Athens and Jerusalem (in Education)

In this episode we try to bridge creation and the big bang with Brian Cranley. We get insight in his book The call of wonder, his inspiration and how he structured a book bridging the belief in a monetheisitc God, philosophical argumentation and natural science. One of the main dilemma is how to connect this notion of a God with a religous thought system and the how this phenomena is presented trough out such a system. To learn more on Brian Cranleys work, please visit: https://briancranley.com/

Creators and Guests

Host
Knut Ove Æsøy
Knut Ove Æsøy grew up in Florø, a small town with about 10,000 inhabitants in the far west of Norway. The town provided closeness to nature and especially the sea, and much of his upbringing was about fishing and farming in addition to school and sports. He began working in industry at an early age before choosing an academic career. He has a doctorate in philosophy of science and currently works at OsloMet and the education of Norway's future teachers.

What is Athens and Jerusalem (in Education)?

In this podcast we explore the relationship between a scientifically rational and a spiritual approach to reality. That is the relationship of Athens and Jerusalem. Our currently prevalent Western worldview is supposed to be based on rationality. If production of weapons of mass destruction, degradation of the natural environment, and increasing deterioration of mental well-being are signs of rationality, the term is to be considered a dangerous one. In all these, one can detect lack of ethical and existential considerations which renders this worldview essentially an irrational one.
On the other hand, various forms of religious dogmatism and fundamentalism lack true spirituality, as they fail to create both a personal experience of serenity and upliftment and a social practice of empathy, solidarity, and equality.
Essentially, both scientific and religious dogmatism seem to fail due to their disregard for a true and holistic view of human nature. Neither traditional Athens nor historical Jerusalem, alone, have been able to help our deepest human potential flourish, which we consider the task of our modern school system.