Astrobiology, Gaia, and the Anthropocene Ironies

Astrobiology, Gaia, and the Anthropocene Ironies
October 30, 2019, 5:30pm
Feliciano School of Business 101

What is the Anthropocene? Why does it matter? And how should we assess it? Dr. Frederick V. Simmons’ lecture will explore scientific, ethical, and religious answers to these questions and argues that they are inextricably linked. He proposes that the new science of astrobiology’s use of the religious idea of Gaia offers a fruitful perspective on these matters by suggesting that the Anthropocene is most distinctive when least conspicuous.

Frederick V. Simmons, PhD, holds a PhD in Religious Ethics from Yale University and is a Research Associate Professor at Boston University School of Theology and an Affiliate Faculty Member at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was previously the Houston Witherspoon Fellow in Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Center of Theological Inquiry. Dr. Simmons has taught at Yale Divinity School, Amherst College, La Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, and La Universidad Politécnica Salesiana.