Conversations X: Philosophy of Religions

The broad theme for the tenth Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium (CHiPS) will be issues related to philosophy of religions. Philosophy is often accused of being out of touch. Perhaps nowhere more so than in the philosophy of religion, where discussions in English are typically conducted by reference to Christianity. Human history has been marked by a plurality of religious beliefs, yet philosophical reflection on religion has hardly ever acknowledged this plurality, or attempted to address its consequences.

For our tenth Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium, we seek papers exploring the philosophical implications of giving consideration to the variety of religious beliefs that the world exhibits. We are especially interested in papers that will seek to examine issues such as:

Can religious beliefs in general provide a reasonable account for the values embraced by humans?

What is the value of religion and spirituality to our everyday lives?

Can reasonable positions be found within religious traditions that do not put them in conflict with a naturalistic worldview?

Is there any rational defence of the almost universal parochialism or ethnocentrism exhibited by reflection on religion?

Do any traditions of religious thought have the resources to avoid, in a rationally defensible manner, the general "plague upon all your houses" that such untrammelled diversity seems to suggest?

Does an atheistic or agnostic outlook provide more scope to humans to cooperate across cultures?

What are the philosophical implications of the relationships between religion and gender, religion and politics, religion and law, religion and social media, religion and culture, religion and economic inequality, and so on?

In keeping with the spirit of our conversations, we hope to bring together thinkers operating in and across different cultural and philosophical traditions as well as other disciplines that share a boundary with philosophy.

Keynote speaker: Professor John Cottingham (University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford) - Professor Cottingham's principal research interests are in early-modern philosophy (especially Descartes), moral philosophy, and the philosophy of religion, and has published extensively in all three areas. Author of over 100 articles, he has published ten books as sole author, some of the more recent being On the Meaning of Life, The Spiritual Dimension, Why Believe?, and Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach (forthcoming).

Contact persons:

Prof. Frederick Ochieng’-Odhiambo

Prof. Ed Brandon

Ms. Roxanne Burton

[email protected]