Tag: Philosophy of Religion

Call For Papers, Master Category

CFP: E.J. Lowe’s Metaphysics and Analytic Theology

An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology

CALL FOR PAPERS

E. J. LOWE’S METAPHYSICS AND ANALYTIC THEOLOGY


Guest editors
Mihretu P. Guta: Biola University, Addis Ababa University & Azusa Pacific University
Eric LaRock: Oakland University & University of Michigan, Center for Consciousness Science


Edward Jonathan Lowe was one of the most distinguished metaphysicians of the last 50 plus years. He made immense contributions to analytic philosophy in as diverse areas as metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophical logic, modern philosophy (especial on John Locke) and philosophy of religion. Lowe was a realist metaphysician. Like Aristotle, he thought that, with sustained reflection and responsible engagement with empirical research, the nature of a mind independent reality can be discovered. In all of this works, Lowe consistently maintained that our common-sense pre-philosophical convictions about reality should not be ignored unless there is a good reason to do so. Even in such cases,
Lowe firmly believed that common-sense should rather be corrected and further enriched in light of relevant empirical discoveries. But Lowe never accepted the idea that, in light of the advancement of science, somehow we should entirely stop our reliance on common-sense in our inquiry into the nature of reality. Partly in defence of this very view, Lowe developed his most influential and highly original work: the four-category ontology. The gist of this work concerns metaphysics as an inquiry into the structure of ultimate reality (taken in general), provides a foundation for natural science. Lowe strongly believed that it is metaphysics not science that can set the terms for what is possible and not possible. Lowe believed that figuring out what actually exists in the natural world falls within the purview of science. On Lowe’s view, metaphysics and science can and should work in synergy, each playing its distinctive role in enhancing our knowledge of a mind independent reality. Lowe extended his realist view of reality to causation, laws of nature, modality, personal identity, logic, language, God’s existence, time and space, human ontology, properties and many other issues. Lowe’s views on ontological issues also have direct implications for issues in philosophical theology as well as philosophy of religion such as incarnation, trinity and divine attributes. One of the things that makes Lowe’s work uniquely suitable to apply to various issues in either philosophical theology or philosophy of religion has to do with its systematic nature. Lowe built an extremely sophisticated ontological
system as shown in his the Four-Category Ontology. In so many ways, Lowe’s highly original ontological system will prove relevant to address questions that arise in philosophical theology. Many contemporary metaphysicians influenced by Lowe’s system also have an interest both in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion, and have integrated elements of Lowe’s metaphysics in their treatment of these questions. Yet, to this date, no attempt has been made to take a general look at how Lowe’s metaphysics relates to various issues in the philosophy of religion. This
is the first attempt to take concrete steps to fill in the existing gap in this regard. To this effect, we would like to invite paper contributions that connect any relevant aspect of Lowe’s work to any issue in philosophical theology or philosophy of religion, especially incarnation, trinity, divine attributes, human agency and divine sovereignty, unified experience and the existence of God, divine causation, divine temporality or atemporality et cetera.

Deadline for submissions: September 30th, 2020


Full papers should be submitted via our website:
https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/theologica/index or sent to:
managingeditor.theologica@gmail.com. In order to contribute equally to scientific international discussions held in several languages, articles written in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish are accepted. Visit the TheoLogica homepage for a description of the journal and instructions to authors.

For a brief biography on Lowe’s life and work, click on the link below: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43047040?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

For an extended discussion on Lowe’s work, click the link below:
https://www.iep.utm.edu/lowe-ej/

Yours sincerely,
Mihretu P. Guta & Eric LaRock

Call For Papers, Master Category

CFP: Tyndale Fellowship Conference 2020 – Philosophy of Religion Abstracts

From Daniel Hill (Liverpool)

Dear Friends of Tyndale,

Next year’s Tyndale Conference is expected to be somewhat different from those of the last three years. We are due to meet together with all the other study groups (Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Biblical Archaeology) at The High Leigh Conference Centre in Hertfordshire (https://www.cct.org.uk/high-leigh/high-leigh-conference-centre) from Monday 29th June to Wednesday 1 July 2020. There is an overall theme for the conference, ‘Doing Theology in a World on the Move – Migration, Borders and Citizenship’ (https://academic.tyndalehouse.com/TFC-2020), but there is no requirement for this to be the subject of any paper in Philosophy. The PhilEvents page for the conference is https://philevents.org/event/show/78474, and the PhilEvents page for the Call for Abstracts is https://philevents.org/event/show/78582.

