Conference: Dr. Pierre Gillouard

OFXB's 31st anniversary celebration - Conference: Dr. Pierre Gillouard - "Rediscovering the Meaning of the Cosmos."

Pierre Gillouard holds doctorates in philosophy and theology and is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva. He coordinates the program "A Ciel Ouvert - Science and Spirituality" within the University’s Faculty of Theology. The program aims to foster dialogue between scientists, philosophers, and theologians on metaphysical and ethical questions concerning the origins and future of the universe and life.

Rediscovering the meaning of the cosmos.
The term cosmos, derived from Greek, literally means "good order" or "ordered world". The idea that the universe is well ordered, and that its organization is directed toward a purpose considered good by and for human beings, long served as a foundation for philosophical and religious thought. Modern science has enabled an unprecedented expansion of knowledge by calling this idea into question. The proper question to ask of nature was no longer "why?"- that is, "for what purpose?"- but "how?"- that is, "by what causes?" From that point on, the universe gradually lost its meaning, with human beings now imagining themselves lost within an immense whole that is indifferent to them.
Yet is it not possible, drawing on our knowledge and by revisiting the thought of the ancients - particularly the Stoics - to rediscover the meaning of the cosmos in a different way?