By hannover-web.com The Northern California Alumni Association of National Taiwan University is set to host an online lecture on October 27th at 5 PM, featuring distinguished professor Zhang Zhibei. His talk is titled “Science and Religion: God, Time, and Human Free Will from the Perspective of Weather Forecasting.”
In this lecture, Professor Zhang will discuss the importance of religious philosophy and humanities in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), regardless of one’s belief in theism or atheism. He will explore the moral challenges that both scientific determinism and theistic worldviews face regarding the question of human free will. For proponents of scientific determinism, who argue that everything was predetermined at the moment of the Big Bang, is there any justification for punishing criminals? Conversely, for devoted theists, considering God exists outside of time and is aware of all human actions, should God bear responsibility for human sins?
Professor Zhang will begin with an introduction to the “butterfly effect” to explain the differences between short-term weather predictions and long-term climate forecasts. He will address the lack of confidence scientists have in predicting temperatures ten days out, yet their belief in long-term global warming. His discussion will also incorporate rational natural theology, contrasting it with revealed theology found in the Bible, to tackle the issue of God’s responsibility, while providing a groundbreaking interpretation of biblical narratives involving prophets. Additionally, he will reflect on stories of tension and significance between religion and science, touching on figures like Galileo and topics such as the Big Bang and evolution.
This lecture had its first run last year in Taipei, co-hosted by the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at National Taiwan University, as well as in Hong Kong, organized by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory, and the Hong Kong Meteorological Society. Professor Zhang noted that this online presentation will adopt a more accessible approach, minimizing academic jargon to cater to a diverse audience.
Professor Zhang’s accolades include the Sigma Xi Menneken Award in 1980, the American Meteorological Society’s Meisinger Award in 1983, recognition as an outstanding scholar by the Hong Kong Observatory in 2003, the U.S. Navy Department’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award in 2013, a recognition for exceptional leadership in international cooperation from the World Meteorological Organization in 2017, and the Wing-Ip Award from the Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society in 2024. His decades of contributions to modernizing meteorology in Taiwan have been acknowledged by the Central Weather Bureau for significantly transforming meteorological technology and operations.
The lecture is open to everyone, and registration is available at Tinyurl.com/NTUAANC10272024. Participants can join using the Zoom ID 995 3653 4857 and are encouraged to submit questions in advance during registration.
