CFP: Thinking About God: Historical Perspectives

Call for Abstracts: Thinking About God: Historical Perspectives 

Date:16-17.04.2026 

Location: University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom 

Deadline for Submission: 01.01.2026 

Keynote Speakers: Fatema Amijee (University of British Columbia); Daniel De Haan (University of Oxford) 

We are pleased to announce a call for abstracts for the upcoming conference ‘Thinking About God: Historical Perspectives’. We invite scholars, early career researchers, and graduate students working in philosophy, theology, and related disciplines to the University of Edinburgh to explore the views of historical philosophers on the relationship between God and the human mind. 

Conference Theme: 

God is no ordinary entity. Historically, many philosophers have taken God to be infinite, transcendent, eternal, and simple. Such conceptions appear to demand an account of how it is possible to think of such a being. In apophatic traditions, philosophers like Plotinus have argued that we cannot think about God in positive terms at all. Others, such as Aquinas, argued that the human mind can at best infer certain things about God. Others still, such as Descartes, held that the divine essence could be understood positively by pure intellection. 

This conference brings together advanced graduate students and established scholars to discuss the views of various historical thinkers on the question of how, if at all, it is possible to think about God. Topics may include (but are by no means limited to) the following: 

• Is it possible to conceive of a God who is absolutely simple?

• Is the distinction between cognitivism and non-cognitivism useful in understanding historical views on the representation of God? Are there non-cognitivist approaches to religious language in the history of philosophy? 

• What role do negations play in our thinking about God? How has this been explored in apophatic traditions? 

• How did empiricists understand the possibility of thinking of God? 

• How does the doctrine of imago Dei relate to human representation of God? 

• How does human thinking about God relate to self-knowledge?  

• What role do analogy and metaphor play in language about God? 

Submission Guidelines: 

We welcome submissions of abstracts of up to 500 words, especially from early career researchers (PhD students & post-docs), suitable for 30-minute presentations followed by15-minute Q&A. Submissions may engage with any historical philosophical tradition, and we especially encourage submissions on women philosophers and non-Western traditions. Please send abstracts in PDF form to [email protected] by 01.01.2026 (11.59 pm London time). Please ensure that abstracts are anonymous, and submit a separate document containing your name, institutional affiliation, and career stage. Successful applicants will be notified by 15.01. 2026. We are likely to have one of our sessions (2-3 speakers) in a hybrid form via Zoom, so please kindly indicate if you would like to present your paper online.We strive to ensure a gender balance among speakers.The language of presentation and discussion is English. 

This conference is supported by Edinburgh University’s School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, the British Society for the History of Philosophy (https://bshp.org.uk/), the Scottish Philosophical Association (http://www.scotsphil.org.uk/), and the Thomistic Institute.  

Owing to the generous support of the British Society for the History of Philosophy and the Scottish Philosophical Association, we are able toprovide refreshments, a conference dinner, andto support accepted speakers with a limited travel bursary.Please indicate in your submission if you would like to be considered for a bursary. We will assess each application individually, and thosewho are unwaged and cannot rely on any funding from their institution will be prioritised. 

For any inquiries, please contact Boxiang Yu ([email protected]) or Karim Shoaib ([email protected]). 

Organisers: BoxiangYu, Karim Shoaib, Emma Cohen-Edmonds