Science and Philosophy: A Unified Pursuit?

Presentation

Why does the universe exist? What existed before the Big Bang? Why does the universe follow precisely physical laws? Why did it give rise to life's anomaly? Is evolution random, or does it have a directionality? What is the role of place consciousness in the larger cosmos? Does life have an inherent meaning?

The timeless questions were once the exclusive domain of philosophy. However, in recent decades, major scientific breakthroughs in cosmology, quantum physics, biology, and neuroscience have shed new light on them, and many scientists have reinterpreted them. Do these discoveries advance our understanding of human existence and its place in the cosmos? And how do they align—or conflict—with traditional spiritual and philosophical narratives?

Join us for a one-day conference at UC Berkeley to discuss these questions. Through thought-provoking interviews, talks, and discussions, leading scientists and philosophers will come together to examine the ultimate implications of the most consequential discoveries in fields such as the origin of the universe, the nature of matter, the emergence and evolution of life, and the enigma of consciousness.

The event will also feature a special preview of the upcoming documentary God and Science, which includes exclusive interviews with some of the conference's speakers. Whether you are passionate about science, philosophy, or simply curious about the challenges posed by these big questions, this unique event offers a rare opportunity to engage with some of the great minds of our time around the big questions.

Program

The Faculty Club, Heyns Room, 1st floor • UC Berkeley • September 26, 2025

Conference schedule for September 26, 2025
Time	Session details
9 – 9:10 a.m.	Welcoming address Karl van Bibber (UC Berkeley) Jean Staune (UM6P, France)
9:15 – 10 a.m.	Session 1: Astrophysics An interview with Saul Perlmutter University of California, Berkeley Led by Phil Clayton and Jean Staune
10 – 10:45 a.m.	Session 2: Chemistry & Life TBA Luc Jaeger • University of California, Santa Barbara
10:45 – 11:15 a.m.	Coffee Break
11:15 – 12 p.m.	Session 3: Evolution TBA Terrence W. Deacon • University of California, Berkeley
12 – 1 p.m.	Session 4: Evolution Roundtable William Hurlbut (Stanford), Peter Dodson (UPenn), Geoffrey Woollard (UBC), Esteban Veliz (UC Davis) Led by Miguel García-Valdecasas
1 – 2 p.m.	Lunch Break
2 – 2:45 p.m.	Session 5: Mind & Consciousness TBA Bill Newsome • Stanford University
2:45 – 3:30 p.m.	Session 6: Science & Religion 1 TBA Philip Clayton • Claremont School of Theology
3:30 – 4 p.m.	Coffee Break
4 – 4:45 p.m.	Session 7: Science & Religion 2 God and Science: From Adversaries to Allies Michel-Yves Bolloré (Engineer) • Olivier Bonnassies (École Polytechnique)
4:45 – 5:15 p.m.	Excerpts from "God & Science" • Jean Staune, Ph.D.
5:15 p.m.	Adjourn

Keynote Speakers

Saul Perlmutter

Saul Perlmutter, a Nobel Prize–winning astrophysicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, is best known for his role in the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae. He leads the Supernova Cosmology Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He leads the Supernova Cosmology Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and his work has profoundly shaped our understanding of cosmology and dark energy.

Luc Jaeger

Luc Jaeger is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on the structure, function, and design of RNA molecules and their role in the origins of life. He pioneered approaches in RNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology. His work seeks to reconstruct plausible molecular scenarios for the emergence of life on Earth. Jaeger also actively engages in philosophical reflection on complexity, emergence, and life's intelligibility.

Terrence W. Deacon

Terrence W. Deacon is a professor of anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research investigates the evolution of language, cognition, and the emergence of human symbolic capacity. He is best known for his influential books The Symbolic Species, about the origin of language, and Incomplete Nature, about the origin of life and mind. Deacon's research challenges strong reductionist models by proposing the existence of teleological causality in nature.

Miguel García-Valdecasas

Miguel García-Valdecasas is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Navarra, Spain, and a Research Scholar at the Anthropology Department at UC Berkeley since 2023. His research explores the link between teleological causality, or the explanation of phenomena from goals and ends, and the emergence of the mind in nature. Throughout his career, he has combined his interest in emergentism, complex systems, and the brain with Wittgenstein's philosophy of mind and epistemology.

