Abstract

In the old days it was the mind-bogglingly tiny size of humans in the vastness of space that got us wondering about the nature and significance of who we are. Today – it’s news stories and TV shows about humanoid robots, brain scans and applications of biomedical engineering. What is it like to grow up in this strange new world and how can teachers help young people to become insightful, critical and wise amid the confusion of ideas and suggestions that are presented to them? How does science education currently contribute to young people’s understanding of what being human means? This research began as a project to look at young people’s thinking about what science and religion say about the human mind and personhood. As the findings have begun to emerge, we are now discovering that some young people’s interpretation of what science tells them goes beyond challenging traditional religious beliefs. In this talk I will explain our aims, methodology and some initial findings. I will also explain the challenges we have encountered with trying to explore students’ thinking in a domain that has been difficult to define.

Dr Berry Billingsley is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the University of Reading and has led the LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) Project for five years with Dr Keith Taber at the University of Cambridge. The LASAR project was initiated with the help of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at Cambridge with funding from the John Templeton Foundation. Berry’s current project is funded by a planning grant from the TWCF (Templeton World Charity Foundation).