Ronald L. Numbers, emeritus Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will speak for the Walla Walla University Distinguished Scholar Lecture series on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in Village Hall on the university campus.

His lecture, “Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion,” will address issues related to the history of science. A book edited by Numbers by the same title was published in 2009 by Harvard University Press (HUP). In their description of the book, HUP writes, “If we want nonscientists and opinion-makers in the press, the lab, and the pulpit to take a fresh look at the relationship between science and religion, Ronald L. Numbers suggests that we must first dispense with the hoary myths that have masqueraded too long as historical truths.”

Numbers will also present “Creationism and American Policy” at the Walla Walla Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. as part of their Big Idea Talks series. His lecture will address the conflict between science and religion, where the conflict arose, the assumptions, the misunderstandings, and whether there is hope for harmony.

Numbers is one of the most influential historians of science in the world, has published numerous articles and books including The Creationists, and is coeditor of God and Nature. He is a past president of the History of Science Society, the American Society of Church History, and the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Southern Missionary College (now Southern Adventist University), a master’s degree in history from Florida State University, and a doctorate in the history of science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Numbers will speak at WWU at the invitation of the WWU Faculty Development Committee. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Posted October 19, 2015