LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Does God exist? On Wednesday, March 24, Lock Haven University will host an open forum on this age-old question. Professors Andrew Talbot (Psychology) and Daniel Shaw (Philosophy) will briefly express their views and then open the forum up for questions and comments from the audience. The forum will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Ulmer Planetarium. Admission is free and the public is invited.
Shaw has been at Lock Haven University since 1986. His major research interests are in existentialism and the philosophy of film. He edits a print journal called Film and Philosophy (available in the Stevenson Library) and recently authored a monograph called Taking Movies Seriously (2008 Wallflower Press).
Talbot is an educational psychologist with research interests in learners' information processing and decision-making behaviors in medical, educational, or everyday contexts. In his twelfth year at LHU, Talbot primarily teaches Education majors about the results and implications of scientific exploration in the areas of development, learning theory, pedagogy, assessment and motivation. He also serves as faculty advisor to the New Life Student Fellowship, a Christian student club on campus, and is a newly elected elder at Big Woods Bible Church in Castanea, Pa.
In discussing the purpose of the forum, Talbot said, “Our goal at institutions of higher education should be to provide students with an exposure to the reasons behind our beliefs--whether they be about good teaching methods, the human body and mind, or religion.” He added, “The ongoing conflict between opposing worldviews, such as Theism and Atheism, provide realms in which the exploration of evidence is critical for the intellectual as well as spiritual development of our students. I am happy our University community has this opportunity to engage the topic of God's existence."
Shaw added, “The college years are a crucial period of self-definition, and one of the most important choices one can make is whether to believe in God or not.”
The forum is co-sponsored by The Free Thought Alliance and The Philosophy Club of LHU. For further information contact Daniel Shaw: dshaw@lhup.edu (570) 484-2052.