Welcome to the companion website for the upcoming Accelerator Workshop Conceptions of Knowledge and Belief in Religion and Science.  We are very excited for the workshop and we look forward to seeing everyone soon. Please feel free to explore this website. We will strive to make sure that the most up-to-date information is installed. Thank you.

Executive Summary

Depending on their culture and community, children and adults will be exposed to particular ideas about the nature of knowledge and belief, especially in the context of science and religion.  For example, children and adults living in the United States and Western Europe are likely to be exposed to variegated claims about the standing and centrality of religion and science. By contrast, children and adults living in China will receive little exposure to public discourse of a religious nature whereas those living in a theocracy such as Iran will be frequently exposed to public discourse that presupposes the centrality of religion for education and policy. Psychological research on cognitive development and on cognitive processes has primarily focused on children and adults in the United States and in Western Europe. As a result, we know little about conceptions of knowledge and belief in other cultures, including China and the Middle East. In the last decade, however, researchers have become increasingly concerned about the Western bias of psychological research. In particular, researchers have sought to expand their horizon by studying children and adults in a greater variety of cultures. Our goal is to bring together a diverse group of scholars who share a common interest in studying the nature of knowledge and belief, especially in the twin contexts of religion and science.

Accelerator Workshop Leaders

Kathleen Corriveau
Associate Professor and Program Co-Director for Applied Human Development (Ph.D.)
Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Email: kcorriv@bu.edu
Website: https://www.bu.edu/wheelock/profile/kathleen-corriveau/

Paul Harris
Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Email: paul_harris@gse.harvard.edu
Website: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/paul-harris