Voices of Reason: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Belief

What: A public presentation, "The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Belief"
Where: All Souls Unitarian Church, 1157 Lexington Ave and 80th St [map]
When: Wednesday, 22 April, 6:30 - 8:00 pm.
Cost: free and open to the public.

My fellow residents of NYC might be interested to know that the Center for Inquiry-New York City and the All Souls Unitarian Church are co-sponsoring a panel discussion on the evolutionary origins of religion. This discussion will address questions such as Why does religious belief persist? Is there a so-called "God gene?" What is the relationship between biological and cultural evolution in the development of human religion? How does unselfish behavior fit into the evolutionary mix? Is there really such a thing as "free will," a basic tenet of many religions? The panel includes Randy Thornhill, Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico, and David Sloan Wilson, Distinguished Professor of Biology at SUNY Binghamton, and will be moderated by Austin Dacey, a philosopher and author of The Secular Conscience, who writes frequently on issues at the intersection of ethics, religion, and biology. Dacey is CFI's representative to the United Nations.