Science And Reason In The Age Of Unreason

Science And Reason In The Age Of Unreason
Pervez Hoodbhoy
Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad

Monday, February 6, 2006
4:15 p.m., Franklin Patterson Hall, East Lecture Hall
Hampshire College

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Abstract:
Over the last two decades, science and the scientific method have come
under relentless attack from forces that cover the entire spectrum between
religious orthodoxy and post-modernism. Immense social and political
consequences flow from this surprising, and remarkably global, change. In
this lecture I shall address the reasons behind the growing philosophical
rejection of modern science in Islamic countries, and how this has
affected their social and political development.

Brief Bio:
Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is Professor of nuclear and high-energy physics
at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He has written and
spoken extensively on topics ranging from science in Islam to
education issues and nuclear disarmament. He is the author of
"Muslims & Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for
Rationality" and his writings on scientific and political issues have
been published in international newspapers, including the Washington
Post, Le Monde, the Hindu, and Dawn. He is the recipient of 2003
UNESCO Kalinga prize for the Popularization of Science.

Sponsor:
The Integrated Science & Humanities Initiative at Hampshire College