relevant findings related to a comparison of animal and human brains;
• Some recent theories regarding the evolution of animal and human brains; theories of animal and human consciousness;
• An explanation of the context and content of some relevant biblical texts and Christian theological positions regarding the status of animals and human persons;
• Questions include: How can we understand and study animal consciousness? Is this qualitatively different from human consciousness? Should primates and other "intelligent" animals (e.g. dolphins) be considered persons? How should we define personhood? Should such animals have corresponding rights such as a right to life and the right not to be treated as a mere means for human good in human research, etc.? How should we treat sentient animals? Does the related data of neuroscience conflict with the content of some biblical texts and Christian theological positions? Can these disciplines be seen as complementary with regard to these issues?

Required Reading: Selections from Dawkins (1993); Klein (2000), pp.19-24; Ashley (1985), pp. 309-25 and 419-20; John Paul II (1996).

Further Recommended Reading: Eccles (1994), Ch. 8; the rest of Dawkins (1993); Watson (1999); Moltmann (1985); MacIntyre (1999).
 

Week 4: Neuroscience, Mental Disorders and Therapeutic Approaches

• An overview of some mental disorders and therapeutic approaches; discussion of the implications of mental disorders for our understanding of personhood; discussion of the assumptions about personhood underlying various therapeutic approaches;

• Discussion of some of the theological / ethical issues presented by certain kinds of brain therapy and research;
• A consideration of whether or not and to what extent mental disorders can mitigate or eliminate personal moral responsibility and legal culpability for harmful/criminal behavior.

Required Reading: Klein (2000), chapter 15; Horgan (1999), chapter 4; Sacks (1985; cases #1, #9, #11); Ashley and O'Rourke (1997), chapter 11.

Further Recommended Reading: Amen (2000); Horgan (1999); Conlan (1999), chapter 3.
 

Week 5: Human Mind/Brain, Body/Soul, Personal Relatedness Issues, Part 1

• Some perspectives from neuroscience on understanding and explaining human consciousness, knowledge, memory, personal identity and relatedness, values and decision making;
• An overview of some significant developments and positions in philosophy and Christian theology, including a discussion of some relevant biblical terms and texts in context, with regard to mind/brain, body/soul questions, and interpersonal relations;
• Questions include: Do mental phenomena including human consciousness and self-awareness, as well as our common experience of being able to freely choose to do, pay attention to or recall certain things, require the existence of an immaterial or spiritual soul interacting with one's brain/body? Do friendship, love, intimacy and communion between persons transcend bodies and brains and require a spiritual dimension to human persons? Which model(s) of mind-brain / body-soul interaction, and human persons in relationships, best fits human experience?

Required Reading: Searle (1995; reviewing Dennett, Edelman, Crick, Penrose & Rosenfield); Damasio (1999); Brown et al. (1998), chapter 5; Ashley (1985), pp. 307-19.

Further Recommended Reading: Polkinghorne (1999), chapter 3; Eccles (1994), chapter 3.
 

Week 6: Midterm exam (first 50 minutes); Human Mind/Brain, Body/Soul, Personal Relatedness Issues, Part 2
 

• Following the midterm examination and a 10 minute break, a continuation of the discussion of Week 5 with special attention given to Murphy's nonreductive physicalism, Eccles' dualistic interactionism hypothesis, and Ashley's Aristotelian / Thomist / Radical Process Philosophical / Theological synthesis.

 

Further Recommended Reading: the rest of Eccles (1994); Jeeves (1997); Ashley (1985), Parts III and IV; Clayton (1999); Gettenplan (1994); Russell (1999).
 

Week 7: Human Brains and Sexual / Gender Issues

• An overview of whether or not there are any relevant general differences in the brains of men and women, and heterosexuals and homosexuals (compare also genetics and fetal development). If so, are individual differences more significant?
• A discussion of the role of sexuality in human personhood: is it a fundamental, pervasive, essential, stable, aspect of personhood, a culturally-relative social construction, or something else?
• An overview of various Christian theological approaches on gender issues including traditional, feminist and progressive; and traditional and revisionist Christian theological / ethical approaches to sexual orientation and behavior. Which theological and ethical approaches are most compatible with recent scientific data and human experience?

Further Recommended Reading: LeVay (1993); McAnulty and Burnette (2001), pp. 119-25, and 331-8; Clark (1980); LaCugna (1993); Schüssler Fiorenza (1989); Chervin (1986); John Paul II (1988).
 

Week 8: When does a human person begin to exist?

• An overview of human development from fertilization to birth and after birth with special attention given to brain "birth" and development with corresponding development of consciousness, self-awareness and unique human/personal abilities (e.g., regarding creative thought, language and communication, development of technologies and manipulation of the world).
• An overview of some relevant biblical texts and Christian theological developments in context with regard to the question when does a human person begin to exist?
• A comparison of "functional discrimination" (e.g., Kluge; Canadian Medical Association's Ethics Committee) versus "equal nature" (e.g., Ashley and O'Rourke; May) models of human persons;
• Some consideration of the relevance of these and other models (e.g., legal) of persons with regard to ethical issues such as abortion and the treatment of anencephalic infants.

 

Further Recommended Reading: Canadian Medical Association's Ethics Committee (1991); Eberl (2000); National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States Doctrine Committee.
 

Week 9: When does a human person cease to exist in this world?

• An overview of the relevant data from neuroscience with regard to whole brain death criteria and proposed 'partial' brain death criteria.
• An overview noting the contexts of some significant biblical texts and Christian theological developments and understandings of death of a human being including what happens to the 'soul';
• A consideration of some related ethical issues such as organ transplantation and how we treat the mentally disabled and human beings in an irreversible coma.

 

Further Recommended Reading: Kluge (1992) pp. 281-5; Levin et al. (1991); and May (2000), chapter 8.
 

Week 10: Does a human person continue to exist after the death of his/her body/brain?

• Do present findings in neuroscience have anything to say with regard to this question? Does death of the brain exclude the possibility of continued existence of the person after death in some real way? Some consideration will also be given to research with regard to 'near death' experiences;
• An overview explaining the contexts and content of some relevant biblical texts and Christian theological developments with regard to questions such as the immortality of the spiritual soul, 'consciousness' after death, resurrection of the body, the 'new heavens and earth'.

 

Further Recommended Reading: see the sources referred to in the notes of the above readings.
 

Week 11: Neuroscience and Religious / Spiritual Experiences, Part 1

• An overview of neuroscientific research relevant to common human religious / spiritual experiences such as prayer, meditation, and a relationship / union with transcendent reality / God;
• An overview explaining the contexts and content of some relevant biblical texts and Christian theological developments with regard to prayer, our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Trinity.
• Questions include discussing the possibility of the interaction of human persons and their brains with transcendent reality / God, as well as Christian belief in the incarnation, that Jesus of Nazareth is both fully human and fully divine.

 

Further Recommended Reading: James (1902); Polkinghorne (1999), sections of chapter 6; Edwards (1992); the rest of Ashbrook and Albright (1997); Russell et al. (1994); other sources referred to in the notes of the above readings.
 

Week 12: Neuroscience and Religious / Spiritual Experiences, Part 2; and Other Issues

• An overview of neuroscientific research relevant to extraordinary human religious / spiritual experiences such as 'visions' and other extraordinary 'charismatic' / mystical phenomena;
• An overview explaining the contexts and content of some relevant biblical texts and Christian theological developments with regard to prophetic inspiration and other charisms, and extraordinary religious experiences;
• Questions include: If there is a supernatural dimension to reality, how does it relate to the natural dimension including human nature? Is it possible for human persons with their brains to encounter or experience other spiritual persons without bodies including angels?
• As time permits, a discussion of other issues of interest to the students related to neuroscience, persons and Christian theology. Some consideration will also be given to how future developments in neuroscience and Christian theology might affect our understanding of human persons.

