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Abstracts of the Contributing Lecturers of the Fifth Miami International Conference on Torah & Science The Kovens Convention Center, Florida International University, Miami December 16-21, 2003 For information contact Ilana Attia, info@borhatorh.org
Abstracts of Contributing Lecturers (in alphabetical order)
THE PROBLEM OF MEANING IN LONG TERM CARE Robert Bergman, MD Medical Director of the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged at Douglas Gardens, Miami, FL, USA Over the last century existential thought has focused on the loss of a sense of meaning as a central problem for western civilization. This problem includes a loss of the meaning of human life in general, as well as loss of an individual's own sense of purpose. However large this general problem may be, it looms larger as an individual ages, and may reach crisis proportions as one enters the progressive levels of long-term care. Proximity to death, distance from life's work, severing or attenuation of family and community ties, physical and mental decline with the attendant loss of autonomy and control all contribute to a pervasive sense of worthlessness in the twilight years. The roots of this problem run so deep that providing meaning may be the single most difficult need to meet in a long-term care setting. This discussion will focus on some of the classic sources of meaning, and on religion in particular. The potential and challenges of offering these sources for individual cultivation in a long-term care setting will be explored based on the available literature and on anecdotal evidence from professionals at the Miami Jewish Home. Prospects for research and for a formal program to foster a sense of meaning will also be discussed.
THE ONTOLOGY OF EGO, LANGUAGE, AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE Professor Zecharia Dor-Shav Education and Psychology, (Emeritus) School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel Humans developed the capacity for a sense of ego relatively late. Some psyired for such awareness.chologists have suggested that until the ancient Greeks, most of humans were unaware that their thoughts were self-generated. An advanced stage of both social and language development was requ Research has demonstrated the flexibility of the human and animal brain as a result of significant changes in the physical or social environment. Presumably with the development of enhanced social organization, the neuronal processing of the brain increased. Only then could language development begin to expand exponentially. Our Sages defined man as a spirit possessing speech. Without language, humankind does not merit being crowned with freedom of choice. Note that Adam’s first action in the Torah is his naming of Eve and all the other creatures. An understanding of reward and punishment was also required before Adam could exercise free choice. This, too, could only be achieved when man possessed advanced language. Abraham was the first human to transmit this sense of self to his descendents. Through him, humans matured to possessors of a sense of self and personal responsibility for their behavior.
THE VALUE OF AN IRRATIONAL NUMBER PI IN SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE: ATTEMPTS OF RATIONAL RECONCILIATION Professor Isaac Elishakoff Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USAElliot Pines, PhD Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, Senior Silicon Infrastructure Engineer, Telasic Communications, El Segundo, CA, USA The simplest possible clash between the seemingly different worldviews of religion and science may be found in the value of pi. The Book of Kings seems to report the value of pi as 3, whereas it is universally known that the value of pi is higher. We shall pose the following questions: Why 3? Was Scripture using the human language of the time? The Gaon of Vilna's approach will be discussed. The possibly groundbreaking connection will be made between the concept of “erecting a fence” based on Deuteronomy and engineering design procedures that may suggest that taking a value of 3 for pi was due to additional factor of safety in design. Some other approaches will be pursued. Indeed, to list the value of pi with sufficient precision we would need a very thick volume. Yet why not list at least several significant digits if the value is known? We shall attempt to elucidate these and other nagging questions.
GENETIC IMPRINTING AND GENE SILENCING: OUR SAGES PROCLAIMED EPIGENETICS A LONG TIME AGO; JUST RECENTLY WE DISCOVERED IT’S BIOCHEMISTRY Professor Marvin Gold Medical, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, (Emeritus) University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada There is a famous statement in the Talmud (Niddah 31a) that certain organs, tissues, and traits are inherited from only one of the parents. Thus, whiteness is paternal and includes bones, nervous system, and the "white" of the eye. The maternal contribution is redness, which includes muscles, skin, and the "dark" of the eye. This gemara has never been fully appreciated, although there are many well-known mystical and literal interpretations. Common genetic understanding suggests that the fetus derives genetic information from both parents at every locus through recombination. However, certain diseases derive from improper reading of the code from both parental chromosomes instead of just one. Certain developmental genes on specific chromosomes are parentally imprinted to insure transcription of only one of the two alleles. There are two proposed mechanisms, each backed by experimental evidence: the post-replicative methylation of specific DNA cytosine residues; and post-translational modification of histones. It is not yet clear if these mechanisms are universal. The hidden fingerprints of the Divine are thus found in the pattern of human development at the molecular level.