William B. Hurlbut, M.D., Adjunct Professor in Neurobiology at Stanford University

William Hurlbut

William B. Hurlbut, M.D., earned both his B.S. (1968) and M.D. (1974) from Stanford University, then pursued postdoctoral studies in theology and medical ethics with Robert Hamerton-Kelly and Louis Bouyer. As Adjunct Professor in Neurobiology at Stanford, he pioneered Stanford Medical Center's first biomedical ethics course, taught ethics to over 6,000 students, served on the President's Council on Bioethics (2002–2009), and co-chaired interdisciplinary projects like Boundaries of Humanity.

Peter Dodson

Peter Dodson is Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a B.Sc. in Geology (University of Ottawa, 1968), an M.Sc. in Geology/Paleontology (University of Alberta, 1970), and a Ph.D. in Geology/Paleontology (Yale, 1974). He conducted extensive fieldwork worldwide, co-edited The Dinosauria, authored The Horned Dinosaurs, and taught courses in anatomy, paleontology, evolution, and religious studies alongside mentoring numerous graduate students in vertebrate paleontology.

Geoffrey Woollard

Geoffrey Woollard is pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at UBC, focusing on simulation and inference in cryogenic electron microscopy. He's applying computational and mathematical methods to analyze and understand the structures of biomolecules. This interdisciplinary work combines his background in physics and mathematics with computer science principles to address complex scientific problems, often in collaboration with colleagues in mathematics and other fields.

Esteban Véliz

Esteban Véliz is completing a Ph.D. in Plant Biology at the University of California, Davis. He previously earned a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA in 2017. His doctoral research focuses on understanding how root microbiomes assemble from agricultural soils, emphasizing plant–microbe symbioses and exploring mechanisms that could inform sustainable intensification in agriculture.

Bill Newsome

Bill Newsome is the Harman Family Provostial Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford's School of Medicine. His work has advanced our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying visual motion perception and decision-making through a combination of behavioral experiments, electrophysiology, and computational modelling. Newsome's honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences and awards like the Champalimaud Vision Award and the Dan David Prize.

Philip Clayton

Philip Clayton holds the Ingraham Professorship at Claremont School of Theology and directs the Institute for Ecological Civilization. His work focuses on the intersection between science, philosophy, and religion. Inspired by systems theory and emergence theory, he advocates a constructive postmodern synthesis. Author and editor of numerous volumes on science and religion, Clayton bridges academic scholarship with public engagement on global ecological and spiritual challenges.

Michel Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies

Michel Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies are co-authors of the book «God, the Science, the Evidence». They are passionate about science. For three years, they gathered insights from leading academic researchers and scientists to compile evidence for the existence of a Creator God. With over 250,000 copies sold, this book became a best-seller in France. It has also been translated into many languages.

Jean Staune

Jean Staune holds multiple degrees—from a DEUG in applied mathematics (Paris VII, 1984), a master's in computer science applied to management (Paris IX Dauphine, 1986), a DESS in business administration (Sorbonne, 1987), to a degree from Sciences Po (1988), and a DEA in paleontology/quaternary geology (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 1994). Since 1995, he has taught within the HEC Group (MBA program), and serves as founder and secretary-general of the Université interdisciplinaire de Paris

Karl Van Bibber

Karl van Bibber earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics from MIT, then served as a postdoc at LBNL, assistant professor at Stanford, and held leadership roles at LLNL before joining UC Berkeley in 2012 as Professor and Chair of Nuclear Engineering. He's also served as Executive Associate Dean for the College of Engineering. His research spans basic and applied nuclear science, particle astrophysics, accelerator technology, and dark-matter searches.

Organizing Committee

Miguel García-Valdecasas

Visiting Researcher • Anthropology Department • UC Berkeley

garciaval@berkeley.edu
Terrence W. Deacon

Professor • Anthropology Department • UC Berkeley
Karl Van Bibber

Professor • Department of Nuclear Engineering • UC Berkeley

Registration

Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required to guarantee seating. Unregistered guests will be admitted only as space permits.

The Faculty Club

Please note that the event may be recorded.