CFP: Exploring awe and wonder

Sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation's
Research Grant: Space, Science and Spirituality
http://www.chdr.cah.ucf.edu/spaceandspirituality/

The concepts of awe and wonder occupy an important place in the history of ideas, often associated with the beginnings of philosophy and with religious experience.  In contemporary times, however, they are under-studied and rarely discussed.  It is not clear that such experiences are more rare in our time.  One might argue that given our ability to explore more and more corners of the physical and intellectual universe using technology and advanced science, and our capacity for representing the results of such explorations in art, film and various mass media, we should expect that experiences of awe and wonder are more common.  

The interdisciplinary conference, Exploring Awe and Wonder, will bring together researchers in psychology, emotion theory, neuroscience, philosophy, art history, religious studies, and other relevant fields to explore the science and phenomenology of awe and wonder.  Proposals for presentations in these areas are welcome.  A special session on Space, Science and Spirituality is being organized to present current research on the experience of awe and wonder during space flight.

Keynote speakers

Jesse Prinz (Philosophy, CUNY Graduate)
Michelle Shiota (Psychology, Arizona State University)

Invited speakers
Jonathan Cole (Neuroscience, Bournemouth University)
Joerg Trempler (Art History, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the Yale Center for British Art)
Jeff Williams (NASA, Astronaut)

Send abstracts and session proposals by June 15, 2013 to

Bruce Janz
Department of Philosophy
Center for Humanities and Digital Research
University of Central Florida

[email protected]