Public Scholarship for the Common Good
The Houston Centre for Humanity and the Common Good (CHCG) is an initiative of Regent College, grounded in Dr. James M. Houston’s comprehensive vision of integrative scholarship. The Houston Centre fosters interdisciplinary and interreligious dialogue on the central question of the late-modern world: what does it mean to be human? Inviting a range of philosophical perspectives through collaboration with the University of British Columbia and other institutions, the Centre explores a holistic understanding of humanity that accounts for the unique social, political, and theological issues of our time. Comprising a community of leading scholars, the Centre generates dialogue across disciplines—theology, philosophy, biology, cognitive science, political studies, and more—in order to navigate the mystery of the human person. Through public lectures, seminars, and a variety of publications, the Houston Centre helps others engage theological questions of humanity for the common good.
Dr. Jens Zimmermann,
Centre Director
Dr. Jens Zimmermann is J. I. Packer Chair of Theology at Regent College. He is a philosopher and theologian with interests in anthropology and epistemology. A former Canada Research Chair (2006–16), he has received academic research fellowships in Oxford and Cambridge. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought at the University of Oxford and research fellow at the University of the Free State in South Africa. Dr. Zimmermann’s current research focuses on theological anthropology in the Christian tradition and the concept of personhood.
Seminars, courses, public lectures
Through seminars, courses, and public lectures, our scholars dialogue with leaders from an array of vocational sectors—engineers, medical professionals, pastors, businesspeople who are concerned with questions of human identity and flourishing.
Books, essays, and other publications
The Centre’s Affiliated Scholars publish books, articles, and other media across a diversity of disciplines—phenomenology, biology, hermeneutics, political science, and more. The Centre will also publish online essays; collectively, the scholars will offer a broad range of vantage points on what it means to be human.
Featured Content
Andrew Feenberg | Moral Machines: Social Values, Technology, and Critical Constructivism
In this lecture, Professor Andrew Feenberg (Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Technology, Simon Fraser University) offers an overview of the theory known as Critical Constructivism, which argues that the technologies we use incorporate social values of all sorts, depending on the actors who influence the design of such technologies.
“Since its foundation, Regent College has been a valuable and flourishing part of the diverse UBC community. I’m delighted that the College is now establishing the James M. Houston Centre, and I look forward to the increased collaboration it will bring between UBC and Regent College.”
— Santa J. Ono, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia
“In our post-modern societies, the public square has become increasingly polarized and hostile. We have lost not only consensus on some of our most important and fundamental shared values, but our ability to disagree respectfully. The James M. Houston Centre at the University of British Columbia’s Regent College, seeks to remedy this situation by establishing a transdisciplinary, transcultural initiative dedicated to the question of human identity and its importance for conceptions of what constitutes a good life. We should all sincerely hope that the Centre prospers and its goals will be achieved.”
— Margaret Somerville, AM, FRSC, DCL, Professor of Bioethics and Affiliate of the Institute for Ethics and Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia
"The intersection of Christian and secular notions of human nature is the key juncture in an ever increasingly complex network of contemporary controversies about the anthropos. I welcome this initiative by Regent College at a time when Christian scholars need to deepen their forays into secular cultures, aspects of which are the forgotten or misshapen offspring of Christian wisdom."
— Paul Allen, Academic Dean and Professor of Theology, Corpus Christi College, Vancouver
“UBC is a world leader in the academic study of religion. The establishment of the James M. Houston Centre at Regent College is a welcome addition to our broader academic community, and promises to enhance interdisciplinary and interfaith dialogue around issues at the centre of our concepts of the public good and the good life.”
— Edward Slingerland, Director of the Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition, and Culture, Professor of Asian Studies and Associate Member, Depts. of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of British Columbia
Centre Fellows
“Under the able directorship of Dr. Jens Zimmermann, this Centre will offer an indispensable service to the future of humankind by addressing the challenges of our moment.”
