Stanley Jaki International Congress at Seton Hall

The Departments of Physics and Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University, in collaboration with the Stanley Jaki Foundation, are pleased to announce the 2024 Stanley Jaki International Congress. This conference marks the centenary of Father Stanley Jaki’s birth on August 17, 1924, and will be held on April 24, 2024, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. This event follows the successful inaugural Stanley Jaki International Conference that was held in 2015. Abstract submissions are now being accepted. 

About Father Stanley Jaki
Father Stanley L. Jaki, O.S.B., S.T.D., Ph.D. (1924-2009), stands as one of the eminent thinkers of the twentieth century. His contributions to Catholic Intellectual Tradition, particularly in the realm of the interplay between science and faith, have left an indelible mark. 

In 2018, Father Jaki was featured in Aleteia as one of five Catholic scientists that “Shaped our Understanding of the World.” The other four are Copernicus, Father Gregor Mendel, Father Giuseppe Mercalli, and Monsignor Georges Lemaître, responsible, respectively, for: our understanding that the sun is at the center of the solar system; the experiments with pea plants that led to the discovery of hereditary trait patterns—the foundation of modern genetics; developing an intensity scale for measuring earthquakes; and the development of the Big Bang theory. 

Father Jaki served as a physics professor at Seton Hall University from 1965 to 2009; with doctorates in both theology and physics, he devoted over four decades to the study of the history and philosophy of science. With a prolific output comprising over fifty books and more than three hundred and fifty articles, he held prestigious positions such as the Gifford Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and the Fremantle Lecturer at Balliol College, Oxford. Father Jaki delivered lectures at esteemed institutions across the United States, Europe, and Australia. He held honorary membership in the Pontifical Academy of Science and was a membre correspondant of the Académie Nationale des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts of Bordeaux. His accolades include the Lecomte du Noüy Prize for 1970 and the Templeton Prize for 1987.

Seton Hall Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Father Joseph R. Laracy, S.T.D., is the chairman of the Program Committee for the Stanley Jaki International Congress. He is also an affiliated faculty member with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science as well as the Department of Catholic Studies. In the course of his engineering studies before entering seminary, Laracy was involved in software quality assurance for NASA’s Deep Impact Mission as well as a risk analysis for NASA’s Constellation Program. An inaugural fellow of the International Institute of Informatics and Systemics, much of his teaching and research is focused on the intersection of theology, philosophy, and science. Laracy noted, “Father Jaki has made lasting contributions to the history and philosophy of science. His research powerfully demonstrates the importance of metaphysical realism and the Catholic doctrine of creation in the emergence of empirical science in the medieval period.” He continued, “As we celebrate the centennial of his birth with this International Congress, we celebrate with continued scholarship one of the truly great minds of the 20th century.”

The Program Committee invites the submission of scholarly papers in the following areas:
• The relationship between Christian faith and the natural sciences
• The history of science, especially the contributions of medieval Christian culture
• The relationship of physics, the philosophy of nature, and metaphysics
• Christian perspectives on creation and evolution
• Thomistic realism and its relationship with science
• University courses that explore the intersection of faith and science
• The Mind-Body question and Christian anthropology
• The status of the theology of creation as a field within fundamental theology
• Christology and Ecclesiology in relation to science
• Other interdisciplinary topics related to faith and science

Accepted papers will be published in an edited volume. We are pleased to note that the proceedings of our 2015 Stanley Jaki Foundation International Congress were published by Gracewing and received acclaim in reviews for Theology and Science, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science and The Chesterton Review. There will also be a poster session for undergraduate students to present their work in the science and religion field.

“I am delighted to carry on the tradition of celebrating Fr. Jaki, which began in 2015 with the joint efforts of the Department of Catholic Studies and Physics during our first conference on Fr. Jaki, said Professor of Religion and Director of Catholic Studies Ines Murzaku.  “Inspired by Fr. Jaki's vision of faith and science, Catholic Studies now offers a double major or minor program focused on the intersection of faith and reason. Our course offerings include Catholic Theology of Science, The Popes and Science, The Church and Science, Creation and Science, and, last but not least, The Science and Theology of Food. These courses have become an essential touchstone for many of our science students, as they argue convincingly that faith and science were not and are not mutually exclusive. Notably, these courses are taught by both scientists and theologians, a rare and valuable combination in academia.”

Timeline:
• November 6, 2023: Abstracts for papers / posters due (100-200 words)
• November 13, 2023: Notification of acceptance of abstracts and invitation to submit a paper / poster
• March 4, 2024: Completed papers due (3000-4000 words, Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed.)
• March 25, 2024: Peer review feedback to authors with acceptance or rejection decision
• March 29, 2024: Conference registration deadline
• April 15, 2024: Revised, final papers due
• April 24, 2024: Conference

Categories: Faith and Service