Lecture three: From empathy to embodied faith: Interdisciplinary perspectives on the evolution of religion

In a series of three articles, presented at the Goshen Annual Conference on Science and Religion in 2015, with the theme ‘Interdisciplinary Theology and the Archeology of Personhood’, J. Wentzel van Huyssteen considers the problem of human evolution – also referred to as ‘the archaeology of personhood’ – and its broader impact on theological anthropology. These Goshen Lectures explore the potentiality that the history of human evolution provides bridge theories to theological anthropology and thus to a positive and constructive way of appropriating Darwinian thought for a public, interdisciplinary Christian theology. Lecture One tracks a select number of contemporary proposals for the evolution of aspects of human personhood. These aspects were of significance for Darwin: the evolution of cognition; the evolution of imagination, music and language; the evolution of morality; and the evolution of the religious disposition. The article acknowledges the close ties to hominid ancestors and focuses on the emergence of human distinctiveness, consciousness and personhood, and the propensity for religious awareness and experience.

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Lecture two: The evolution of morality: The emergence of personhood

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v73i3.4487 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

Author(s):

J. Wentzel Van Huyssteen

Keyword(s):

Human Evolution ◽

Theological Anthropology ◽

Science And Religion ◽

Natural Sciences ◽

Annual Conference ◽

Moral Awareness ◽

Human Beings ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

Evolution Of Morality ◽

Epistemic Standing

In a series of three articles, presented at the Goshen Annual Conference on Science and Religion in 2015, with the theme ‘Interdisciplinary Theology and the Archeology of Personhood’, J. Wentzel van Huyssteen considers the problem of human evolution – also referred to as ‘the archaeology of personhood’ – and its broader impact on theological anthropology. This trajectory of lectures tracks a select number of challenging contemporary proposals for the evolution of crucially important aspects of human personhood. Lecture Two argues that, on a postfoundationalist view, some of our religious beliefs are indeed more plausible and credible than others. This also goes for our tendency to moralise and for the strong moral convictions, we often hold. It demonstrates that, in spite of a powerful focus on the evolutionary origins of moral awareness, ethics emerge on a culturally autonomous level, which means that the epistemic standing of the particular moral judgements human beings make is independent of whatever the natural sciences can says about their genesis.

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Human Evolution and Christian Ethics. By Stephen Pope and The Structural Evolution of Morality. By J. McKenzie Alexander

The Heythrop Journal ◽

10.1111/j.1468-2265.2009.00564_16.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 341-342

Author(s):

Bradford McCall

Keyword(s):

Human Evolution ◽

Structural Evolution ◽

Christian Ethics ◽

Evolution Of Morality

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Grammatical Morpheme Intervention Issues for Students Who Use AAC

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication ◽

10.1044/aac17.2.62 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 62-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cathy Binger

Keyword(s):

Special Interest ◽

Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Annual Conference ◽

Alternative Communication ◽

Research Results ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Grammar Acquisition ◽

Device Use

Abstract Many children who use AAC experience difficulties with acquiring grammar. At the 9th Annual Conference of ASHA's Special Interest Division 12, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Binger presented recent research results from an intervention program designed to facilitate the bound morpheme acquisition of three school-aged children who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Results indicated that the children quickly began to use the bound morphemes that were taught; however, the morphemes were not maintained until a contrastive approach to intervention was introduced. After the research results were presented, the conference participants discussed a wide variety of issues relating to grammar acquisition for children who use AAC. Some of the main topics of discussion included the following: provision of supports for grammar comprehension and expression, intervention techniques to support grammatical morpheme acquisition, and issues relating to AAC device use when teaching grammatical morpheme use.

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Family Support in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Systems

Perspectives on Hearing and Hearing Disorders in Childhood ◽

10.1044/hhdc22.1.11 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 11-21

Author(s):

Patti Martin ◽

Nannette Nicholson ◽

Charia Hall

Keyword(s):

Family Support ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Critical Role ◽

Annual Conference ◽

Federal Law ◽

Think Tank ◽

Learning Collaborative ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Improved Outcomes ◽

Program Components

Family support has evolved from a buzzword of the 1990s to a concept founded in theory, mandated by federal law, valued across disciplines, and espoused by both parents and professionals. This emphasis on family-centered practices for families of young children with disabilities, coupled with federal policy initiatives and technological advances, served as the impetus for the development of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs (Nicholson & Martin, in press). White, Forsman, Eichwald, and Muñoz (2010) provide an excellent review of the evolution of EHDI systems, which include family support as one of their 9 components. The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Center for Disease Control Centers cosponsored the first National EHDI Conference. This conference brought stakeholders including parents, practitioners, and researchers from diverse backgrounds together to form a learning collaborative (Forsman, 2002). Attendees represented a variety of state, national, and/or federal agencies and organizations. This forum focused effort on the development of EHDI programs infused with translating research into practices and policy. When NCHAM, recognizing the critical role of family support in the improvement of outcomes for both children and families, created a think tank to investigate the concept of a conference centered on support for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in 2005, the “Investing in Family Support” (IFSC) conference was born. This conference was specifically designed to facilitate and enhance EHDI efforts within the family support arena. From this venue, a model of family support was conceptualized and has served as the cornerstone of the IFSC annual conference since 2006. Designed to be a functional framework, the IFSC model delineates where and how families find support. In this article, we will promote and encourage continued efforts towards defining operational measures and program components to ultimately quantify success as it relates to improved outcomes for these children and their families. The authors view this opportunity to revisit the theoretical underpinnings of family support, the emerging research in this area, and the basics of the IFSC Model of Family Support as a call to action. We challenge professionals who work with children identified as deaf or hard of hearing to move family support from conceptualization to practices that are grounded in evidence and ever mindful of the unique and dynamic nature of individual families.

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