The Anatomy of a Conversion: Nicolaus Steno and the Search for Certainty in the Scientific Revolution

The Stanley Jaki Academy for Theology and Science at Seton Hall University will host a lecture by historian of science Nuno Castel-Branco, Ph.D., entitled "The Anatomy of a Conversion: Nicolaus Steno and the Search for Certainty in the Scientific Revolution." The event will take place at 4 p.m., September 22, in the Chancellor's Suite, University Center. It will examine the remarkable intellectual and spiritual journey of the seventeenth-century scientist and future Catholic bishop, Blessed Nicolaus Steno. Drawing on his recent historical scholarship, Castel-Branco will challenge the tendency to separate Steno’s scientific achievements from his religious conversion, arguing instead that both emerged from a unified search for certainty grounded in disciplined observation and methodological rigor.

Steno’s pioneering contributions to anatomy and geology will be situated within the broader intellectual and devotional currents of seventeenth-century Europe, offering insight into the relationship between scientific inquiry, theological reflection and faith during the Scientific Revolution.

Nuno Castel-Branco is a historian of science, culture and religion in early modern Europe and currently serves as a Research Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford. He earned a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics and an M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Lisbon before completing a Ph.D. in the History of Science and Technology at Johns Hopkins University in 2021. Following doctoral study, he held postdoctoral research appointments at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and Harvard University’s Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Florence. His scholarship explores the intersections of medicine, mathematics, religion and scientific culture in early modern Europe.

Founded to advance interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of theology and the sciences, the Stanley Jaki Academy for Theology and Science supports lectures, research and academic collaboration inspired by the legacy of the late physicist, historian of science, and Catholic priest Father Stanley L. Jaki, O.S.B. The Academy seeks to foster rigorous dialogue between scientific inquiry and theological reflection in service of the University’s Catholic mission. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Seton Hall chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists, which promotes fellowship and intellectual exchange among Catholic scientists and students.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Registration is appreciated.

Categories: Faith and Service