EVOLUTION: MYTHS AND FACTS Aryeh (Arnie) Gotfryd, PhD Environmental Consultant, Toronto, CanadaThe purpose of this paper is to demystify the evolutionary concept so that the rational person can decide for him/herself regarding its plausibility. The notion that the diversity of life arose through random mutation and natural selection is neither an empirical fact nor a scientific theory, but rather a groundless conjecture based on weak, inferential methods of backward extrapolation through eons of unobserved time over unknown conditions. According to Darwin’s own criteria in The Origin of Species, he himself would reject evolution on the grounds of today’s knowledge of the fossil record. Even the most modern formulations of neo-Darwinian evolution have been shown to be impossible, based on validated statistical models of molecular genetics, as well as the pervasive phenomenon of irreducible biochemical complexity that applies to all physiological processes. All this does not prove that the Torah story of creation is true. It shows that accepting Darwinian evolution requires a leap of faith that may be more radical and less substantiated than to believe that G-d created the world in six days and on the seventh day He rested.
MONKEYING AROUND WITH HOMINID EVOLUTION Yaacov (Jack) Hanoka, PhD Physics, Vice President of Evergreen Solar, Marlboro, MA, USA Paleontologists who deal with human origins operate with the tacit assumption that evolution is an established fact. This leads to the belief that humans are descended from less advanced creatures, the so-called “hominids.” Needless to say, this view is totally at variance with what the Torah says regarding our origin. What, in fact, is the evidence for hominid evolution? There are, basically, two forms of “evidence.” One is the assignment and identification of a particular fossil—a task that has been suffused with controversy throughout the past century [1]. The second is the dating of these fossils. Dating is obviously vital to forming any sort of coherent picture. There are, generally speaking, two sets of dates that correspond to two distinct ancestral types. The word “hominid” can be used generically to include both ancestral types and also specifically to refer to older antecedents that are conceived as falling somewhere between modern humans and primates. Hominids used in this more specific sense are said to have existed on the order of millions of years ago. Hominid dating is mostly done using potassium-argon radioactive rock dating, but newer spectroscopic methods such as fission track dating and electron spin resonance (esr) are now employed as well. The other ancestral type are the Neanderthals, who are said to have lived between about 350,000 and 40,000 years ago and are believed to be the same species as modern man, homo sapiens. Neanderthal dating is done via radioactive carbon for the youngest dates and other techniques such as esr for dates more than 40,000 years. The dating results assume that the numbers are accurate and correspond to the age of the fossil. This later assumption is far from trivial because the fossil itself is usually not dated. Examples are: volcanic ash in the proximity of presumed hominid fossils, organic artifacts such as a piece of wood found near a Neanderthal fossil, or the teeth of animals assumed to have coexisted with a particular hominid. The second assumption is the validity of the application of the dating methods themselves in these two instances. A common thread in all the dating techniques is the precision of the measurement itself. The precision is improving steadily as instrumentation becomes more sensitive. Precision, however, is very different than accuracy. When a date is cited as 2.42 + or – 0.01 million years [2] this does not mean that the date is accurate to this level, but only that the precision of the measurement falls within these limits. The issue with all the dating methods has not to do with their precision, but with the type and location of the samples chosen for the date determination [3]. Geologic factors can completely swamp any reasonable effort to be confident of a putative correlation between a fossil and the object used to date it. Here there can be enormous errors. This paper will have two aims. First off, a general discussion of the heated controversies regarding fossil identification and whether much of this constitutes real science. Secondly, an exploration of the problems contained within the fossil dates as they relate to geologic factors. [1] A more recent example can be found in: Roger Lewin, Bones of Contention (Simon and Schuster, 1987). [2] Ibid. p. 241. [3] Articles by the author on Carbon 14 dating in B’Or Ha’Torah, vols 2 (1982)and 13E(2002).
