The habits of thought, language, and experience that preserve human uniqueness in relation to animal inferiority are challenged by primate studies, and how humans draw boundaries between themselves and animals seriously shapes how we understand justice among humans and animals. Primate studies demonstrate genetic and evolutionary connections between humans and chimpanzees, and chimpanzee studies observe forms or precursors of culture, learning, symbolic communication, tool use, language abilities, social economy, aesthetics, morality, and spirituality. Recognition of chimpanzee abilities requires philosophy and theology (...) to reconsider concepts of nature-culture dualism, continuity and discontinuity, comparability and analogy, personhood, and morality and sin. How chimpanzees are distinguished from humans has implications for justice toward animals, women, and persons of color. (shrink)

. The articles in this section were presented at the conference “Toward a Theology of Disease” sponsored by the Zygon Center in October, 2002. This was a second conference designed to address the question of what the science-religion dialogue could contribute to the larger discussion of the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. The conference brought a wide range of perspectives to this question from different religious traditions. I draw them together here around the idea that Philip Hefner introduced in his keynote (...) address: our fragmented experience of the world. The notion of fragmentation opens the door for both a recognition of several possible approaches to building a theology of disease and the pluralism of religious traditions, as well as providing a framework for integrating our full awareness that HIV/AIDS is a problem without solutions and requiring a level of humility in posing any real answers. The essays clearly suggest that the question remains perplexing but that our efforts do show that a multifaith, multidisciplinary religion-science dialogue can contribute significantly to the larger discussion. (shrink)

This fully revised and updated edition of God, Humanity and the Cosmos is an essential companion to the field, with exercises for the student, a comprehensive bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.