CFP: 6th Annual 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) organize a series of annual workshops on theistic ethics.

Logistics: The 6th workshop will be held near William & Mary at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. We will begin with dinner and the first paper on Thursday, September 1st and conclude at the end of the day on Saturday, September 3rd. There will be four spots for submitted papers. All papers will have about 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; God’s ethics; ethics and the problem of evil; moral arguments for a theistic being; infused and acquired virtues; the harms and benefits of theistic religions; what mainstream moral theories imply about divine action; specific ethical issues in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam; and many other topics as well.

Applying: Those interested in participating should submit an abstract of 750-1,000 words and a current C.V. to Chris Tucker ([email protected]) by June 1st. Word or PDF file formats only. Please prepare abstracts for anonymous review.  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.  Questions about the workshop should be sent to the [email protected].

Notification will be made by June 17th at the latest. If your abstract is selected, we will cover your accommodation, meals at the conference, and travel expenses (international travel can be covered for at least one submitted paper). 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. 

Supported by generous funding from William & Mary’s Philosophy Department and Theresa Thompson ’67.