Jeffrey P. Schloss is Distinguished Professor of Biology and T. B. Walker Chair of Natural & Behavioral Sciences at Westmont College, where he directs the Center for Faith, Ethics and the Life Sciences. After undergraduate studies in biology and philosophy, Professor Schloss received his graduate training in ecology & evolutionary biology at University of Michigan and Washington University, where he earned his Ph.D. He has taught at University of Michigan and Wheaton College, and has been a Danforth Fellow, an American Scientific Affiliation Fellow, a Crosson Fellow at Notre Dame, a Plummer Fellow at St. Anne’s College Oxford, and a Senior Fellow of the Emory University Center for Law & Religion.
His twofold scholarly interests involve the ecophysiology of hydroregulation in poikilohydric organisms, and the philosophical and theological implications of evolutionary theory, particularly Darwinian understandings of human nature. Recent projects focus on evolutionary accounts of altruism, morality, and religion; his present work investigates the role of oxytocin in mediating religious experience and signals of commitment. He is s a charter member if the International Society of Science & Religion, and serves on the editorial and advisory boards of numerous organizations fostering dialogue between science and religion, including Theology and Science, Science and Christian Belief, Religion Brain and Behavior, BioLogos Foundation, Templeton Foundation.
Selected Recent Science Publications
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. “Unpredicted Outcomes in the Games of Life”. Forthcoming in Evolution, Games and God: the Principle of Cooperation. Martin A. Nowak and Sarah Coakley, eds. Harvard University Press.
- Schloss, Jeffrey and Michael Murray. 2011. “Evolutionary Accounts of Belief in Supernatural Punishment: A Critical Review.” Religion, Brain, Behaviour. 1(1):46-66.
- Schloss, Jeffrey and Michael Murray. 2010. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want: Evolution and True Beliefs?” Brain and Behavioral Sciences. 32(6): 533-534.
- Schloss Jeffrey P. 2007. “Is There Venus on Mars?: Bioenergetic Constraints, Allometric Trends, and the Evolution of Life History Invariants” In Fitness of the Cosmos for Life: Biochemistry and Fine Tuning. John Barrow, Simon Conway Morris, Stephen Freeland, and Charles Harper, eds. Cambridge University Press. 318-346.
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. 2007. “He Who Laughs Best: Religious Affect as a Solution to Recursive Cooperative Defection.” In The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques. Joseph Bubulia, Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman eds. Collins Foundation Press. 205-215.
Selected Recent Publications in Science & Religion
- Schloss, Jeffrey, Barrett, J., and Murray, M.. 2010. “Looking Past vs Overlooking Cognitive Evolutionary Accounts of Religion.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 78(3):622-628.
- Schloss, Jeffrey and Michael Murray. 2010. “Science, Religion, and the Sciences of Religion: Comments on Van Till’s Criticisms of Barrett. Theology and Science. 8(1): 17-23.
- Schloss, Jeffrey and Michael Murray. 2010. “Evolution, design, and genomic suboptimality: Does science “save” theology?” PNAS. 107(30): E121.
- Schloss, Jeffrey and Michael Murray, eds. 2009. The Believing Primate: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Perspectives on the Origin of Religion. Oxford University Press.
- Murphy, Nancy and Jeffrey Schloss. 2008. “Biology and Religion.” In Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Biology. Michael Ruse, ed. Oxford University Press. 545-569.
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. 2008. “Divine Providence and the Question of Evolutionary Directionality.” In Back to Darwin: A Richer Account of Evolution. John Cobb, ed. Eerdmans. 330-350.
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. 2008. “Neo-Darwinism: Scientific Account and Theological Attribution.” In Back to Darwin: A Richer Account of Evolution. John Cobb, ed. Eerdmans. 99-118.
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. 2006. “Evolutionary Theory and Religious Belief.” In Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science. Philip Clayton, ed. Oxford University Press. 187-206.
- Schloss, Jeffrey P. 2005. “Hath Darwin Suffered a Prophet’s Scorn? Evolutionary Theory and the Scandal of Unconditional Love.” In Spiritual Information. Charles Harper, editor. Templeton Press. 291-299.
- Clayton, Philip. And Jeffrey Schloss. eds. 2004. Evolution and Ethics: Human Morality in Biological and Religious Perspective. Eerdmans.
