That's right - aliens. Belief in extra-terrestrial lifeforms no longer belongs to society's fringes, but is widespread in academia and the scientific community. NASA are returning to the moon, and Elon Musk has made space great again. Does the Christian tradition have the resources to offer counsel in a world turning again to the stars? And what does this spreading belief tell us about modernity?
This week Onsi, Colin, and Rhys were joined by Davenant Teaching Fellow Joe Minich to think through these questions.
NOTE: most books below are linked via Bookshop.org. Any purchases you make via these links give The Davenant Institute a 10% commission, and support local bookshops against chainstores/Amazon.
Currently Reading
Onsi: Selected Writingsby Meister Eckhart
Colin: Fin-de-Siecle Viennaby Carl E. Schorske
Rhys: The Cure At Troy by Seamus Heaney
Joe: Running the Lightby Sam Tallent and The Discarded Imageby C.S. Lewis
Texts Discussed
"No Longer in the Shadows, Pentagon's UFO Unit Will Make Some Findings Public" in The New York Times (July 2020)
"Flying Saucers and Other Fairy Tales" by Ross Douthat (New York Times, December 2017)
Summa Theologiae Prima Pars Q.50-64 (on angels) by Thomas Aquinas
How To Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy by Stephen R.L. Clark
Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact by Jacques Vallee
The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mindby Julian Jaynes
Davenant Spotlight
Enduring Divine Absence: The Challenge of Modern Atheismby Joseph Minich
Theme Music
"Midnight Stroll" by Ghostrifter. Free to use under Creative Commons. Available here.
