The scientist Christopher Southgate became a theologian and a poet. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science has had the pleasure of publishing four of his articles (Southgate , , , ) and a set of six articles on research done by him in collaboration with Andrew Robinson, inspired by Charles Sanders Peirce, on a semiotic approach to the origin of life (Robinson and Southgate , , , ; Robinson, Southgate, and Deacon ; Southgate and Robinson ). Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science has also published four of Southgate's poems (, , , ). In this issue, colleagues engage his work on teaching “religion and science” and on evolution and theodicy, in particular with respect to the suffering of humans and other animals. Bethany Sollereder and Andrew Robinson, a theologian and a medical doctor, respectively, are our guest editors for this festschrift issue. As befits academic conversation, Southgate offers some reflections in response. May his contributions and those of his conversation partners inspire further reflection!
Arthur C. Petersen has been appointed by the Joint Publication Board of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science to become its fifth editor, formally also referred to as “editor‐in‐chief,” after Ralph Burhoe, Karl E. Peters, Philip Hefner, and myself. Arthur is a professor of science, technology, and public policy at University College London, a highly respected academic institution that was the first in England to allow Jews, Catholics, dissenters (non‐Anglican Protestants), and other non‐Anglicans to enter. The office of the journal will continue to be in Chicago. Arthur has doctorates in physics and in philosophy, both earned in the Netherlands, and is currently working on a third doctorate, on science and religion, at the University of Oxford. His doctorate in philosophy of science dealt with the question how we deal with uncertainty in computer models of climate change when giving policy advice (Petersen ). He has been chief scientist at the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and a delegate to meetings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science he published “Uncertainty and God,” drawing on William James (Petersen ). Though certainly he may be expected to bring in new accents and people, he is committed to continue with Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science as it has become a major platform for academic reflection on the interplay of religion and human values with science and technology in our world.
Thus, more that is worthwhile will come in the future. For now, enjoy this issue!
References
Petersen, Arthur C.2012. Simulating Nature: A Philosophical Study of Computer‐Model Uncertainties and Their Role in Climate Science and Policy Advice. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Petersen, Arthur C. 2014. “Uncertainty and God: A Jamesian Pragmatist Approach to Uncertainty and Ignorance in Science and Religion.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 49:808–28.
Robinson, Andrew, and ChristopherSouthgate. 2010a. “Introduction: Toward a Metaphysic of Meaning.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:339–44.
Robinson, Andrew, and ChristopherSouthgate. 2010b. “God and the World of Signs: Introduction to Part 2.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:685–88.
Robinson, Andrew, and ChristopherSouthgate. 2010c. “Semiotics as a Metaphysical Framework for Christianity.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:689–712.
Robinson, Andrew, and ChristopherSouthgate. 2010d. “Broken Symbols? Response to F. Leron Shults.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:733–38.
Robinson, Andrew, Christopher Southgate, and Terrence Deacon. 2010. “Discussion of the Conceptual Basis of Biosemiotics.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:409–18.
Southgate, Christopher. 2002. “God and Evolutionary Evil.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 37:803–24.
Southgate, Christopher. 2007a. “Crick, Watson, and the Double Helix.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 42:257–58.
Southgate, Christopher. 2007b. “Knowing.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 42:561–62.
Southgate, Christopher. 2007c. “Reweaving the Rainbow.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 42:649.
Southgate, Christopher. 2007d. “Taboo.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 42:1015–17.
Southgate, Christopher. 2011. “Re‐Reading Genesis, John, and Job: A Christian Response to Darwinism.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 46:370–95.
Southgate, Christopher. 2014. “Divine Glory in a Darwinian World.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 49:784–807.
Southgate, Christopher. 2016. “Science and Religion in the United Kingdom: A Personal View on the Contemporary Scene.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 51:361–86.
Southgate, Christopher, and AndrewRobinson. 2010. “Interpretation and the Origin of Life.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45:345–60.