We are delighted to announce that our plenary speaker for Philosophy is due to be Prof. Dr Dr Daniel von Wachter (http://von-wachter.de/), Director of the Institute for Academic Philosophy in Liechtenstein (http://iap.li/en/#pll_switcher). He is expected to speak at the end of the conference on Wednesday. It is a great honour for Tyndale that Prof. von Wachter has agreed to come to speak to us. You can see his very distinguished CV at http://von-wachter.de/#CV (with two doctorates in philosophy!), and details of his 60 publications at http://von-wachter.de/#Publications.

There are due to be nine or ten slots for papers to be presented at Tyndale next year. If you would like to be considered for a slot please e-mail an abstract (no more than a few hundred words) to djhill1972@gmail.com by Friday 20th December. We hope to let successful applicants know by Monday 6th January, in plenty of time for you to book in before the closure of the early-bird discounted period on 31st January 2020.

A reminder that abstracts are welcomed from people of all faiths or none, men or women, analytic or non-analytic philosophers.

Any inquiries please do get back to me.

With best wishes,

Daniel H.

Call For Papers, Master Category

CFP: Theological Explorations in Time and Space (TheoLogica)

TheoLogica
An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology 

CALL FOR PAPERS
THEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS
IN TIME AND SPACE 

R.T. Mullins (University of St Andrews)
David Anzalone (University of Lucerne)
Ben Page (Durham University)

 

In 1969, T.F. Torrance published Space, Time, and Incarnation. This brought together recent work in philosophy and science on the nature of space and time in order to explore the implications for theology. Torrance’s theology engaged with the scientific thought of Albert Einstein and James Clerk Maxwell, as well as the temporal logic of A.N. Prior. The influence of this work on subsequent theology cannot be overstated. Yet, a great deal has changed since 1969, and most contemporary discussions in theology show little awareness of recent advancements in the metaphysics of time and space. The field of analytic theology has started to make progress in these areas, but
much work remains to be done.

We invite papers that offer a theological or religious engagement with philosophical issues related to time and space. Papers can be from any religious, theological, or atheological tradition. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

1) God’s relationship to time and space. Defences of traditional understandings
of timelessness and omnipresence using recent work in temporal ontology,
such as the moving spotlight. Alternative models of the God-world relationship
that engage with the metaphysics of time and space.

2) Divine foreknowledge, providence, and temporal logic. This could include
theological explorations of the open or closed future, or alternative ontologies
such as fragmentalism.

3) Religious perspectives on personal identity over time. Papers could include
discussions on the doctrines of the resurrection, salvation and enlightenment,
Samsāra, and eschatology.

4) Theological explorations of hypertime and hyperspace.

5) Time, space, and the incarnation.

6) Does time have a beginning? Papers could debate rival doctrines of creation,
the kalpas, or Sunyata.

 

Deadline for submissions: May 31st 2020.

Full papers should be submitted via our website:
https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/theologica/index or sent to: managingeditor.theologica@gmail.com. In order to contribute equally to scientific international discussions held in several languages, articles written in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish are accepted. Visit the TheoLogica homepage for a description of the journal and instructions to authors.

 

Yours sincerely,
R.T. Mullins, David Anzalone, and Ben Page

Conferences, Events & Conferences, Master Category

Analytic Theology at AAR 2019

The 2019 national annual conference of the Evangelical Philosophical Society will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California, from November 20–22 (Wednesday-Friday). After the EPS annual meeting, there will be several sessions at AAR which might be of interest to theologians, especially those who are interested in Analytic Theology. Sessions will be held at the Marriott Marquis and the Hilton Bayfront.

2019 EPS at AAR/SBL: Love: Divine and Human

November 22, 2019
Marriott Marquis-Solana
San Diego, CA

Theme: Love: Divine and Human
Friday – 7:00 PM-9:30 PM
Marriott Marquis-Solana (South Tower – First Level)

Love, Divine and Human: Contemporary Essays in Systematic and Philosophical Theology(edited by Oliver Crisp, James Arcardi, Jordan Wessling)is a collection of essays forthcoming from T&T Clark. This book panel would give some of the volume’s authors an opportunity to share their research with a larger audience.

