CURRICULUM VITA
ROBIN COLLINS
ADDRESS:
Department of Philosophy
Box 3048
Messiah College
Grantham, PA 17027
(717) 766-2511
Fax: (717) 796-4790
Webpage: www.Robincollins.org
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professor of Philosophy, Messiah College, Grantham, PA (2005-)
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Messiah College (1999-2004)
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Messiah College (1994-1999)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Philosophy of Religion, University of Notre Dame, IN (Spring, 2003)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Program in History and Philosophy of Science, Northwestern University (1993-94)
Physics Researcher and Programmer:
Austin Research Associates, Austin, TX, 1985
Shock Dynamics Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1982-84
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Physical Electronics Group, Stanford, CA, 1981
ACADEMIC TRAINING
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN, Ph.D., May, 1993
University of Texas, Austin Tx, Ph.D Program in Physics,1984-86
Washington State University, B.A. Mathematics, B.S., Physics, Third major Completed in Philosophy, 1984,(GPA 3.93)
DISSERTATION
Title: “Epistemological Issues in the Scientific Realism/Antirealism Debate: An Analysis and a Proposal.”
Director: Alvin Plantinga.
Dissertation Board: Bas van Fraassen (Princeton), Arthur Fine (Northwestern), Philip Quinn (Notre Dame).
Dissertation defense passed with highest possible honors, April 1993.
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Science and Religion
Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Theology and Comparative Metaphysics
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Physics
Metaphysics (Oral candidacy exam passed with highest possible grade of Exceptional, November 1989.)
AREAS OF COMPETENCE
Epistemology
Philosophy of Mind
History of Science (One extra year of course work completed as part of the History and Philosophy of Science Program, University of Notre Dame, IN.)
History of Philosophy, especially Plato, Augustine, and the British Empiricists
Non-Western/Asian Philosophy
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Topics in Science and Religion
Design Arguments for Theism from Physics and Cosmology
Neuroscience and the Mind/Body Problem Religion and Science (Particularly Physics)
Scientific Realism/Antirealism Debate
Topics in Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Theology, and Comparative/Non-Western Philosophy and Metaphysics
Scientific Naturalism
PUBLICATIONS
Book Manuscript:
The Well-Tempered Universe: God, the Fine-tuning, and the Laws of Nature. (Work in progress.)
Articles/Book Chapters:
1. “Against the Epistemic Value of Prediction over Accommodation.”
Noûs, June 1994.
2. “An Epistemological Critique of Bohmian Mechanics.” In Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum Theory: An Appraisal, James Cushing, Arthur Fine, and Shelly Goldstien, eds., The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996.
3. “Scientific Naturalism.” (Co-authored with Professor Ted Davis). In The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition: An Encyclopedia, Gary Ferngren, ed., Garland Publications, 1999.
4. “Eastern Religions.” In Reason for the Hope Within. Michael Murray, ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, January 1999.
5. “The Fine-tuning Design Argument” In Reason for the Hope Within. Michael Murray, ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, January 1999.
6. “Girard and Atonement: An Incarnational Theory of Mimetic Participation.” In Violence Renounced: Rene Girard, Biblical Studies, and Peacemaking (Studies in Peace and Scripture, 4), Willard Swartley ed., Herald/Pandora Press, June 2000.
7. “An Evaluation of William Dembski’s The Design Inference: A Review Essay.” Christian Scholar’s Review, April 2001.
8. “The Argument from Design and the Many-Worlds Hypothesis.” In Philosophy of Religion: a Reader and Guide, William Lane Craig, ed., New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002.
9. “God, Design, and Fine-Tuning.” In God Matters: Readings in the Philosophy of Religion, Raymond Martin and Christopher Bernard, eds., New York: Longman Press, 2002. Has been reprinted (see below).
10. “The Evidence for Fine-Tuning.” In God and Design: The Teleological Argument and Modern Science, ed. Neil Manson, Routledge, January, 2003.
11. “The Teleological Argument.” In The Rationality of Theism, ed. Paul Copan and Paul Moser, Routledge, March, 2003.
12. “Evolution and Original Sin.” In Perspectives on an Evolving Creation, ed. Keith Miller, Eerdman’s Publishing Company, September 2003.
