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Archdiocesan Advisory Committee on Science & Technology
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8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075-0106 As scientific and technological changes occur in our societies today at high speed and with penetrating power, our everyday life is profoundly affected by them. Because such developments are novel, and because they have the capacity to affect fundamental questions, such as those related to the beginning and end of life, human reproduction, the way we receive and process information, the structure of the society, and our present and future existence in the physical environment, critical legal, ethical and moral questions emerge that often puzzle the common citizen as well as the societal leadership. Many of these issues have become hot and contested questions on the political arena but have also entered the consciousness of religious leaders. Such issues are specifically concerned with the possible impact these developments might have on theological teachings and moral positions and practices that have been accepted and observed for centuries or even millennia. Based on the above observations, a need was perceived for the clergy and lay leadership to be better informed on scientific and technological issues, and for the laity who are engaged in science and technology to understand the broader implications (ethical, sociological, and religious) of science and technology and the concerns that are generated by rapid advances and radical changes. To address these needs among both clergy and laity, the Archdiocesan Advisory Committee on Science and Technology (AACST) was formed in 2001 by a group of scientists, engineers, medical and legal professionals, as well as theologians under the guidance of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, and with the approval of the Holy Eparchial Synod and the Archdiocesan Council. The membership of the Committee is based on the following set of criteria: (i) wide professional recognition and excellence in the respective fields of endeavor; (ii) proven, active involvement in the life of the Church and a substantive knowledge of Orthodox theology; and (iii) willingness to devote energy and time to the task. The Committee membership is a “living” list and, therefore, continues to be enriched with new members as more persons who fulfill these criteria are nominated and appointed. The work of the Committee has been organized in three Subcommittees as follows:
The Committee has been working mostly through local meetings,
ad hoc consultations and exchanges of electronic mail. The Committee made
presentations at the 36th Clergy Laity Congress, in Los Angeles (summer
of 2002); at the 37th Clergy-Laity Congress, in New York City (summer
of 2004); and at the 38th Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, Tennessee
(summer of 2006). The papers presented are available on the Committee’s
web site, accessible at www.aacst.goarch.org. Personhood and Cyber-Disinhibition: Ethical Issues in the Era of Information Rev. Frank Marangos, D.Min.,Ed.D. Executive Director of Communications, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Science Behind Human Biotechnologies Andrea L. Kalfoglou, Ph.D. Chair Bioethics Subcommittee Archdiocesan Advisory Committee on Science and Technology Alleviating World Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals By Evangelos A. Calamitsis, Archdiocesan Advisory Committee on Science and Technology, Presented at the 38th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nashville, Tennessee, July 19, 2006 Globilization: Challenges, Concerns, and Respones Prepared by Michael G. Papaioannou, IMF, Alex Mourmouras, IMF, Evangelos A. Calamitsis, IMF, Ret., and Achilles G. Adamantiades, George Washington University and World Bank, Ret. for the Archdiocesan Committee on Science and Technology The Greenhouse Effect and the Threat of Climate Change by Achilles G. Adamantiades, GWU and World Bank (Ret.)
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