Panelists:

  • Sameer Yadav (Westmont College) responds to the problem of divine hiddenness by way of an analysis of divine love.
  • Kent Dunnington (Biola University) argues on exegetical and philosophical grounds that there is not a Christian duty to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
  • J.T. Turner (Anderson College) argues against the notion that virtuous character formation in love for God provides a causal link between libertarian free will in pre-heavenly existence and moral impeccability in the eschatological state.
  • Jordan Wessling (Fuller Seminary) argues for a unitary account of the relation between God’s love and God’s punitive wrath.
  • Erin Dufault-Hunter (Fuller Seminary) on “Sex Is Really about God”: Sarah Coakley and the Transformation of Desire.

For more information: https://papers.aarweb.org/program_book?keys=Evangelical+Philosophical+Society&field_session_slot_nid=All

2019 EPS at AAR/SBL: Modern Philosophy of Theological Anthropology

November 24, 2019
Marriott Marquis-Torrey Pines
San Diego, CA

Theme: Modern Philosophy of Theological Anthropology
Joshua Farris, Houston Baptist University, Presiding
Nathan Jacobs, University of Kentucky, Presiding
Sunday – 7:00 PM-9:30 PM
Marriott Marquis-Torrey Pines 2 (North Tower – Lobby Level)

Modernity, some have suggested, sows the seeds for a purely materialist, mechanistic, non-experiential, a-religious perspective of the world. However, new work on God and Modern philosophy in philosophers such as Descartes, Hobbes, and Kant challenges this assumption. Through the lens of some of the most important Modern figures, the present panel discussion explores the following question: Does contemporary philosophical materialism regarding humans have much footing in the modern dialectic? We suggest that it does not by considering Descartes, Hobbes, Berkeley, Kant.

  • Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College: Descartes and the Primacy of Self-awareness
  • Richard J. Mouw, Fuller Theological Seminary: Hobbes and Descartes in Christian Anthropology
  • Chris L. Firestone, Trinity International University: Kant’s Existential Dualism
  • Geoffrey Fulkerson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Heidegger, the Technological, and Dwelling: A Theological Account

For more information: https://papers.aarweb.org/program_book?keys=Evangelical+Philosophical+Society&field_session_slot_nid=All

2019 AAR/SBL: Incarnational Model of the Eucharist

November 25, 2019
Hilton Bayfront-Indigo
San Diego, CA

Society of Christian Philosophers Session
Theme: Panel on James Arcadi’s An Incarnational Model of the Eucharist (Cambridge University Press, 2018)
Monday – 9:30 AM-12:30 PM
Hilton Bayfront-Indigo 204B (Second Level)

This is an author-meets-critics session on James Arcadi’s book, An Incarnational Model of the Eucharist (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

Panelists:

For more information: https://papers.aarweb.org/program_book?keys=%22Panel+on+James+Arcadi?&field_session_slot_nid=All

Conferences, Events & Conferences, Master Category

Conference: Free Will and Divine Action

From Daniel Hill (Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Liverpool):

Academic conference *Free Will and Miracles*

While at our 2017 conference  we investigated claims that miracles or human free actions are impossible or incompatible with the laws of nature, this conference will investigate the nature of human free actions and of divine actions. In which respects would free human actions be similar to divine interventions, and how would they be dissimilar? In which sense does human freedom have degrees, and in which sense would God be perfectly free? Is the existence of free human actions (of some kind) incompatible with atheism? What would constitute reasons for believing in free will of a certain kind? What would constitute reasons for believing in a divine intervention? What is the prior probability of a divine intervention? Is the existence of probabilistic laws of nature/processes necessary for free will or necessary for divine interventions? What possible kinds of divine action are there? What kinds of possible free human actions are there?

Date: 21.-23. August 2019, location: Munich, Germany.
Registration required, please send an email to rnolte@iap.li.

Speakers include:

All talks and responses will be in English.
Conference fee: 60 €.
Some scholarships of 300 € are available. Apply at rnolte@iap.li
We recommend staying at the location of the conference, Schloss Fürstenried.

Further information: http://iap.li/event/tagung2019-en/