Sacred Values and Intractable Conflicts - Scott Atran

Our September 23-24, anthropologist Scott Atran (French National Centre for Scientific Research and Atris Director of Research) returned to give another lecture and seminar. The topic was the role of religion and sacred values in the creation and resolution of intractable conflicts. Sacred values -- which drive actions independently of calculated costs, risks, rewards and consequences -- sustain intractable conflicts that defy "business-like" negotiation, but also provide surprising opportunities for resolution.

Scott gave a Monday morning lecture to all the students and then held two afternoon interactive seminars with about 20 - 30 students each. All went exceedingly well. The students were bright, inquisitive and eager to engage in the issues. During one of the seminars, the students literally wouldn't let Scott go and it ran for over 2 hours.