Finley Lawson graduated from Heythrop College with a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and Theology in 2008 and undertook a research masters in philosophy at the same institution (2013) examining “Eternity and Time in Science: What Role Do the Theories of Relativity Play in the Formation of a Coherent Model of Eternity?”. He is currently undertaking a part-time PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University applying current scientific understanding of the holistic nature of the world to our theological metaphysics, in particular in relation to discussions of divine and human personhood. He has a wider interest in using a holistic ontology to develop a more coherent account of personhood, and how this account can be profitably brought into theological discussions about diverse embodiment.

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Finley is a research Fellow at the LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) Research hub based in the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. He joined LASAR in 2017 having previously worked in schools for 10 years as an educational support worker and Religious Studies specialist. He is interested in the dialogue between STEM, religion and the wider humanities, and how this can be fostered in the primary and secondary curriculum. His current research examines the impact of developing students' epistemic insight (understanding of the nature of knowledge and knowledge formation) through Informal Science Learning (ISL) focused on the philosophical big questions raised by science and technology.

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His broader interests focus on the impact of epistemic insight-led pedagogy on subject compartmentalisation and whether the development of a broader understanding of the nature of knowledge will influence student aspiration and widening participation on HE. This develops his previous experience as an advanced skills tutor for the Brilliant Club (primary and secondary) and a tutor for the Advocacy Academy.

 

Publications

 

2019 F. Lawson, “Denying the Binary – A Non-Boolean Approach to Queer Bodies in Theology”, in A. Vähäkangas, K.H. Johansen, T.S Kaufman & S. Angel (eds), Reforming Practical Theology: The Politics of Body and Space;

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2018 Billingsley, B., Nassaji, M., Fraser, S., & Lawson, F. (2018). A Framework for Teaching Epistemic Insight in schools. Research in Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9788-6  (Open Access)

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2018 F. Lawson, Review of On Faith and Science, by Edward J. Larson & Michael Ruse, Reviews in Science and Religion, no. 70 (pp. 26-31)

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2018 F. Lawson, “Complete in Manhood” – Understanding Christ’s Humanity in Light of Quantum Holism, in Evers, Fuller et al. (Eds) Studies in Science and Theology Vol. 16 (pp. abo127-142), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg