The St. Catherine of Siena Center will host Celia Deane-Drummond, professor of theology at University of Notre Dame, for its annual Albertus Magnus Lecture on Thursday, November 15, at 7 p.m. in the Priory Auditorium. Deane-Drummond will give a lecture titled "Human Uniqueness Reconsidered: Human Evolution and the Image of God."
Christian belief has for centuries affirmed human beings as made in the image of God. The unique place of human beings in the natural world has been linked both to our capacity for reason, and to our freedom to act. But do either of these traits still stand as “unique” as our knowledge of evolution grows? How should we understand the human’s place in the universe now?
Deane-Drummond, who holds doctoral degrees in both theology and plant physiology, will bring her uniquely informed perspective to these questions.
Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2011, she held a professorial chair in theology and the biological sciences at the University of Chester and was director of its Centre for Religion and the Biosciences. In May 2011 she was elected Chair of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and Environment. She also served as editor of the international journal Ecotheology from 2000 to 2006.
She has written or edited 22 books and numerous articles and book chapters in the areas of theology, ethics and environmental studies. In addition to her concurrent appointment in Notre Dame's Department of Theology and the College of Science, she was elected as a Fellow of the university's Eck Institute for Global Health.
The event is free for Dominican students, faculty and staff, $10 for the public. For more information, contact the Siena Center at (708) 714-9105 or email siena@dom.edu.
In November, the Albertus Magnus Lecture honors the Dominican saint who is patron of scientists, as we explore the relationship between science and religion. It takes place on or near November 15, the feast day of St. Albert the Great.
The Albertus Magnus Society, a gathering of persons who share an academic, professional or general interest in exploring issues related to the intersection of religious belief or experience and scientific insight, meets regularly throughout the academic year in the pursuit of new information and insight in a setting that is both scholarly and congenial.