ABRAHAM IBN EZRA: ‘MEMORY AS POTENCY’ Irene Lancaster, PhD Jewish Studies, Manchester University and Cambridge University, UKDeveloping the themes of memory and the brain, as outlined by H.A. Wolfson, Studies in the History of Philosophy and Relgion (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1973) and S. Kemp, Cognitive Psychology in the Middle Ages (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1966), I intend to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of the insights of the biblical exegete and scientist, Abraham ibn Ezra (1089-1164) regarding memory. I shall refer to the latest pioneering work of neuroscientists B.J. Baars and S. Franklin, as outlined in Trends in Cognitive Science, vol. 7, no. 4, Spring 2003. Ibn Ezra refers to two types of memory: passive and active, arguing that both types are necessary for the correct understanding of the biblical text and therefore for correct behavior. Ibn Ezra outlines the passive and active modes by explicating the usages of shamor and zakhor respectively. When Moses enjoins the Israelites to “remember the Sabbath day,” he is encouraging the use of creative, potent memory, in order that the Jewish people will bring new understandings (binah) to their situation and thus re-build (banah) their lives on the basis of history, instead of succumbing to mere passivity. Not for nothing did the Baal Shem Tov explain the exhortation: “Our G-d and G-d of our fathers” in this way. Unlike “the G-d of our fathers,” “our G-d” refers to the understanding we build for ourselves, in every generation. These insights have obvious validity today, not only in the field of neuroscience, as illustrated by the article mentioned above, but also in the fields of Holocaust Studies, rehabilitation of the sick and criminal, and in the whole enterprise of tikkun olam.
HUMAN LINKS TO G-D—REAL AND IMAGINED: SPIRITUAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Menachem (Malcolm) Kovacs, PhD Sociology, Montgomery College, MD, USAThe Torah asserts that every human being is created in the image of G-d. Our sages explain that when G-d blew into the nostrils of Adam, He endowed His very spiritual essence to all the generations. The Torah further links us with G-d through commandments and study. The Talmud explains that by imitating G-dly traits like compassion and kindness, we strengthen our connection with G-d. Sociology provides insights to explain how it is that so many people in modern societies are so far from this Torah-based perspective on a conscious level (due primarily to lack of an education in even the basics of the revealed and mystical parts of the Torah) yet they are driven by their G-dly souls to seek transcendence. The sociological field of Popular Culture affords us important insights into surrogate attempts to reach transcendence in modern western societies. After giving a historical overview, we shall examine the specific areas of music, politics, travel, sports, art, cuisine, entertainment, “New Age” religions and philosophies, and science and technology. In each of these areas many moderns seek a transcendent meaning which often remains unfulfilled. The analyses of Christopher Lasch, Morris Berman, deTocqueville, De Lillo, Lewis Lapham, Robert Merton and Robert Kaplan will be used to examine how these ‘sparks of holiness’ can be used in proper context to join the body, mind and soul together in a meaningful link with authentic spirituality.
TORAH SPIRITUALITY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Aaron Rabinowitz, PhD Psychology, (Emeritus) Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, IsraelAdvocates of a rapprochement between religion and psychiatry-psychology promote a dialogue between the two. Recently, numerous books and scholarly papers have appeared which reflect a more sympathetic attitude towards religion and spirituality replacing the antagonistic attitude which had previously prevailed. This is so both on a theoretical level and in the practice of psychotherapy. This paper addresses the use of Torah spirituality as an integral part of the process of psychotherapy. Judaic spiritual psychotherapy, as I practice it, makes use of three principles: 1) The concept of the unconscious as promulgated by Rabbi Yisroel Slanter (Lipkin). 2) The importance of interpersonal relationships rooted in the Torah ideal of a covental community. 3) Enhancement of one’s self-image stemming from the realization that humans are created in the Divine image. Therapy can help the client cement his-her relationship with the A-lmighty formed at Sinai, leading to a greater psychological health. This is accomplished by integrating Torah concepts as articulated by our Sages and later talmudic luminaries, including the teachings of the hasidic masters and Mussar teachers. Case studies are presented which illustrate this form of psychotherapy.
