Published on August 21, 2011 by Steve Donaldson  

Dr. Steve Donaldson will conduct a student cadre entitled “Scientific Perspectives on Consciousness, Freewill, and the Soul” during the fall, 2011 semester. Advances in understanding brain structure and function have led to a flurry of activity among philosophers and scientists alike in an attempt to understand the nature of consciousness. Perspectives on these issues come from disciplines as diverse as cognitive science, neuroscience, physiology, psychology, theology, philosophy, anthropology, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and biology and extend to the very essence of what it means to be human. Perhaps most significantly, these insights have raised a number of fascinating questions that go to the very core of human nature as spiritual beings. Students can earn up to eight convocation credits for attending.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.