“Do to others what you would have them do to you”, is widely known as the Golden Rule, and is seen as a common principle among many religions. How might one look at this Mathematically? When modelling interacting individuals, we can draw on social conventions such as the Golden Rule to understand what optimal human behaviour might look like. This can be applied to social distancing in an epidemic to mitigate the cost of infection. But where does this Golden rule come from? Why did Christ give this teaching? What exclusive claims might Christianity have regarding the Golden Rule? In this talk, PhD student Mark Lynch will explore links between the Christian faith and his research in Mathematics.

Warmly welcoming everyone!