PRESS RELEASE
CNES PRESS RELEASE
June 28, 2004
JACQUES ARNOULD, PROJECT LEADER AT CNES,
HONOURED BY THE
ACADEMIE FRANCAISE
The Académie Française has awarded Jacques ARNOULD its 2004 La Bruyère Prize (silver medal), in the Literature & Philosophy category, for his book “The Devil’s Whiskers” published by Editions du Cerf in 2003.
Jacques Arnould, born in 1961, is a member of the Dominican order, who teaches at the Institut Catholique in Paris.
Both an agricultural engineer and a Doctor of Science History and Theology, he is interested in the relationships between science, culture and religion, and in particular, two themes: life and its evolution and Space and its conquest.
Regarding the first, he has devoted several works and articles to history or theology.
For the second, he works as a CNES specialist (CNES is the French Space Agency), on the ethical, social and cultural dimension of Space activities.
Jacques Arnould tells the story that one day a journalist, referring to his involvement as a theologian in the relationships between Science and Faith, said to him: “Father, you are tweaking the Devil’s whiskers”. “He was probably not wrong! ”, says Arnould. “The Church now takes the work of the sons of Copernicus or Darwin seriously, however Christian fundamentalists such as the Creationists, devotees of astrology, or explorers of Near Death Experiences will doubtless continue to confuse scientific research with quests and religious speeches. The origin of the world, the roles of chance and fate, consciousness and human freedom are only a few of the issues facing theologians today. ”
Jacques ARNOULD has published the following books :
Les Créationnistes [The Creationists], Cerf, 1996.
Darwin, Teilhard de Chardin et Cie [Darwin, Teilhard de Chardin and Company], DDB, 1996.
Les Avatars du gène Les Avatars du gène [The Avatars of the Gene] (in collaboration with Pierre-Henri Gouyon and Jean-Pierre Henry), Belin, 1997.
La Théologie après Darwin [Theology after Darwin], Cerf, 1998.
Le Parfum et les Larmes [The Perfume and the Tears ](in collaboration with Lucienne Rousseau), Editions de l’Atelier, 1999.
Dieu, le singe et le big bang [God, the Monkey & the Big Bang], Cerf, 2000.
La Dispute sur le vivant [The Debate on Life](in collaboration with Jean-Didier Vincent), DDB, 2000.
L'Église et l'histoire de la nature [The Church & the History of Nature], Cerf/Jaca, 2000.
Accueillir la différence [Welcome the Difference], Editions de l’Atelier, 2001.
La Seconde Chance d’Icare [Icarus’ Second Chance]. Space Ethics, Cerf, 2001.
Chevaucheur des Nuées [Cloud Rider] (in collaboration with Jean-Pierre HaignerŽ), Solar, 2001.
Quelques pas dans l’univers de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin [A Walk in the Universe of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin], Aubin, 2002.
Les Moustaches du diable. Lorsque la foi se frotte à la science, mais aussi à l’astrologie, aux miracles, aux expériences de mort imminente [The Devil’s Whiskers. When Faith rubs up against Science, but also Astrology, Miracles, Near Death Experiences], Cerf, 2003.
La Lune dans le bénitier. Conquête spatiale et théologie [The Moon in the Font. Space Conquest & Theology], Cerf (to be published in Autumn 2004).
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