Astrobiology, Theology, and Ethics

Authors

Brian Patrick Green, Santa Clara UniversityFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

3-15-2016

Publisher

Lutheran University Press

Abstract

Through his work, Ted Peters has given us a unique permission to dream¹-permission to dream about God's creation not only as it is right now on Earth, but also how it might be elsewhere in the universe both now and in the future. He has taken three of the grandest fields of human endeavor-astrobiology, theology, and ethics-and pioneered them into the new field of astrotheology.²

In this chapter I will present three areas in which Peters' work has motivated my own thinking. First, I want to consider the idea of convergent cultural, theological, and moral evolution between humans and other intelligent life-forms, terrestrial or otherwise. Second, I want to consider the possibilities for divergences between these two groups. Lastly, I want to consider some of the larger-scale evolutionary issues at play in this theorizing, consider a few scenarios, and suggest some directions for future inquiry.

Chapter of

Anticipating God’s New Creation: Essays in Honor of Ted Peters

Editor

Carol R. Jacobsen
Adam W. Pryor

Comments

© the author.

Recommended Citation

Green, B.P. “Astrobiology, Theology, and Ethics.” In Anticipating God’s New Creation: Essays in Honor of Ted Peters, pp. 339-350. Edited by Carol R. Jacobsen and Adam W. Pryor. Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2015.