Navigating Uncertainties

Interdisciplinary community discussions: humanities, philosophy, science, and theology

Theologians, Educators, Philosophers, Artists, Political Scientist, Physical Scientist, and Mathematicians will speak about "Navigating Uncertainties" to answer the question: "How do you discover and correct errors in your beliefs?"  Some have said that the most dangerous things are not what you do not know, but what you think that is so, but isn't so.  In the hard sciences: physics, chemistry, and biology there is a method for discovering and correcting errors in scientific beliefs, this procedure is sometimes called "the scientific method."  In mathematics there is a procedure called "proof" that when applied correctly generally never introduces errors in the first place, but only produces absolute certainty within the confines of the self consistent system that is mathematics (even if there are questions that can be ask, but not answered within the mathematical system Gödel's incompleteness theorem).  In religion, political science, ethics, morality, and other value based systems how are errors in belief discovered and corrected?  The answer to this question is very important; and our survival as a species may depend upon getting the answer to this question and in application of this procedure in these important value based systems. Likewise, is it even possible to have beliefs that ever need correcting in art or music, or is art and music belief free and only a matter of aesthetics?   Being  belief free in no way diminishes the  importance of art and music, in fact, it may even point to a greater value in art and music to human being than is generally realized.  Currently the panelists will include Dr. Duncan McIntosh, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring and former seminary professor; Karl Smith, professor of Social Sciences, at Montgomery College; Dr. Tecola W. Hagos, painter, political scientist, and professor of English and philosophy, at Montgomery College; Dr. Bill Soderberg, philosophy professor, at Montgomery College; Dr. Ed McDermit professor of Philosophy, at Montgomery College, and Dr. Harold Williams, astrophysicist and professor of astronomy, mathematics, and physics at Montgomery College.  We are going to have a wireless microphone that will circulate in the room after the panelist have introduced the different threads in "Navigating Uncertainties"  so anyone in the room can participate not just ask questions to panelist, though that too is allowed.  Links to look at before the event and afterward, too. Some article in the Wilkapeadia. Beliefs Errors Correct Religion Political Science Ethics Morality Correctness Art Music Daniel Dennett Some other internet resource on Navigating Uncertainties. How do you discover and correct the errors in your beliefs? by Tecola W. Hagos. Wheat and Tares

The Second Montgomery College at Takoma Park Community Colloquium in the Health Science Building room 122:
Faith in Science was the first Montgomery College at Takoma Park  Community Colloquium in the Health Science Building.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 6:30PM