A Fine-Tuning Extravaganza (with Luke Barnes, Barry Loewer, Tim Maudlin, Hans Halvorson, and Alex Pruss)

The Rutgers Center for the Philosophy of Religion presents:  A Fine-Tuning Extravaganza (with Luke Barnes, Barry Loewer, Tim Maudlin, Hans Halvorson, and Alex Pruss).

1.  Monday, February 20th, 7pm, Luke Barnes, an astrophysicist from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy and co-author of “A Fortunate Universe”, will give a general-audience talk on the scientific side of fine-tuning.  The talk will be at Hageman Hall, the large meeting room on the first floor of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary (corner of College Ave. and Seminary Place, right in the middle of the College Ave. campus).  Luke is an engaging speaker and a respected scientist — this will be an excellent introduction to all the kinds of phenomena that are typically used in fine-tuning design arguments.

2. Tuesday, February 21st, 1pm-5pm, a Round-Table on Design Arguments, with remarks from Luke Barnes (Sydney), Barry Loewer (Rutgers), Hans Halvorson (Princeton), and comments from Tim Maudlin (NYU) and Alex Pruss (Baylor).  This will be an open-ended exchange of ideas on the prospects and problems for using the “fine-tuning of the cosmos for life” (or for something) in arguments for a designer, or for a multiverse, or for… other things.  The event will take place in the large lecture hall on the top floor of the Alexander Library on College Ave — NOT in the philosophy seminar room!

Both events are free and open to the public.