A week devoted to science and religion at the Chautauqua Institution in New York begins today. "Darwin and Linnaeus: Their Impact on Our View of the Natural World," part of the institution's summer program, will focus on the "scientific, social, religious, and legal ramifications of Darwin's work"—namely, his theory of evolution by natural selection. Lectures will also look at the legacy of Carl Linnaeus, considered the father of taxonomy, whose system of naming and classifying organisms helped us to catalog the natural world.
Those familiar with the field of science and religion will recognize a number of the week's speakers, including Ken Miller, Ed Larson, Michael Ruse, Carl Zimmer, Eugenie Scott, and Barbara King. King, a professor of anthropology at the College of William & Mary and the author of Evolving God, will be blogging for us from the event tomorrow and Wednesday, so stay tuned. —Heather Wax