Evgenya Shkolnik – “A Cosmic Paradox: What the Universe and Maimonides Teach Us About our Dual Existence as Insignificant and Monumental” – Harvard Hillel – February 11 – 3:00 pm and Zoom
We will delve into the fascinating intersection and evolution of cosmic exploration and Jewish thought, focused on the duality of being both insignificant and monumental simultaneously. As modern science continues to push the boundaries of our knowledge, particularly now in the quest for extraterrestrial life, we are compelled to place these upcoming discoveries into a religious context, and to ask “How does the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life impact the foundational beliefs of Jewish theology?” I will present the current status and future ambitions of the astrophysical search for life in other planetary systems and together, we will discuss the intricate confluence of our evolving cosmic world view with that of our Jewish faith.
Professor Evgenya Shkolnik is an astrophysicist at the School of Earth and Space Exploration and an Associate Director of the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. She is a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an Associate Scientist at Harvard University. She is an expert on exoplanets and stars, including our Sun. She uses telescopes both on the ground and in space to answer questions involving the evolution and habitability of planetary systems. She is the principal investigator of the NASA SPARCS space mission, a member of NASA Astrobiology Institute, and serves on several Science & Technology Advisory Committees for NASA.