Contending Modernities

Rapid advances in science and technology are raising fundamental questions about human life, flourishing, suffering, and death. When does human life begin and deserve protection? How is deeper knowledge of genetics reshaping our conceptions of the human person? What does it mean to live and die with dignity amid 21st century medical technologies? These and other ethical questions at the intersection of science and the human person have a global character, encompassing all of humanity, cutting across national, cultural, and religious boundaries. The Science and the Human Person working group will advance a global, interreligious and intercultural conversation about science, …

The goal of the first consultation on Authority, Community, and Identity was to explore themes, methods, and possible participants for a working group that will spend three years examining the ways that modern Catholic, Muslim and secular actors understand and navigate interactions among these three defining elements of associational life and public presence. In keeping with Contending Modernities’ constructive agenda, the meeting aimed to provide guidance for the potential working group as it attempted to identify creative responses to the challenges facing communities.