ESP Biography

Recent years have seen the engagement of scholars across a broader range of disciplines than ever before attempting to answer the question of whether a higher power exists in the universe, and whether this question is even answerable. The goal of this course will be to introduce students to major writers and thinkers in atheist literature and Christian apologetics over the last 50 years. We plan to explore the writings of Richard Dawkins, Samuel Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Bertrand Russell and others on the atheist side, and those of C.S. Lewis, Francis Collins, Dinesh D'Souza, and others on the apologetics side. Drawing on their works, we will present the opinions on these scholars concerning questions such as, is there a God? How can we know? How do we gain our sense of right and wrong? How can we approach the question of what happens after death? We welcome students of all backgrounds and points of view to this non-confrontational venue, and encourage everyone to bring an open mind.

You are arrested with a conspirator for commiting a crime. The police tell you that if you rat your partner out, you can go free, but your partner will have to serve the full sentence of 5 years. They make your partner the same offer. What do you do? This classic game theory problem has been used by evolutionary biologists for decades to study the evolution of cooperation, or how behavior that helps others at the expense of the person doing the helping could evolve by natural selection. We will explore these ideas by playing games and through mathematical models of how behavioral strategies can evolve.