 

Further Recommended Reading: other parts of Aumann (1980); Ashley (1985), Ch. 13.iii; Wiebe (1998); the rest of Shorto (1999).

Course Bibliography:

Amen, D. (2000). Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness . New York: Three Rivers Press (Random House).

Aquinas, T. (1259-65). Summa contra gentiles II (Chs. 46-89 re souls), trans. J.F. Anderson, On the Truth of the Catholic Faith. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1956.

Aristotle (c. Mid 4^th century B.C.). On the Soul (De Anima). Trans. and notes by D. W. Hamlyn. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968.

Ashbrook, J.B.; and C.R. Albright (1997). The Humanizing Brain: Where Religion and Neuroscience Meet. Pilgrim Press.

Ashley, B. (1985). Theologies of the Body: Humanist and Christian. Braintree, Massachusetts: The Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center.

Ashley, B.; and K. O'Rourke (1997). Health Care Ethics: A Theological Analysis, 4th Edition. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.

Aumann, J. (1980). Spiritual Theology. London: Sheed & Ward.

Barbour, I. (1990). Religion in an Age of Science: The Gifford Lectures, 1989-1991, San Francisco: Harper-Collins, vol. 1.

Bole, T.J. (2000). "The Person in Secular and in Orthodox-Catholic Bioethics," Christian Bioethics, vol. 6, no. 1, 85-112.

Brown, W.S.; N. Murphy; and H.N. Malony, eds. (1998). Whatever Happened to the Soul? Scientific and Theological Portraits of Human Nature. Augusburg Fortress.

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SECTION 8. ACADEMIC SETTING

1) Relationship between the Proposed Course and the Institution

The University of Alberta includes many different faculties and offers a wide range of courses. Besides a number of courses in neuroscience and Christian theology (these are in separate departments; ours would be the first interdisciplinary course), there is a large department of psychology with both Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Science courses. Among others, there are also a number of courses offered by the departments of philosophy, religious studies, zoology and psychiatry that touch on one or more of the topics in this course. The King's University College is a liberal arts undergraduate institution which has a number of courses in Christian theology, history, psychology, philosophy and so forth. Both institutions have received previous Science and Religion course awards. This course is intended to complement these courses which continue to be offered.
 

2) The Relevant Training and Background of the Course Instructors

The Course Co-Director, Heather Looy, has a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from Queen's University in Kingston and a Doctorate in Psychology from McMaster University in Hamilton. Her psychological studies focused on biological aspects of psychological experience, including animal models, endocrine function, sexuality, eating behavior, and perception. As well, she studied for two undergraduate years at The King's University College (then The King's College) in the liberal arts and sciences, and has a strong background in both natural sciences and psychology. She has taught at The King's University College since 1992, part-time until 1996 and full-time since that date. Her courses include psychological research methods, brain and behavior, perception, cognition, learning and memory, and evolutionary psychology and behavior genetics, as well as a senior integrative seminar. She has experience teaching a variety of undergraduate university students, including Christians from diverse traditions within the faith, as well as students of other faiths, atheists, and agnostics. In all her courses she goes beyond basic content to highlight the assumptions behind and the implications of various psychological traditions, theories and concepts, and attempts to enable students to critically evaluate and dialogue with psychological research and theories from the perspective of their own faith traditions. Her research involves critical engagement with biopsychological research on topics such as sexuality, gender, aspects of evolutionary psychology and behavior genetics, with the intent to enable Christians and others to interpret, critique, and appreciate the usefulness of such research for contemporary issues. She also engages in interdisciplinary research on food, disgust and morality. For some more details see her attached Curriculum Vitae.
 

SECTION 9. CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT

The course we are proposing on "Neuroscience, Persons and Christian Theology" is meant to be another major step in the development of science and religion curricula at these institutions. It should promote dialogue and building of bridges in new areas between science (in particular neuroscience and related areas of psychology and psychiatry) and religion (in particular Christian theology, as well as related areas of philosophy and religious studies). Since both the University of Alberta and The King's University College (for more information on these institutions see section 8, part 1 above) promote interdisciplinary studies, this cou