People have long wondered where they come from and how they got to be here.
Keith M. Parsons, a professor of philosophy at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, will be coming to the University tonight to share his thoughts on this and other topics regarding the theories of renowned evolutionist Charles Darwin.
Parsons said he believes Darwin to be a fascinating philosopher, and he considers Darwin to be his hero.
“One of the most admirable characteristics about Charles Darwin’s work is that he was so willing to consider every reasonable objection to his theories with fairness and open-mindedness and meet them,” he said.
The work of Darwin easily speaks for itself, Parsons said. He hopes students will take away from his lecture an eagerness to begin to study all that Darwin has to offer. Parsons readily admits that while he can talk about Darwin and his research, students will not truly be able to experience the concepts discussed “with an open and inquisitive mind” until they delve into the pages of Darwin’s findings for themselves.
Parsons himself has written multiple books including “Drawing Out Levathian, Life of the Past,” “God and the Burden of Proof: Plantinga, Swinburne, and the Analytic Defense of Theism (Frontiers of Philosophy),” “Why I am not a Christian” and others. He previously acted as editor of Philo and the Journal of the Society of Humanist Philosophers. He specializes in the areas of the philosophy of science, the philosophy of religion and the history of science.
“Charles Darwin, Hammer of the Creationists” will focus on the attributes of Darwin, as well as on the highlights of some of his most famous work related to the hypothesis of evolutionism.
H. Scott Hestevold, professor and chair of the department of philosophy, said the Philosophy Today lecture series reflects the department’s commitment to making contemporary work in philosophy accessible to those outside the discipline. Parsons’ discussion will be a non-technical exploration of Charles Darwin’s own objections to arguments for the existence of God based on the apparent design of biological systems.
“Darwin and Professor Parsons have something in common: both studied theology,” Hestevold said. “Darwin once studied to enter the clergy, and Professor Parsons earned a masters degree in theological studies before earning his doctorates in philosophy and the history of philosophy of science.”
The lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Smith Hall Room 205. It is free and open to the public.
