The Comparison Project is hosting its first event Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center. A lecture by Karen Zwier, visiting assistant professor of philosophy/religion, on the philosophy of miracles will be the first in the new series on miracles. The event is free and open to the public.

Miracle stories are a phenomenon shared by all major religious traditions. What is a rational person to think in the face of this phenomenon? In this lecture, Professor Zwier will survey some of the ways in which philosophers have analyzed the concept of miracles and grappled with the question of the proper epistemic stance toward miracle reports.

Professor Zwier’s research deals with philosophical and scientific methodology as well as metaphysics of science. She concerns herself with questions about how—and if—metaphysical claims are engaged by empirical scientific methods. Her areas of specialty include philosophy of causation, history and philosophy of physics, and science and religion.

Upcoming events in the series:

Oct. 5, 7 p.m.: Miracles as Transforming Invitations to Wonder & Gratitude: An Islamic Perspective
By Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu, associate professor of Islamic studies, St. Joseph’s University

Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: Does ‘the Biblical God who acts’ really act? Special divine action via quantum mechanics that is objective but not miraculous
By Robert J. Russell, founder and director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, and Ian G. Barbour, professor of theology and science, graduate theological union, Berkeley

Nov. 16, 7 p.m.: On the Role of Miracles in the Vimalakirti Sutra in the Early Medieval China
By Shi Jingpeng, Minzu, University of China, Beijing

—Kayla Jenkins, College of Arts & Sciences