Ninth Theistic Ethics Workshop

Goal: Contemporary philosophy of religion has been richly informed by important work in metaphysics and epistemology. At the same time, there has not been nearly as much work done at the intersection of philosophy of religion and meta-ethics or normative theory. To help inspire more good work in this area, Christian Miller (Wake Forest), Mark Murphy (Georgetown), and Chris Tucker (William & Mary) have been organizing a series of annual workshops on theistic ethics for a number of years.

Logistics: The ninth workshop will be held at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. We will begin with dinner and the first paper on Thursday, September 11th and conclude at the end of the day on Saturday, September 13, 2025. There will be five invited papers and four spots for submitted papers. All papers have roughly 40 minutes for presentation and 40 minutes for discussion.

Themes: “Theistic ethics” is to be understood broadly to include such topics as divine command and divine will theories, God and natural law, ethics and the problem of evil, moral arguments for a theistic being, infused and acquired virtues, the harms and benefits of theistic religions, specific ethical issues in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, and many other topics as well.

Applying: Those interested in participating should submit an abstract of up to 750 words and a current C.V. to Chris Tucker at [email protected] by June 1, 2025. Word or PDF file formats only. Please prepare abstracts for anonymous review.  For although the organizers seek to have a balanced program both in terms of topics and presenters, the initial stage of review will be done anonymously. Submitters to a previous year’s workshop, whether successful or unsuccessful, are welcome to apply to this year’s workshop. 

Notification will be made by June 17, 2025. If your abstract is selected, we will cover your accommodation, meals, and travel. Co-authors are welcome, but only one author’s expenses can be covered. You do not have to send your paper in advance of the workshop, and it certainly can be a work in progress.  Questions about the workshop should be sent to [email protected].

Supported thanks to generous funding from Terry Thompson, Michael and Valerie Foradas, and the W&M Department of Philosophy.