“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind,” Albert Einstein once remarked. But where can the resonances he discerned be found? Can we take the genius of general relativity at his word, in a world often dominated by narratives of conflict between science and religion? Think-Write-Publish Science and Religion, a new project at Arizona State University, funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, will explore how the two domains describe reality in ways that are mutually reinforcing.
An app under development promises to improve creativity and nurture the imagination. The app is the work of Sophie von Stumm, director of the Hungry Mind Lab at Goldsmiths, University of London, whose initiative is one of 16 proposals that have been selected through a grant competition from the Imagination Institute, based at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center.
ArticlesThis artist's conception shows the silhouette of a rocky planet, dubbed HD 219134b, as it passes in front of its star. NASA/JPL-Caltech
An important new discovery has been announced by a team of astrophysicists based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), through work funded by the John Templeton Foundation’s Alien Earths Initiative. The CfA is a major partner with the Geneva Observatory and the researchers have found the closest known exoplanet to Earth that transits its star. The discovery could lead to new breakthroughs in advancing one of the most profound big questions: does life exist elsewhere in the universe?
The John Templeton Foundation has released its 2015 Foundation Report, “from Learning to Progress,” advancing the vision and spirit of Sir John Templeton.
One of the best known examples of the oddities of quantum physics is the so-called Schrödinger’s Cat. The cat is deemed to be neither dead nor alive, but rather existing in a so-called quantum superposition of both states; that is, the cat is simultaneously dead and alive. Such superpositions do not exist at the macro level of everyday experiences but do exist at the micro level of quantum reality. The puzzle is how the two relate.
Imagine you’re asked to solve some simple math problems and are offered payment for each correct answer. Then you are allowed to mark your own test, report your own score, and receive the cash without anything being checked. Would you be honest? Would you mark, score, and report correctly? Or would you be tempted to say that you did just a little bit better than you actually did?
Heather Templeton Dill, daughter of the late Dr. Jack Templeton and granddaughter of the late Sir John Templeton, has been appointed president of the John Templeton Foundation by the board of trustees.
“I was once reasonably dignified,” writes Jonathan V. Last, senior writer at The Weekly Standard, explaining his formerly well-dressed, organized, clutter-free life. “Then I became a father.” The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the Worst Job You’ll Ever Love, published by Templeton Press and edited by Last, offers an amusing array of insight from fathers in all walks and stages of life. The book is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the trials and triumphs of fatherhood.
