The Magi Project
F O R S C I E N C E & T H E O L O G Y
Physical science, which is ordered towards the exploration of the physical world, can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God, who is pure spirit. However, contemplation of the physical Universe can lead us to ask deeper questions about meaning and human existence as well as the origin and end of all that is.
Many believe that modern astrophysical discoveries undermine belief in God, if not exclude the possibility of God altogether. Others cling to a literal interpretation of Genesis and reject anything of modern science that seems antithetical to it. Somewhere in between is the via media, which embraces both physical and spiritual realities and which recognizes the distinct, proper contributions of theology and scientific study, as well as the limitations of both. We seek to build dialogue between science and faith, helping people of faith to grow in their understanding of science, and helping scientists to understand the perspective of people of faith.
The Magi Project delivers courses, lectures, seminars, and other outreach activities that explore the distinct but complementary approaches of science, philosophy, and theology to fundamental questions of the universe and our own place within it.
The LeMaître Grants
In honor of Georges LeMaître, the Catholic priest sometimes called the “Father of the Big Bang,” the Magi Project annually awards two grants of up to $3,500 to support undergraduate projects on science and religion, such as external speaker programs, workshops or short courses in science and religion, or undergraduate organized outreach.
Applications are closed for the 2024 grant cycle.
Click the button below to learn more.
Upcoming Events
Third Annual Magi Project Conference:
What is a Good Human Life?
Our third interdisciplinary Magi Conference will explore the question "What is a Good Human Life?" through the lenses of World, Self, Community, and God. The conference will be structured around a series of conversations between psychologists, philosophers, and theologians, who will examine the nature of human flourishing from diverse disciplinary perspectives and consider how the insights of each of these disciplines might contribute to work in the others.
The keynote address will be given by Kristján Kristjánsson, Professor of Character Education and Virtue Ethics at the University of Birmingham, and Deputy Director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. He has written widely on themes in moral education, educational psychology, and moral philosophy and is the author of over 100 articles and several books, including Virtues and Vice in Positive Psychology (2015), Flourishing as the Aim of Education (2019), and most recently, Phronesis: Retrieving Practical Wisdom in Psychology, Philosophy, and Education (2024).
Date: Thursday, July 25, 3pm-Friday, July 26, 8pm
Location: University of Pennsylvania
Click the button below to learn more and to register.
New Publications
Released Summer 2023
Click the button below to access the proceedings from the 2022 Magi Project Conference, What is Life?, released July 2023.
Featured Past Events
A Magi Project “Food for Thought” Seminar
What does it mean to know something? How do the ways in which we are taught or the ways in which academic research is done influence and shape our knowledge? In this seminar series for Penn students, we will explore knowledge across disciplines—including what it means for something to be true in both the sciences and the humanities—and how the rituals of learning influence our understanding. Click here to learn more.
Summer 2022 Magi Conference: What is Life?
In June of 2022, Collegium Institute and PRRUCS hosted an international, multi-day collaborative conversation between scientists, philosophers and theologians to explore the question "What is life?" Esteemed scholars from a variety of fields gathered to address this central question from multiple disciplinary vantage points: astrobiology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, behavioral genetics & human flourishing, health. Click the button below to read more about the conference and speakers, and stay tuned for news about the upcoming special conversational issue of the PRRUCS Journal featuring the initial statements and post-conference reflections by each of the speakers.
The Magi Project seeks to build dialogue between science and faith, helping people of faith to grow in their understanding of science, and helping scientists to understand the perspective of people of faith. Other past events have included:
On Reconciling Science and Religion a series of lectures with world-renowned Catholic scientists and speakers, breakout seminars, a panel discussion on scientific vocations, and a Gold Mass.
Probing the Shallows of the Unknown: A Magi Project Evening Conversation an evening conversation with Prof. Marcelo Gleiser (Dartmouth) and Prof. Michell Francl (Bryn Mawr)
How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Us, a conversation between Prof. Jordan Wales (Hilllsdale) and Prof. John Dolan (Carnegie Melon)
To view more past Magi Project events and programs, click the button below.
This project was made possible through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in any publications, videos, lectures, etc. associated with this project are those of the author(s) or speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
“The universe has always beckoned us. Over the course of human civilisation, the night sky has provided a calendar for the farmer, a guide for the sailor, and a home for the gods. Astronomy led the scientific revolution, which continues to this day and has revealed that the sky visible to the naked eye is really just a hint of a vast and complex cosmos, within which our home planet is but a pale blue dot. Astronomers continue to explore the universe, learning its amazing history, discovering the richness of its contents, and understanding the physical processes that take place in its astoundingly diverse environments. Today, astronomy expands knowledge and understanding, inspiring new generations to ask, How did the universe form and the stars first come into being? Is there life beyond Earth? What natural forces control our universal destiny? Because of the remarkable scientific progress in recent decades, in particular the explosion over the last decade of interest in and urgency to understand several key areas in astronomy and astrophysics, scientists are now poised to address these and many other equally profound questions in substantive ways. "
— excerpt from the Decadal Review: New Worlds, New Horizons, 2010