Public statements are regularly being made that science shows religious claims are true. There are a number of complex issues that arise when considering the validity of these public statements, such as:

• Is science actually capable of informing us about the claims of religion?
• Is physical evidence relevant?
• Does modern cosmology offer any insights?

This lecture will consider the issue of whether recent contentions concerning scientific support for religious claims are well-founded or not. The lecture will not challenge religious beliefs themselves.

About the speaker

Dr Peter J. Riggs is a physicist and philosopher of science in the Department of Quantum Science at The Australian National University. He has held teaching and research positions at a number of Australian universities and his research interests include the foundations of physics and methodology of science. Dr. Riggs's publications include the books: Whys and Ways of Science: Introducing Philosophical and Sociological Theories of Science (Melbourne University Press, 1992) and the edited volume Natural Kinds, Laws of Nature and Scientific Methodology (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996).