13. “Theism or Pantheism? A Critical Review Essay of John Leslie’s Infinite Minds: a Philosophical Cosmology.” In Philosophia Christi, March, 2004.
14. “Design and the Designer: New Concepts, New Challenges.” Invited paper in honor of Sir John Templeton’s 90th Birthday. In The Spiritual Information Project: 100 Perspectives, Charles L. Harper, Jr., ed., Templeton Foundation Press, 2005.
15. “Hume, Fine-Tuning and the Who Designed God? Objection,” in James Sennett and Douglas Groothius, eds., In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Reassessment, Sept. 2005.
16. “The Design Argument Between Science and Metaphysics.” In Analytic Philosophy without Naturalism, ed. Sergio Galvan, New York, NY: Routledge, April 2006.
17. “How to Rigorously Define Fine-tuning,” Part of a special issue of Philosophia Christi on the Mathematics of Fine-tuning, December 2005.
18. “The Challenge of the Many-Universes Hypothesis.” In Faith and Philosophy (Special Issue on God and Physical Cosmology), Fall 2006.
19. “Philosophy of Science and Religion.” Oxford Handbook of Science and Religion. Philip Clayton and Jeffrey Schloss, eds., Oxford University Press, 2006.
20. “A Theistic Perspective on the Multiverse Hypothesis.” In Universe or Multiverse? ed. Bernard Carr, Cambridge University Press (Forthcoming).
21. “Argument From Design.” in Encyclopedia filosofica di Gallarate (An Italian Philosophical Encyclopedia), forthcoming.
22. A series of four contributions to “NATURALISM AND THEISM: PHILOSOPHERS DEBATE THE EVIDENCE. Edited by Paul Draper. Under Contract. (This is an online book debating the merits of theism versus naturalism sponsored by the most popular atheist website, infidels.org, which receives approximately 10,000 unique hits per day. I will be the major contributor, along with atheist philosopher Quentin Smith and agnostic philosopher Paul Draper, to the first quarter of the book. We will be debating the merits of theism versus non-theism from the perspective of contemporary physics and cosmology, along with responding to questions from the readers.)
23. “The Teleological Argument,” in Philosophy of Religion: Contemporary Issues, edited by Paul Copan and Chad V. Meister, Blackwell, forthcoming.
24. “The Teleological Argument.” In The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion, edited by Paul Copan and Chad V. Meister, Routledge, forthcoming. (This same essay is also published in the Routledge Reader in Philosophy of Religion, edited by Paul Copan and Chad Meister.)
25. “Divine Action and Evolution,” in Oxford Handbook on Philosophical Theology, Thomas
Flint and Michael Rea, eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming. (10,000 word
original essay that explores the purposes God might have for creating the world by means of an
evolutionary process.)
26. “God and the Laws of Nature,” in Theism and Naturalism: New Philosophical Perspectives,
Paul Pistone and Quentin Smith, editors, Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
27. “The Argument from Fine-tuning,” in Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, edited by William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland. Under contract. [40,000 – 45,000 word essay which will essentially serve as an abridged version of my book project: The Well-Tempered Universe: God, Cosmic Fine-tuning, and the Laws of Nature (see above.).
Book Reviews:
1. “Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology.” Book Review. Christian Scholar’s Review, 1996.
2. “Modern Physics and Ancient Faith.” Book Review. First Things. September/October, 2003.
Other:
1. “Is Intelligent Design Science?” Invited Commentator for Science and Theology News, January 2006.
2. Invited four hour interview on Sept. 22, 2006 in Washington DC for the Public Television Series (PBS), CLOSER TO THE TRUTH: Science, Meaning and the Future (CTT) that “ brings together leading scientists, scholars and thinkers to explore fundamental issues of life, sentience, and universe.”
PUBLISHED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT MY WORK (representative selection)
"Prior Probabilities and Confirmation Theory: A Problem with the Fine-Tuning Argument" International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, vol. 51, no. 4 (June 2002), 175-194 by Kenneth Himma. Article discusses my work in detail.
Philosophical Questions : Readings and Interactive Guides, edited by Jim Fieser and Norm Lillegard, Oxford University Press, 2004. [Section on my work in an introductory textbook in philosophy.]
