Above Sir Isaac Newton’s grave in Westminster Abbey is an ornate monument with a Latin inscription that praises his “strength of mind almost divine.” Newton’s nearly supernatural genius, however, lay not in any unerring ability to discern truth, but in his vast intellectual curiosity. He could entertain all sorts of ideas, even some that would later prove wrong.

So, when he wasn’t busy discovering gravity, using a prism to unlock mysteries of light and color, or inventing calculus, Newton indulged his fascination with alchemy and spent considerable time in a laboratory trying to make gold.

A similar sort of expansive scholarship - always experimenting, always questioning - motivates the Templeton Research Lectures, which recently announced topics for 2004, and its fourth annual series. “Astrobiology and the Sacred: Implications of Life beyond Earth” will challenge the faculty at University of Arizona. And, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, studies are underway on “Creativity: An Inquiry into the Nature of Innovation in Science, Art and Religion.”

Doubtless, such wide-ranging subjects would make Newton proud.

In its first three years, universities such as Stanford, Bar Ilan in Israel, Columbia, and the University of Montreal hosted the Templeton Research Lectures. The goal is to create a forum for interdisciplinary discussion, thereby skirting not only theological dogmas, but also shibboleths of an academy that has become increasingly factionalized into narrow fields of expertise.

“People have such different paradigms and different information they think important, sometimes those in biology don’t know what their colleagues in chemistry are doing,” said Dr. William Grassie, executive director of the Metanexus Institute in Philadelphia which administers the Templeton lecture program.

“The root for the word ‘religion’ is religare which in Latin means to tie together, or to bind things,” Grassie continued. “In an etymological sense, we are trying to take all this incredible progress that specialization has brought to humanity and tie it together in more holistic ways to study where we came from, who we are, and where we might be going.”

Grassie envisions expanding the program by placing a greater emphasis on generating books and other publications that would have a long-term influence beyond the lectures themselves. Funding has been increased from an original commitment of $100,000 over three years, to $90,000 per year, which will greatly enhance opportunities for advanced studies.

The Templeton Research Lectures are modeled on the Gifford Lectures, which are delivered annually at four universities in Scotland and have come to be seen as a crucible for new developments in 20th century thought. For instance, Alfred North Whitehead, the British philosopher best known for his work in mathematics, stunned audiences with his 1927-1928 Gifford lectures on what he termed “process theology,” ideas that he later published in his influential book, Process and Reality.

Such intellectual foment may also result from the Templeton Research Lectures, especially since astrobiology - the study of life beyond earth - is now a white-hot area of research, believes Dr. Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona and principal investigator on “Astrobiology and the Sacred.”

“We are on the verge of getting wholly new evidence. After centuries of speculation, what results may be the last stage of the Copernican revolution,” Impey explained. “It’s possible we’ll find that not only is earth not the center of everything, but we may not be alone.”

Scientists rarely speak so breathlessly, but Impey’s enthusiasm reflects an emerging consensus that life forms - meaning simple bacteria, lichen or moss - may soon be discovered on Mars, Saturn or Jupiter.

“In the human context, some might argue this wouldn’t be dramatic. They say, ‘a microbe is a microbe,’” Impey continued. “But, these microbes might have another biological basis, something other than DNA or RNA. This, then, starts to impinge on the sense of human self. For if there are other biological blueprints out there, it makes us less unique.”

This argument is especially timely as additional places where such life forms might reside are being identified with dizzying speed. Scientists identified the first new planet beyond our solar system in 1995; since then, over 140 others have been found. Somewhere out in the cosmos, Impey estimates, there is the potential for billions of as-yet undiscovered planets.

“So, statistics come into play,” he said. “Even if there’s only a tiny fraction of these places where there might be intelligent life, how could it be that none would develop?”

Because such speculation may roil certain religious traditions, the Templeton lectures will examine these issues in their broadest context by considering the history of life on earth, asking what is the nature of animal intelligence and consciousness, and what does it mean to be human in such a large and inhospitable universe?

“Such questions will spark a debate that needs to be joined,” Impey said. “Until quite recently, many consigned astrobiology to science fiction, or to pure speculation. But all of this is changing, and fast. Hard data will soon determine whether or not we are the only life forms. People better be ready for the answer.”

How Impey and his colleagues make the cognitive leap to such distant places is central to 2004’s other Templeton Research Lecture series, that on “Creativity.” Principal co-investigators, Dr. Donald E. Miller, a professor of religion, and Dr. Firdaus E. Udwadia, a professor of mathematics, engineering and business administration, will lead this program at USC.

“Theologians refer to revelations, scientists speak of insights, artists have epiphanies,” said Miller. “The language may be different, but the root is the same. Creativity is at the heart of all innovation.”

The Templeton lectures will explore this phenomenon by considering creative geniuses and how they experience their transformative ideas. Researchers will look at the neurological basis for what happens in the brain during a so-called “eureka!” moment, and also explore whether certain environments are conducive to, or stultify, creativity.

“To the extent that the university is committed to innovation, research, and insight, our question is, ‘what are the optimal ways in which these can be cultivated?’” Miller said.

This brings us back to Sir Isaac Newton, whom Dr. Udwadia hails as the exemplar of a cross-pollinated creativity to which all scholars should aspire. Newton, it seems, even understood the importance of play.

“He loved to tinker with windmills when he was a child; when he was an old man, he was still playing with optics,” Udwadia said. “Newton teaches us that if you are open-minded and don’t have preconceptions, you are willing to entertain, even just for a moment, the most outrageous ideas. It’s in that space, I believe, that revelation can appear.”

Miller agreed, adding his appreciation for the lecture series’ sponsor.

“What impresses me about the Templeton Foundation is that they are very interested in all sorts of research,” he concluded. “Some foundations get very focused on a particular niche, and they don’t stray. At Templeton, however, there seem to be no boundaries. And that is the essence of creativity.”

Links of Interest
Templeton Research Lectures

Stephen Henderson is a freelance writer based in New York and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun and Religion News Service.

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