J. David Pleins

J. David Pleins, Ph.D., is a Professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University in the heart of Silicon Valley in California. He is the author of five books that tackle the relation of religion and science, the history of religion, mythology, and biblical literature. John Haught of Georgetown University says of Pleins’s latest book “In Praise of Darwin” on the Darwin “Memorial Poem” that “Pleins has an exceptional sensitivity to the religious struggles of sincere seekers, especially scientists.” His upbringing in a fundamentalist setting had one advantage: navigating the chapters and verses of the Bible still comes easy to him! But even in high school he was interested in a wider view and avidly read Hindu and Buddhist texts alongside the Christian mystics and existentialist novels. Along the way, he worked on ancient languages, such as Hebrew and Greek, and participated in archaeological work in Jordan on the Roman trade network. His exploration of Darwin's writings and Romanes's poetry has taken him to England and the Scottish highlands for background research. Further information about his books can be found at www.darwindebates.com.