Lee Strobel, The Case for Creator, Zondervan Publishing House, Forthcoming. [Mr. Strobel has a chapter of his book devoted to my work on the design argument from fine-tuning of the cosmos for life.]
Interview in Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine, “The Deity and the Data How Science Is Putting God under its Lens” by William Hageman, Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine, January 11, 2004
REPRINTS OF ARTICLES (In Translation and Anthologies)
“God, Fine Tuning and the Laws of Nature.” Reprinted in Philosophy of Religion, Melville Stewart and Xing Taotao, eds., Peking University Press 2005. [An updated version of the original essay, translated and also in an English Language edition for Chinese audience; previous editions of this text have been the most used philosophy of religion text in China.]
“Evidence for Fine-Tuning.” Reprinted in Spanish. (“CosmologÍa FÍsica y la Evidencia Natural de Dios”[Physical Cosmology and the Natural Evidence of God] Francisco Soler, editor. Madrid, Spain: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos [Library of Christian Authors], forthcoming (2006).
“Scientific Naturalism.” Reprinted in An Historical Introduction to Science and Religion, Gary Ferngren, ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
“The Fine-tuning Design Argument.” A condensed version of my paper that originally appeared in Reason for the Hope Within has been anthologized as part of a philosophy of religion textbook, Readings in Philosophy of Religion, Kelly James Clark, ed., Broadview Press, March 2001.
“The Fine-tuning Design Argument,” reprinted in Philosophical Questions : Readings and Interactive Guides, edited by Jim Fieser and Norm Lillegard, Oxford University Press, 2004.
PRESENTATIONS
1. “The Explanatory Argument for Realism: Why it Does not Beg the
Question.” American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 1993.
2. “A New Argument for Nonrealism.” The Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, October 1993.
3. “Cosmological Fine-tuning, World Ensembles, and God.” Joint Physics/Philosophy Colloquium at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, December, 1993.
4. “Understanding Atonement: A New and Orthodox Theory.” Presentation for Faculty Inaugural Lecture Series, Messiah College, Grantham PA, April, 1995.
5. “Understanding Atonement: Historical and Contemporary Contexts for the Development of a New and Orthodox Theory.” American Academy of Religion, Systematic Theology Group, Session on Contemporary Work in Christology, Philadelphia PA, November 1995
6. “Getting a Job and Effective Teaching at Teaching-oriented Colleges and Universities.” Invited workshop speaker, University of Notre Dame, Oct. 8, 1998.
7. “A Defense of the Probabilistic Principle of Indifference.” Invited History and Philosophy of Science Colloquium speaker, University of Notre Dame, Oct. 8, 1998.
8. “The Fine-tuning Design Argument.” Invited Philosophy Colloquium speaker, University of Notre Dame, Oct. 9, 1998.
9. “Does the Many-Universes Hypothesis Explain the Fine-Tuning?” Invited plenary address at “Theology and the New Physics” conference at Calvin College, April 1999.
10. “An Inflationary/Superstring Many-Universe hypothesis as an Explanation of the Fine-tuning?” The Nature of Nature Conference, Baylor University, April, 2000.
11. “The Problem of Phenomenal Qualia.” Presented at the Eastern Division of the Society of Christian Philosophers meeting, May 2000.
12. “Intelligent Design and the Possibility of a Theistic Science.” Presented at the Eastern Division of the Society of Christian Philosophers meeting, May 2000.
13. “Design in the Physical Cosmos.” Plenary Speaker, Intelligent Design and Its Critics Conference, Concordia University, June 2000.
14. “Can The Hypothesis of Design Lead to a Fruitful Science?” Concurrent Session Speaker, Intelligent Design and Its Critics Conference, Concordia University, June 2000.
15. “The Case for Design from Physics and Cosmology.” Invited Speaker, Yale University, November 2000.
16. “A Critical Look at William Dembski’s, The Design Inference,” presented at The Symposium on Design, Grand Rapids, Calvin College, May 2001.
17. “Drawing Predictions from Fine-tuning,” Invited Speaker, Philosophy of Religion Group, American Philosophical Association, Seattle WA, March 2002.
18. Invited Panelist for Panel discussion of God and Design (Routledge, 2003) American Academy of Religion, November 23, 2002.
