Gingerich to take up ‘God’s Universe’ at Noble Lectures

Owen Gingerich, professor of astronomy and of the history of science emeritus at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and author of “The Book Nobody Read,” the story of Nicholas Copernicus’s great work “De revolutionibus,” will deliver Harvard’s prestigious William Belden Noble Lectures in three parts, Nov. 14, 15, and 16 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Church.

His series, titled “God’s Universe,” will begin Nov. 14 with “Is Mediocrity a Good Idea?” followed by “Dare a Scientist Believe in Design?” on Nov. 15, and “Questions Without Answers” on Nov. 16. Each evening will begin with a lecture by Gingerich followed by responses from distinguished scholars including Hilary Putnam, Cogan University Professor in the Department of Philosophy Emeritus (Nov. 14); Martin Nowak, director of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard (Nov. 15); and the Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church (Nov. 16).

Gingerich is an internationally recognized authority on the life and work of Nicholas Copernicus, the 16th century cosmologist who proposed the heliocentric system, and the 17th astronomer century Johannes Kepler. Additionally, Gingerich is the lead author of two successive models of the solar atmosphere and the winner of the Harvard-Radcliffe Phi Beta Kappa Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The William Belden Noble Lectures were established at Harvard University in 1898 and claim an impressive roster of past lecturers including Theodore Roosevelt, Sen. Eugene McCarthy, and Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie. The lectures are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact the Memorial Church at (617) 495-5508.