CfP: Nature Religions, Science and Technology (22-23 Sept 2022, Groningen)
International Conference: Nature Religions, Science and Technology. University of Groningen. September 22-23, 2022
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 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 at the conference Nature Religions, Science and Technology with paper titles and abstracts (max. 300 words) is 5 August, 2022.
Please, send your abstract to Gorazd Andrejč and Victoria Dos Santos
The 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. The submission deadline for articles is 30 November 2022.
Important Dates
Deadline for abstract submission: 5 August, 2022.
Notification of acceptance: 12 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
The Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin/
Institute for Philosophical Studies, Science and Research Centre Koper