19. “A Critical Look at John Leslie’s Infinite Minds: A Philosophical Cosmology,” Invited Speaker for Author Meets Critic Session, Evangelical Philosophical Society, American Academy of Religion, November 24, 2002.
20. “The Many-Worlds Hypothesis as an Explanation of Cosmic Fine-tuning: An Alternative to Design?” Invited Plenary Speaker, The Society of Christian Philosophers Joint United States Russian Conference on God and Physical Cosmology, University of Notre Dame, January 30 - February 1, 2003. [This was one of the plenary addresses at the conference, to which a group of Russian physicists, cosmologists, and philosophers were specially invited as participants.]
21. “The Evidence for Design from Physics and Cosmology.” Invited Speaker, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach Florida, February 24, 2003.
22. “Universe or Multiverse? A Theistic Perspective.” Invited Plenary Speaker, Symposium on the Multi-universe Hypothesis, March 27- 30, 2003 Stanford University, Stanford California. Sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.
23. “How to Rigorously Define Fine-tuning.” Invited participant, Symposium on the Mathematics of Fine-tuning, University of Notre Dame, April 2003.
24. “The Design Argument Between Science and Metaphysics.” Invited Plenary Speaker for Analytic Philosophy Without Naturalism?, a symposium at the Universita Cattolica, Milan Italy, June 13-15, 2003.
25. “Predictive consequences of Many-planets Explanation for the Improbability of Evolution,” and “Scientifically Testable Consequences of Fine-tuning Related Arguments and Hypotheses.” Invited Plenary Address, Intelligent Design and the Future of Science Conference, Biola University, April 24-27, 2004.
26. “Fine-Tuning, Anthropic Principle, and Big Bang Cosmology: Scientific and Theological Perspectives,” all day workshop presentation (July 2, 2004) as part of a week long workshop, Evolution, Religion, and Education: A Workshop for Science Teachers, Messiah College, June 28 - July 2, 2004. [Sponsored by The John Templeton Foundation and coordinated by Professor Ted Davis, Messiah College]
27. “The Fine-tuning Design Argument,” and “The Fine-tuning Argument: Two Crucial Issues in Probability.” Invited Templeton/ASA Lecture Series Speaker, Florida International University, Miami Florida, Sept. 23-24, 2004.
28. “God and the Laws of Nature.” Invited Plenary Speaker, Society of Christian Philosophers Meeting, December 2 -4, 2004, Cumberland College, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
29. “On Making the Fine-tuning Argument Rigorous ,” Invited Speaker, APA Central Division Symposium, “Fine-tuning and the Improbable Universe,” April 2006.
30. “The Evidential and Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: Lessons from Physics and Cosmology,” invited presentation for the conference Intelligent Talk on Intelligent Design, Utah Valley State University, December 1st, 2006.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Templeton Foundation Group Grant, 2004-2007. (3 year grant for developing non-reductionist accounts of the mind, $124,000 grant for group of six co-researchers including philosophers, biologists and neuroscientists).
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship ($17,500), Center for the Philosophy of Religion, University of Notre Dame, Spring 2003.
Templeton/ASA Lecture Series Grant ($4000), Spring 2002.
Discovery Institute Grant ($4,000), Summers of 2000 -2002 (For work on design arguments for theism.)
Templeton Foundation Science and Religion Course Award ($10,000), Spring 2000
Pew Foundation Fellowship ($35,000) for Academic Year 1999-2000 to start research on a book on the Fine-tuning Design Argument. (This fellowship was highly competitive: 13 out of 206 applicants were awarded this fellowship.)
Faculty Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship Participant, “Theology and the New Physics,” led by John Polkinghorne, Calvin College, June-July 1998.
Discovery Institute Grant ($2,500), 1998 (For work on design arguments for theism.)
Discovery Institute Grant($10,600), 1997. (For work on design arguments for theism.)
Excellence in Teaching Award, Messiah College, 1996. (Three faculty members, out of one hundred and fifty, receive this award each year.)
Faculty Scholarship, Messiah College, 1995.
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Philosophy of Science, Northwestern University, 1993-94.
Graduate Student Award in the Humanities, University of Notre Dame, May 1993 (One such award is offered each year to a graduating Ph.D in the humanities for “outstanding research,teaching, and publication.”)
Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Notre Dame, 1992-93.
Dissertation Fellowship, University of Notre Dame, Fall, 1991.
Potter Fund Scholarship to Study Philosophy, Washington State
University, 1983-84.
Shell Companies Foundation Award for Outstanding Student in Physics, Washington State University, 1983.
Shell Companies Foundation Award for Outstanding Junior in Physics, Washington State University, 1982.
Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in Mathematics, Washington State University, 1980.
TEACHING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant, Associate and Professor of Philosophy, Messiah College, Fall 1994-present. Responsible for development of Philosophy major from 1994 to the present, in addition to general education and upper division teaching responsibilities.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University, 1993-94, Winter Quarter. Complete responsibility for Freshman Seminar, a writing/discussion course for freshman focused on a single issue. Topic: Minds, Brains, and Life after Death.
Graduate Teaching Fellow, Freshman Writing Program, University of Notre Dame, 1992-93. Freshman Seminar as described above.
Topic: The Problem of Evil.
Instructor, Department of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame,
1990-Spring 1992. Complete responsibility for Introduction to Philosophy.
Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Indiana University at South Bend. Fall 1990, Summer 1991, Summer 1992-Summer 1993.
Introduction to Philosophy as described above.
Teaching Assistant, University of Notre Dame, 1986-1990. Assisted professors by grading and leading discussions for lower division philosophy courses. (Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophical Reflections on Christian Belief, and Philosophy of Law.)
Principal Teaching Assistant for Physics 102L labs, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin, 1984-86. In addition to teaching responsibilities, completely rewrote and tested lab manual for 102L lab courses.
INSTITUTIONAL and PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Roundtable on the Humanities, Messiah College, 2003- Fall, 2005.
Series Co-Organizer, Science and Religion Lecture Series, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, Messiah College. Included hosting invited major speakers in multiple venues and arranging related events.
Presidential Scholars Lecture Committee, Messiah College, 2001
Student Assessment Committee, Messiah College
Global Stewardship Committee, Messiah College
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
American Philosophical Association
Philosophy of Science Association
Society of Christian Philosophers
REFERENCES
Paul Draper
Professor
Dept. of Philosophy
Purdue University
Beering Hall, Rm. 7105
100 N. University St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098
(765)496-9492
pdraper@purdue.edu
Keith Ward
Professor of Divinity, Gresham College
[Former Regius Chair of Divinity, Oxford University]
Church View,
Abingdon Road, Cumnor,
Oxford OX2 9QN.
Tel. 01865 865513
Email: keith.ward@christ-church.oxford.ac.uk
Bas van Fraassen
Professor of Philosophy
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 258-4304
Fax: (609) 258-1502
E-mail: Fraassen@Pucc.Bitnet
John Leslie
Professor of Philosophy
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario,
(519) 821-2133
email: johnlesl@uoguelph.ca
Alvin Plantinga
John A. O’Brian Professor of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-7448
Fax: (574) 631-8209
E-mail: aplant@darwin.cc.nd.edu
Peter Van Inwagen
John Cardinal O’Hara
Professor of Philosophy
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-5910
Email: vaninwagen.1@nd.edu
Dr. Steven Barr
Elementary Particle Physicist
Bartol Research Institute
University of Delaware
Newark, DE, 19716
Phone: 302-831-6883
Email: smbarr@bxclu.bartol.udel.edu
Dr. Bernard J. Carr
Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy
Queen Mary and Westfield College
University of London
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS
United Kingdom
Phone:011-44-20788-25492
Fax: 011-44-20898-33522
Email: B.J. Carr@qmul.ac.uk
Dr. Heinz Oberhummer
Nuclear Astrophysicist
Atominstitut of the Austrian Universities
Vienna University of Technology
Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10
A-1040 WIEN
Austria
E-mail: ohu@kph.tuwien.ac.at
Tel: +43/1/58801/14251 office
+43/1/58801/14256 secretary
+43/676/4123409 mobile
Fax: +43/1/58801/14299
Sir John Polkinghorne, FRS
Past President, Queen’s College, Cambridge
Cambridge 74, Hurst Park Ave. N1G 1G4
Cambridge England, CB4 2AF
Phone/Fax: 01144-1223-360743