International Conference: Nature Religions, Science and Technology (September 22-23, 2022, University of Groningen)
It is a pleasure to invite you to the international conference Nature Religions, Science and Technology, co-organized by the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, and The Institute of Philosophical Studies, Science and Research Centre of Koper. The conference will take place at The University of Groningen in The Netherlands on 22-23 September, 2022.
The international conference Nature Religions, Science and Technology seeks to strengthen neglected areas in the interdisciplinary field of Religion, Science, and Technology by introducing original research on the approaches to science and technology in, or related to, pantheism, animism and paganism—especially (but not exclusively) in their ‘Western’ forms. Papers focusing on philosophical, theological and religious studies perspectives (sociology of religion, anthropology of religion, history of ideas, and others) are also welcome.
The keynote speakers at the conference are Andrei Buckareff, Katherine Swancutt, Kocku on Stuckrad, Victor J. Krebs.
The questions to be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following: Given the strong preference for immanent divine and embodied spirituality in contemporary pantheism, animism and paganism, does this give (any of) them intellectual advantage in relating to science and technology, compared to theism? Why has animism often been suspicious of, and presented as alternative to, ‘Western rationalism’ and hence, to a notable extent, Western science? If the tension between animism and science is not inevitable, what are the philosophical and discursive approaches that allow contemporary animism to combine with rigorous scientific investigation/theory? Is the 4E approach in cognitive science positively compatible with animism, paganism or pantheism? What are the arguments for adopting the so-called naturalistic paganism (or scientific paganism)? How exactly does the technology-focused paganism (technopaganism) relate to modern science and technology on the one hand, and to the more nature-focused paganism on the other? Does the immersive and boundary-transgressing phenomenology of nature, characteristic of some forms of pantheism, animism and paganism, help ground better environmental ethics than a more ‘detached’ approaches to environmental ethics (which typically also rely more explicitly on technological solutions to environmental problems)?
Guidelines for applicants
The deadline to apply to present a paper at the conference Nature Religions, Science and Technology HAS BEEN EXTENDED until 10 AUGUST 2022.
To apply, please send the title and an abstract (max. 300 words) to the following email addresses:
g.andrejc(at)rug.nl
victoria.bustamante(at)zrs-kp.si
Applicants will be notified whether their paper is accepted within a week after that date.
All papers that will be selected for the conference will also be invited for submission to a special issue of Religions titled Religion, Science and Technology in Pantheism, Animism, and Paganism, of which we are guest-editors. Please see the call below this one for more information.
There is no attendance fee for the conference (attendance is FREE). However, registration is required. If you only want to attend but not present a paper, please confirm your attendance to the organizers (Dr Andrejč and Dr Dos Santos), via email.
Important Dates
Deadline for abstract submission: 10 August, 2022.
Notification of acceptance: 13 August, 2022.
Conference dates: 22-23 September, 2022.
Organising committee:
Dr Gorazd Andrejč
Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen/
Institute for Philosophical Studies, Science and Research Centre Koper
Dr Victoria Dos Santos
Institute for Philosophical Studies, Science and Research Centre Koper
We look forward to receiving your paper abstracts and hopefully seeing you at the conference Nature Religions, Science and Technology.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gorazd Andrejč
Dr. Victoria Dos Santos
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Call for Papers: Special issue of Religions: Religion, Science and Technology in Pantheism, Animism, and Paganism
Guest Editors: Gorazd Andrejč, Victoria Dos Santos
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2022
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Although the trend is slowly changing, discourse on the Science and Religion—as well as its subfield, Religion and Technology—in Western philosophy of religion and theology has been largely dominated by discussions of the relationship between variants of theism and particular scientific theories or methods. While pantheism and its ‘cousins’ (panentheism, pandeism) have experienced some vibrant development in this field in recent years, modern animist and pagan perspectives have had less critical attention in the same.
This Special Issue will strengthen neglected areas in the interdisciplinary field of Religion, Science, and Technology by introducing original research on the approaches to science and technology in, or related to, pantheism, animism and paganism—especially (but not exclusively) in their ‘Western’ forms. While we especially invite essays written from philosophical and theological approaches for this Special Issue, essays written from other Religious Studies perspectives (sociology of religion, anthropology of religion, history of ideas, and others) are welcome if they can relate meaningfully and originally to questions such as those below.
For instructions to potential contributors, please see the special issue webpage on the Religions website.
For more information about waiving of publish fees for authors for this special issue, please contact the guest-editorial team, Gorazd Andrejč and/or Victoria Dos Santos (contact info are on the special issue webpage).