Checking: Dr. Michael Blume - Religious scholars
interview with Dr. Michael Blume: birth in Filderstadt, is in a Christian-Muslim marriage and has two children.
addition to voluntary tasks in the CDU, he is founding chairman of the Christian-Islamic Society (CIG) Region Stuttgart eV
has two excellent books published:
- ".. Neurotheology Brain researchers discover the faith" and
- "God, genes and brain. Why do good. The evolution of religion "is
Chronologs.de with the Blogger Done very active and informed about
the religiosity of the people and how they developed evolutionary.
reason and ideas. Good day Mr. Blume first thank you for taking the time to interview What do you want to find religious studies and how they differ from theology? What scientific areas includes your subject?
Dr. Michael Blume: Religious studies explored the phenomenon of religion as a musicologist, music or a linguist, the language on the floor of the methodological agnosticism. The theologian, however, is based on a certain religious truth. This means that the individual scientist may have their preferences, for example, atheism, agnosticism or a religion, but the scientific evidence of which must be independently verifiable. This constitutes the great charm of the subject. My personal focus is the evolution of research on religion - that is the question of how religion emerged and become part of human nature and culture.
reason and idea: How did you find the way to religious studies? Is it because you are religious yourself? What excites you so much that you approach your work with such dedication?
Dr. Michael Blume: I come from a non-denominational family and the coexistence of Christians, Muslims and others experienced in my place almost from an outside perspective: it all seemed very irrational to me, but the man was also important. As a youth council and city council later I found myself then in a kind of intermediary role and have built bridges between the different environments. And then I found my access to the Protestant faith as well as my wife, who is Muslim. After training in a bank then I took the courage to study and do what inspires me. I would like to understand more and more inquisitive and helpful to understanding, teaching, before I judge. And after doing some years on the topic Christianity - Islam had worked, I turned to a bridge between Natural and social science. And never imagined how much joy it!
reason and idea: When was this science already, to which she contributes what you would like to explain it or object?
Dr. Michael Blume: Religious studies in the modern form emerged in the 19th Century, when the translations of other sacred traditions - mainly from India but also from African and American cultures - the Western world reached. People began to explore comparative religion. Some hoped for an original truth, a refutation or proof of faith. Since the beginning of the 21st Century is clear that religions will continue to play an important role for mankind, the topic of religion and science is currently much interest. It is a field where much has happened and is much to discover.
reason and idea: Richard Dawkins compares religiosity with the gambling addiction and claimed the man of faith would be "memetic" adopt. What does the science
Dr. Michael Blume: a long time, humanities and natural sciences had made a kind of truce and a little daring in the areas of the other. Richard Dawkins has made this wonderfully provocative question and attempts to construct a polar opposition between evolution and religion. Just so he has the interdisciplinary research at last brought off the ground! His concept of "memetics" is regarded as failed empirically, there is no evidence and no clear definition of "memes". But as a metaphor was, and his approach is fruitful. What I wonder, however enormous, is that neither mind nor a scientist - and not Dawkins - have considered and reviewed, even Charles Darwin himself accepted the evolution of religion and religions! Because that was pretty good, but unfortunately fallen almost completely forgotten.
And basic idea: Make but before briefly your blog, what visitors can find out if it runs on your side working together with others.?
Dr. Michael Blume: In Chronolog "nature of faith," I will introduce specific topics from evolutionary research, link publications and invite discussion. I think everybody should have the opportunity to inform themselves about science and thus to deal with. I am especially pleased when people enter and then deeper, for example, read books about or even bring himself studies. Instead of letting go gaga on the TV program, can People today also active roles in the production and dissemination of science afford!
And so is the collaboration with researchers in other disciplines for daily bread. It exchanges data and arguments, read the blogs of others (but mostly in English, there are only a few German researchers in this area), will meet at the joint meetings and also carries out joint projects. The book "God, genes and brain" as I have with Rüdiger Vaas, a biologist and Advisory Board of Giordano Bruno Foundation, wrote together. And we were happy that it reached even the Darwin year a second edition and has put a lot of debate going.
reason and idea: Is there exciting research projects already or in the near future, the results could bring us to the dam? And what are you working on?
Dr. Michael Blume: After completing a doctorate on the so-called "neuro-theology" - Religion and brain research - I have been focusing on the areas of religion and demographics. We are now a few dozen specialists in this area - with identical findings: Religious communitarized people have on average more children, while secular populations fall so far, without exception for lack of children. There will therefore take secularization processes - but they have invariably lead to the demographic dead end! This is for the Political and Social Science course, a hammer - Eric Kaufmann has just published his book about "Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?". It is also for evolutionary research and probably exciting for philosophies and theologies, because it shows that religion is a highly successful feature of the future. And it's always amazing to see how hard it was suddenly some supposedly "enlightened" and "scientific" man does with findings that do not add in their own world view! In particular, "humanist" because men can be quite aggressive in person, so I had not expected. Others, such as Eckart Voland and Michael Schmidt-Salomon go, however constructively with the scientific findings, even if they hurt.
order to unblock the debate a little, I would like in the coming months, therefore, time to experiment with new forms - for example a poem as the basis of a lecture. And as befits Science 2.0, the clip is already on to YouTube.
here reason and idea: Thank you for this interview, we wish you much success in your work.