MIRACLES AND THE LIMITS OF RATIONALITY
Thursday, November 14, 5:00 PM EST
Followed by a reception
Sever Hall, Room 102, Harvard University & Livestreamed
Carlos Eire
Yale University
Given that miracles are phenomena that defy or contradict the laws of nature, is it possible to believe in the reality of events that are deemed to be absolutely impossible by empirical science? Is any history of “impossible” miracles essentially irrational? Such questions are not only pertinent for historians, but for all who believe in the existence of a supernatural realm, including Christians. Focusing on the history of two anomalous physical phenomena that have accompanied Christian mysticism for two millennia –levitation and bilocation – this talk seeks to address two inseparable questions: Is it possible to write a rational history of the impossible, and, if so, what difference can such a history make in a culture domineered by dogmatic materialism? Talk will be followed by a short response from Dr. Brian FitzGerald, Harvard University and Q&A. Reception to follow.
Co-sponsored by Nova Forum at the University of Southern California, the In Lumine Network of Centers for Catholic Thought and Culture, Society for Catholic Scientists, Harvard Christian Alumni Society
FREE & OPEN TO ALL
IN PERSON & LIVESTREAMED
John Singer Sargent, watercolor painting, St. Theresa of Avila, c. 1903, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA
Professor Carlos Eire
Carlos Eire is the T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University. He specializes in the social, intellectual, religious, and cultural history of late medieval and early modern Europe, with a focus on both the Protestant and Catholic Reformations; the history of popular piety; the history of the supernatural, and the history of death. He is the author of multiple award-winning books, including Reformations: The Early Modern World (2016); The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila: A Biography (2019); and most recently, They Flew: A History of the Impossible (2023), which has attracted some controversy. Eire received his PhD from Yale in 1979 and joined its faculty in 1996. Prior to Yale, he taught at St. John’s University in Minnesota and the University of Virginia, and he was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. He was also a past president of the Society for Reformation Research.
Dr. Brian FitzGerald
Brian FitzGerald is a Lecturer in Medieval Studies and Religion at Harvard University. A scholar of medieval history, his research interests include the intellectual and religious culture of Europe from the 12th to the 14th century. His first book, Inspiration and Authority in the Middle Ages: Prophets and their Critics from Scholasticism to Humanism (2017) examined medieval understandings of divine inspiration and prophecy. FitzGerald received his D.Phil. from Oxford University. Prior to Harvard, he taught in the Humanities Program and served as Academic Dean at Magdalen College.
This event is made possible through the support of grant #62372 from the John Templeton Foundation, “In Lumine: Promoting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide.” The opinions expressed in this event are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.