In celebration of its centennial year and its commitment to encouraging critical thinking across the liberal arts and sciences, Mount St. Joseph University will welcome Alan Lightman to campus on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- In celebration of its centennial year and its commitment to encouraging critical thinking across the liberal arts and sciences, Mount St. Joseph University will welcome Alan Lightman to campus on Thursday, October 3, 2019. His free talk, “Searching for Stars: Reflections on Science and Spirituality,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the University Theatre. It is made possible with the support of the Gladys Wittmeyer Knox Foundation and is sponsored by the Mount’s Honors Program.
The author of the critically acclaimed “Einstein’s Dreams”, “The Diagnosis”, and last year’s “Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine”, Prof. Lightman will engage students and the general public with the similarities as well as the differences between the spiritual and physical worlds. Central to both is the highly personal “transcendent experience,” which, for Prof. Lightman, was demonstrated most profoundly one starry night at sea. Looking at the stars from a small boat, he was overcome by the overwhelming sensation that he was merging with something larger than himself, a grand and eternal unity, a hint of something absolute and immaterial. This experience inspired him to think about the majestic connections between seemingly contradictory impulses, such as the writings of St. Augustine and Albert Einstein, the movements of earthbound objects and the heavens, the poetry of scripture and the beauty of mathematical equations. In an enlightening hour, Prof. Lightman will share some of these reflections and others on the cosmos, the divine, and the human mind that strives to comprehend them both. A question and answer period will follow his talk.
Called the “poet laureate of science writers” by the Washington Post, Prof. Lightman is a theoretical physicist and the author of six novels, including the international bestseller “Einstein’s Dreams”, which has been translated into thirty languages. Another of his novels, “The Diagnosis”, was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the author of a memoir, three collections of essays, and several books on science. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Salon, and Nature, among other publications. He has taught at Harvard and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was the first person to receive a dual faculty appointment in science and the humanities. He is currently a professor of the humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
All are welcome to attend this free event. Prof. Lightman will be signing copies of his books in the Theatre Lobby following his talk.
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About the Mount
As a Catholic institution rooted in the values of the Sisters of Charity, Mount St. Joseph University excels at serving the common good. Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at the Mount are inspired to think beyond the classroom and redraw the bounds of what’s possible for their futures. This is accomplished through individualized educational experiences, a safe, secure campus environment, and an all-in commitment from faculty and staff to seeing students reach their highest potential. The Mount fosters life-long learners who serve, care, and contribute to the world beyond their front doors. To find out more visit: www.msj.edu.