Baylor Ethics in Action
Human dignity sits at the very core of the troubled world we live in today.—Dicky Sofjan
The Ethics Initiative hosted Dicky Sofjan, Vice-President of Globethics, and Brett Scharffs, Director of International Center for Law and Religion Studies, BYU Law on Monday, October 14 for a conversation around Human Dignity in Interreligious Context. Joining Dicky and Brett in the conversation were Blake Burleson, Devan Stahl, and Paul Martens, continuing a global conversation on the emerging importance of human dignity. Of course, conversation is just the beginning, and we are hopeful as we continue to work toward supporting practices, rituals, and laws that affirm human dignity for all.
This picture is one of the highlights from the discussion hosted by Dr. Austen Ivereigh featuring contributions from Dr. Jenny Howell and Dr. Matthew Whelan. Discussions on agriculture and land use, examined through the lenses of Catholic theology and integral ecology, hosted at Campion Hall, Oxford, summer 2024.
At the IABI symposium on July 29th, Drs. Devan Stahl and Neil Messer met with scholars from around the globe to discuss delivered papers on “biophilosophy” –which investigates the integrity of living things by bringing together theology, philosophy, biology, ecology, and anthropology.
Postdoctoral Researcher Amir Asghari was a guest speaker at the Intellectual Synthesis and Separation: Exploring Sufism and Philosophy in Shia Seminaries Conference at the Al-Madhi Institute in Birmingham, UK. He presented his work, "Wisdom in the Quran and Islamic Intellectual and Sufi Tradition" which highlights contributions from key figures such as Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʼī. Find more about the event on our Events page!
Earlier this summer, musicologist and church music scholar Dr. Monique Ingalls, along with co-editor colleagues Dr. Dulcie Dixon McKenzie, and Dr. Pauline Muir, celebrated the publication of the edited volume: Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter (London: Routledge). Find more on our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=453224914361706&set=a.156905810660286
Three of the Baylor Ethics Initiative faculty (Dr. Devan Stahl, Dr. Neil Messer, and Dr. Paul Martens) participated in the AI and Human Dignity: Faith, Freedom, Fairness, and Flourishing workshop this week at Christ Church, Oxford. This event was organized by Brett Scharffs of ICLRS, Paul Martens, and Dicky Sofjan of Gadjah Mada University and the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies. The workshop was co-convened by International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Globethics , ICRS Yogya, and the Baylor Ethics Initiative. Learn more here: https://ethics.web.baylor.edu/events/past-events/previous-workshops
Baylor's 2024 National Bioethics Bowl Team.
Back row: Daniel Crouch (coach), Rachel Hussey, Alisha Hoefs, Madilyn Johnson, Harrison Lee (coach)
Front row: Abigail Blair, Mikaela Kim, Junhui Fitch, Hannah Yi
Hosted a panel discussion with local practitioners and Baylor professors. Join us in the Baylor Community Garden for an open house for programs of study and groups promoting care of the Earth and environmental justice in Waco. - October 4, 2023
"Compost to Care for the Earth & Your Neighbor!" workshop. Open all Baylor students, faculty, and staff interested in learning why composting is good for the earth and our neighbors, and how to practice it at home. Learn how to supporting S.C.R.A.P., a community partnership fighting the climate crisis and promoting food justice.
Dr. Paul Martens co-convening a workshop, "Foundations and Founding Figures: Human Dignity and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The results of this workshop will be published in the December issue of Review of Faith in International Affairs.
Paul Martens, Director of the Baylor Ethics Initiative, participated in several events at Oxford University in July, including presenting a keynote lecture on human dignity and religious discourse at the International Sermon Studies Conference, speaking on the "Civilizational Perspectives on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere", and co-convening a workshop, "Foundations and Founding Figures: Human Dignity and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The results of this workshop will be published in the December issue of Review of Faith in International Affairs.
We had a wonderful week of beginning Phase 1 of our training and building new academic friendships at the Illuminating Theology Workshop May 16th-20th, 2023. This intensive program, hosted by Dr. Devan Stahl and Dr. Sarah Schnitker, is a part of the Templeton Foundation grant project centered around illuminating theological inquiry and Christian ethics through training in psychological science.
Learn more here: https://ethics.web.baylor.edu/special-programs-and-projects/project-overview
Led by faculty members Dr. Joshua King, Dr. Julia Daniel, and Dr. Paul Martens, this interdisciplinary discussion forum paved the way for new and revitalized environmental humanities courses for the 2023-2024 academic year, specifically in conjunction with the launch of the Environmental Humanities undergraduate minor. Learn more on the Environmental Humanities website: https://eh.artsandsciences.baylor.edu/
Our very own affiliate faculty members, Dr. Joshua King and Dr. Stephanie Boddie, contribute locally to a collaborative team known as the SCRAP collective (Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project), which includes multiple nonprofit organizations and the City of Waco.
The SCRAP collective will grow a healthy, equitable food system in Waco to address issues of food waste, food insecurity, and climate resilience.
On April 15, both of our Undergraduate Bioethics Bowl Teams traveled to Boston to participate in the 2023 National Bioethics Bowl at Northeastern University.