CAN MACHINES THINK? Tsvi (Victor) Saks, PhD Mathematics, IBM, Pittsburgh, PA, USAIn its early stages, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) had as its main goal the invention of computer programs having the general problem-solving abilities of humans. Since 1965, leading researchers have been predicting that, within twenty years, machines will be capable of doing any work a man can do, but that goal is as elusive as ever. Actually, whether or not this goal will ever be achieved is a subject of great disagreement among leading experts in the field. AI has gone in directions quite different from what the original founders expected, that creating programs that could prove mathematical theorems and play chess at an expert level would validate AI. Those problems have been solved, but it has proven to be vastly more difficult to create programs that exhibit common-sense, and have enough real-world knowledge to perform tasks such as reading the daily newspaper. Along the way, there has been a major shift of emphasis from general-purpose programs toward performance programs or Expert Systems, ones whose competence is highly specialized and limited to particular areas of expertise. I shall share two personal experiences, and then attempt to draw some general conclusions: 1) Learning a hasidic discourse gave me insight to design a program that automatically scheduled a Boeing helicopter factory. 2) By inserting a piece of knowledge into an automated scheduling program, the program used the knowledge more effectively that I would have.
THE PRINCETON ENGINEERING ANOMALIES RESEARCH PROJECT AND THE POWER OF PRAYER Professor Sam Spero Mathematics and Computer Education, (Emeritus) Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland OH, USA In times of crisis, our rabbis offer us the expedient of prayer. We see in the Talmud that during drought or in cases of illness we are encouraged to pray with intent (kavana) and with a quorum (minyan). Does prayer really help? Why do we have to add intent and a quorum? We can gain some valuable insights into the power of prayer if we extend the very interesting results of the research of the PEAR, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Project at Princeton University. In this research an electronic random number generator is used as a means of detecting the existence of psychic energy. The results have been amazing and have important implications for the practicing Jew. I shall describe this research and how it can help guide us in understanding the importance of prayer with kavana and with a minyan. In a handout, I shall include a bibliography of both print material and websites which can be used by the conference participants for their own learning of this material.
THE HUMAN GENOME APPROACH Professor Carlos Warter MD Transpersonal Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USAEvery experience from our infancy on is coded in the cell. Memory can affect us. Our physical health can be powerfully influenced through repeated thought transmissions from the cells of the brain to the body. Similarly, we can be influenced mentally by the biochemical transmissions of cells organized by memory patterns in our bodies. Our body, mind, spirit is an entire system that is a macrocosm imprinted at the cellular level with genetic history together but also with every emotional experience. We are discovering a circular relationship between mind and body that can be modified not only through chemistry, but through the energy of thoughts and actions. Moreover, we are connected through energy to a greater whole. We are learning how to utilize this energy for growth. Scientists are discovering that our DNA directly influences our physical world through energy which connects and binds everything, appearing to exist everywhere at once. Our DNA influences every thought, word, and deed and is in turn shaped by we think and do. It is a circular process that supports our connection through consciousness to the living universe. Our DNA is directly linked to human emotion. We can use these principles to heal ourselves and create a profound quality of life. We need to learn what is the message from our lineage, ancestry, culture, biology as well as to decipher the light language of our soul. We must decipher the intrapersonal cellular memory of the soul. We must begin to experientially quantify, qualify, and transform these cellular deposits and the blueprint of beliefs that mentally organize around them so we are not limited by them, but instead allow them to inform us in expanding consciousness. When we shift one part of our system, the rest shifts.
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