Science and Spirituality along the Silk Roads

Academy of Sciences, Almaty, 18 & 20 September 2002

PROGRAM

Wednesday 18 September
THEMATIC DISCUSSION (location, Collegia Hall)
19.00 – 20.30 Thematic Discussion “Problem of Repentance and the Threat of Loosing our Historical and Moral Memory” based on the new poem after Mukhtar Shakhanov: Kosmophormula of Chastening Memory - A Mystery Taken Away by Chingizkhan)– Location: Large Lecture Hall, House of Scientists
Thursday 19 September
Official inauguration (location: large Conference Hall)
09.30 – 10.15
Ms. Berkimbaeva, Minister of Education and Sciences, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dr. Daukeev, President of the Academy of Sciences, Almaty
Mrs Rosa Guerreiro. Program specialist, UNESCO culture division, Paris
Prof. Pranab Das, Elon University, USA and spokesman of Science and the Spiritual Quest (SSQ), a program of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, USA
Mr Doris Bredberi, Director, Soros Foundation, Kazakhstan.
SESSION 1 Science and Spirituality Along the Silk Road
10.15 – 10.20 Moderator: Prof Meruert Abuseitova, Director, Institute of Oriental Studies, Almaty
10.20 – 10.45 Prof Absattar Derbisali, Mufti of Kazakhstan
The role of religion in the spirituality of society
10.45 – 11.10 Prof Vedwati Vaidik, University of Delhi, India
The development of Spirituality and Science along the Silk Road
11.10 – 11.35 Prof Fariduni Dzhunadji, University of Teheran, Iran
The Cultural Bases of the Makings of SilkRoads
11:35 – 11:50 Coffee break
11.50 – 12.15 Prof Jacques Vauthier, Sorbonne University, Paris
Zero and infinity on the silk road
12.15 – 12.40 Prof Muminov Ashirbek, State University of Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Islam in the Soghdian cities and settlements of Turkestan
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch break
14.00 – 15.00 Round table 1 discussion and questions from the audience
Location: Collegia Hall, Academy of Sciences
SESSION 2 Sciences of the Human Person (location: Collegia Hall)
15.00 - 15.05 Moderators: Dr Munawar Anees, Director Knowsys, USA
and Prof Bersimbaev, Professor of Genetics, Almaty Academy of Sciences
15.05 – 15.35 Dr Anne Dambricourt, Museum of Natural History, Paris
The embryonic origins of the process of hominization. Evolutionary processes and on the findings that are consistent with the question of finality and transcendence.
15.35 – 16.05 Prof Michael Denton, University of Otago, New Zealand
Towards a post Darwinian predictive and rational biology: The order of life as self organizing and natural rather than specified and artificial.
16.05 – 16.25 Coffee Break
16.25 – 16.55 Prof William Hurlbut, Stanford University, USA
Biotechnology, religious faith and the future of humanity
16.55 – 17.55
Round table 2 discussion and questions from the audience
Friday 20 September
SESSION 3 Physics and Astrophysics (location: Collegia Hall)
09.00 – 09.05 Moderator: Prof Pranab Das, Elon University, USA
09.05 – 09.35 Prof Khalil Chamcham, Hassan II University, Morocco
The Road to Faith and Knowledge: Islamic Astronomy along the Silk Road.
09.35 – 10.05 Prof Ramanath Cowsik, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, India
Indian contributions to Science and Spirituality at the Dawn of Human Civilization
10.05 – 10.20 Coffee Break
10.20 – 10.50 Prof Pranab Das, Elon College, USA
The intellect and free will. Perspectives from the history of science, Islam and Christianity
10.50 – 11.20 Prof Kenes Kuratov, Tien Shan Observatory,Almaty
Astronomy in the past and its perspectives
11.20 – 11.50 Prof Jamal Mimouni, Mentouri University, Constantine, Algeria
The ideological/religious battle: behind the slow acceptance of the Big Bang Theory
11.50 – 12.50 Round table 3 discussion and questions from the audience
12.00 – 13.45 Lunch
SESSION 4 Faith and Modern Science: Two roads to knowledge (location: Collegia Hall)
13.55 - 14.00 Moderator: Prof Elior Karimov, Deputy Director, Institute of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan Academy of Science
14.00 – 14.25 Prof Zaur Djalilov, Institute of Oriental Studies, Almaty
Theocentrism: Conception and Reality
14.25 – 14.50 Prof Larissa Dodkhudoeva, Institute of Oriental Studies, Tajikistan
Social survey of the development of the spiritual wealth of Mavarannahr
14.50– 15.15 Prof Muzzafar Iqbal, Center for Islam and Science, Canada
Dialogue between science and spirituality: towards a new Silk Road
15.15 – 15.40 Prof Salamat Dushenbiev, Center of Islamic Studies, Kyrgyzstan, Buddhism on the North branch of the Great Silk Road
15.40 – 16.00 Coffee Break
16.00 – 16.25 Prof. Shakhym Gullyev, Almaty Conservatory
Folklore of the Silk Roads
16.25 – 16.50 Heng Tan Shi, Institute of Religions of Beijing,
Christianity as an inspiration for science
16.50 – 17.15 Munawar Anees, Director, Knowsys, USA
Science and Muslim interpretation. Deconstructing literalism
17.15 – 18.15 Round table 4 discussion and questions from the audience
UNESCO CHAIR – PRESENTATION (location: Collegia Hall)
18.30 – 19-30 Presentation of the UNESCO Chair for continued research in the field of Science and Spirituality. Presentation by Rosa Guerreiro, UNESCO and Dr.Daukeev, president of the Academy of Sciences of Almaty.
Prof. Albert Fischler, Laureat of the Prize for Peace and Cultural Tolerance awarded by the President of Kazakhstan. Entre Steppes et Chaines Alataou, une Chaire UNESCO à Almaty (Between the steppe and the Alatau mountains, a UNESCO Chair in Almaty)