| For the first time, two groups of outstanding thinkers are being brought together to address vital issues of which the public is only beginning to become aware. This dialog can help create the "leading edge" of a nascent interdisciplinary conversation on the ultimate significance of life in the face of radical and rapidly emerging scientific possibilities for extending it. The first group includes scientists involved at the forefront of research focused on understanding the aging process and developing biotechnologies intended to "defeat" or reverse it. The second group consists of theologians and religious scholars who will be considering how this rapidly approaching revolution can be understood, interpreted, and responded to, against a backdrop of many rich traditions of social, ethical, and theological thinking about the ultimate meanings of life and death. The aim of the symposium is to consider the "big picture." Through this event, we can begin to map out main themes that could become a rich polyphony of future efforts to inform and enrich public discourse worldwide in both the scientific and spiritual dimensions of this issue. This symposium is a place to get started, to initiate a deep discussion of (1) where science and technology are headed, (2) what the deepest "ultimate" issues are that will inform and guide this adventure, and (3) what actions might be recommended so that, as much as possible, the new power of life-extending biotechnology will be channeled toward wholesome and humane ends. |